NWA nonprofits grapple with federal victim aid reductions
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Northwest Arkansas nonprofits are facing budget concerns because of a depleted federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) fund, and the region stands to receive a disproportionately low amount of grant money compared to other parts of the state.
Why it matters: The organizations at risk provide services to domestic violence and child sex abuse victims, some of NWA's most vulnerable populations.
State of play: Just under $7 million is available in total for Arkansas for October 2025 through September 2026, compared to $13 million four years ago, according to documents on the state Department of Finance and Administration's website.
Case in point: Springdale-based Peace at Home Family Shelter, which offers emergency shelter, counseling and legal services for domestic violence victims, received $1 million a year prior to 2021, executive director Teresa Mills told Axios.
- But the most any organization can apply for this year is $250,000, according to the state.
- Peace at Home has launched an endowment campaign to try to make up for the shortfall, and other organizations are also ramping up fundraising and applying for the Arkansas Economic Development Commission's new Community Assistance Grant Program.
- VOCA funding accounts for about 17% of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Northwest Arkansas' $1.7 million budget, and the organization anticipates losing the funding will hurt its ability to serve children in foster care, according to CASA's website.
The state supplemented some of the VOCA money using federal American Rescue Plan Act funding during the last application cycle in 2023, but Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration spokesperson Scott Hardin confirmed the state will not supplement grants this year.
By the numbers: The Children's Safety Center of Washington County's 18 staff members provide free services like counseling and forensic interviewing for children suspected of experiencing sexual abuse that cannot be done by volunteers, executive director Elizabeth Shackelford told Axios. About 740 children received services last year.
- The Children and Family Advocacy Center in Benton County has applied for $80,000 this year, despite receiving about $280,000 in the past, executive director Natalie Tibbs told Axios.
- The organization primarily sees children suspected of experiencing abuse and also has a shelter for families, most of whom have experienced domestic violence, Tibbs said.
Friction point: While the northwest region includes 14 counties home to a third of the state's population, it will receive a sixth of the remaining VOCA funding because the state is now divided into six geographic regions, compounding the challenge.
- "We have to turn, in a sense, competitive against each other," Shackelford said, speaking of the other child advocacy centers that typically collaborate with one another as they have a common cause.
What they're saying: "VOCA's federal guidelines prohibit direct awards to victims, which is why population levels do not determine award amounts," Hardin told Axios in an email.
Flashback: VOCA started in 1984 and is funded by fines paid by people or entities convicted of federal crimes, which have decreased in recent years and resulted in a depleted fund. Former President Biden signed a bill with a plan to give the fund a new source of revenue.
- "This fix is important, but it will take time (to) replenish the fund," Mills told Axios in an email.