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NNEDV Applauds Passage of Minibus Spending Package, Increased Funding for Survivors

January 15, 2026

The Fiscal Year 2026 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) Act, part of the minibus spending package, includes increased funding for lifesaving services for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: NNEDV Communications Team (Communications@NNEDV.org)

Washington, DC – The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) applauds the passage of the fiscal year 2026 (FY26) Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) Act, which includes increased funding for lifesaving services for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, as part of the minibus spending package. Congress passed the spending package with overwhelming bipartisan support, and it now heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law.

The CJS bill provides $720 million for Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) grants, an increase of $7 million above fiscal year 2025. It also protects funding for culturally specific services, underserved communities, and LGBTQ-specific services, and it reasserts that the Office on Violence Against Women should remain a separate grantmaking office.

The bill also includes $1.95 billion for Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grants, which use non-taxpayer money to support services to over six million victims of all types of crimes annually, through almost 6,500 direct service organizations, such as domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, and child abuse treatment programs.

“The increased resources provided through the FY26 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Act reflect meaningful investments in safety for survivors of abuse,” said Tonia Moultry-Pace, NNEDV Interim President & CEO. “When victims reach out for help, they deserve to know that services will be available. Bolstering federal funding moves us toward a world where every victim, survivor, advocate, and program has the support they need to thrive.”

Key programs for the field within the $720 million for VAWA grants include:

  • $257 million for the STOP coordinated community response program
  • $79.5 million for the Sexual Assault Services Program
  • $55 million for Legal Assistance
  • $51 million for Transitional Housing
  • $50.5 million for services for rural victims
  • $10 million for the Culturally Specific Services program
  • $4.5 million for Underserved Program grants
  • $1 million for LGBTQ-specific programs

VAWA and VOCA allocate resources to every state and territory and work together to ensure that local domestic violence and sexual assault programs, including culturally specific programs, have the resources to meet survivors’ complex needs. Each of these local programs is critical to ensuring that victims are safe and that our communities are more secure.

NNEDV commends the lead appropriators in both chambers of Congress for their bipartisan leadership and commitment to invest in these lifesaving programs, and to every member of Congress who voted to support victims of domestic violence.

Congress must now pass FY26 funding in Labor, Health, and Human Services (LHHS) and Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD) for other vital services and programs that survivors and their children rely on.

NNEDV is grateful to our membership of the 56 state and U.S. territorial coalitions against domestic violence, the 2,000 local programs they represent, and the millions of victims, survivors, and allies whose tireless advocacy made this bill possible. We can’t do this work without you, too. Please consider making a gift to support NNEDV and our network as we work together to build a world where domestic violence no longer exists.

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The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) represents the 56 state and U.S. territorial coalitions against domestic violence. NNEDV is a social change organization working to create a social, political, and economic environment in which domestic violence no longer exists. NNEDV works to make domestic violence a national priority, change the way society responds to domestic violence, and strengthen domestic violence advocacy at every level.