AG Derek Schmidt announces grants for Lawrence organizations

KANSAS, September 28 - TOPEKA – (September 28, 2022) – Five Lawrence organizations have been awarded more than $280,000 in grants to provide services for victims of crime, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt announced today.

The grants were awarded to support the following programs:

• Children’s Advocacy Center of Douglas County, $1,978 to provide direct services to children who have experienced abuse or neglect.
• Children’s Advocacy Center of Douglas County, $18,690 to provide immediate and compassionate response to a child’s experience of abuse.
• Children’s Advocacy Center of Douglas County, $4,000 for operating expenditures for children’s advocacy centers.
• Douglas County CASA, $13,250 to enhance the role of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) volunteers in advocating for the educational and medical needs of child victims of abuse and neglect while in foster care and to support volunteer recruitment to serve more children.  
• The Sexual Trauma & Abuse Care Center, $67,000 to support the ongoing operating expenses of the domestic/sexual assault center. 
• The Willow Domestic Violence Center, $15,307 to provide safe and victim-centered advocacy services to victims seeking housing living in Douglas, Franklin and Jefferson counties. 
• The Willow Domestic Violence Center, $60,480 to provide support, community services, and crisis intervention to human trafficking victims, as well as education within the community.
• The Willow Domestic Violence Center, $76,380 to provide advocacy to domestic violence victims interacting with the court system and to provide continued education of the community and knowledge of The Willow's support services.
• TFI Family Services, Inc. – Lawrence Visitation and Exchange Center, $23,000 to provide a neutral site for custody exchanges between parents, and supervised visits for families dealing with divorce, separation, domestic violence, child abuse, protection orders, threats or family reintegration.

“Organizations across Kansas do great work every day to support victims of crime,” Schmidt said. “We are proud to support these organizations through the victim services grant programs.”

The awards were made from the Human Trafficking Victims Assistance Fund, Protection from Abuse Fund, State Child Exchange and Visitation Centers Fund, State Crime Victims’ Assistance Fund and State Crime Victims’ Assistance Fund for Child Abuse and Neglect. The Human Trafficking Victim Assistance Fund is funded through fines, penalties, forfeitures and State General Fund appropriations. The Protection from Abuse Fund is funded by State General Fund appropriations, marriage license fees, county court costs and municipal court assessments. The State Child Exchange and Visitation Centers Fund is funded through marriage license fees and State General Fund appropriations. The State Crime Victims’ Assistance Fund is funded though the remittance of applicable fines, penalties and forfeitures from clerks of the district courts. The State Crime Victims’ Assistance Fund for Child Abuse and Neglect is funded through county court costs, municipal court assessments and State General Fund appropriations.

This year, the attorney general’s office awarded more than $2.5 million in grants to local and state crime victim assistance organizations. More information on the grant programs and the full list of award recipients is available on the attorney general’s website at www.ag.ks.gov.