Congregations running or considering a domestic violence ministry often start by searching for a federal grant to apply to directly. There isn't one to apply to directly — the primary federal funding source, the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA), is a formula grant that goes to states first, and states run their own competitions for local subgrants. Understanding that structure changes where a congregation should actually be looking.
FVPSA is the primary federal funding stream dedicated to immediate shelter and supportive services for victims of domestic, dating, and family violence and their dependents. Funded activities typically include emergency shelter operations, safety planning, crisis counseling, legal advocacy, and information and referral services. It funds more than 1,600 local public, private nonprofit, and faith-based programs nationally, which makes faith-based eligibility well-established rather than an edge case.
| Metric | FY2026 Figure |
|---|---|
| State award range | Approximately $180,688 to $13,574,458 |
| Average state award | Approximately $2,581,250 |
| States and territories receiving awards | 56 |
| Local programs funded nationally (all years) | More than 1,600 |
These are state-level totals — an individual congregation's local subgrant, if awarded, is a small share of the state's overall allocation, distributed alongside dozens or hundreds of other local programs.
Our free eligibility review helps assess whether your program's current infrastructure fits FVPSA subgrant requirements.
Check Your Grant Eligibility →FVPSA subgrantees generally must provide a nonfederal match of not less than $1 for every $5 in federal funding, sourced from the state or through donations from public or private entities. Many states allow in-kind contributions — volunteer hours, donated space, in-kind goods — to count toward some portion of this match, but confirm the specific rules with your state's administering agency, since they vary.
Congregations running a pregnancy resource center or maternity home ministry sometimes assume that ministry falls under the same funding as domestic violence services. It doesn't. Roughly 19 states have authorized some form of state-funded "Alternatives to Abortion" program that directs public dollars — sometimes through TANF, sometimes through dedicated state appropriations — to pregnancy help organizations, maternity homes, and adoption-support ministries. Arkansas, for example, distributed $1.7 million to pregnancy help organizations in fiscal year 2026 through its state Pregnancy Help Organization Grant Program, and Missouri's TANF-funded allocation to pregnancy centers has grown to roughly $10.3 million in FY2026. These programs are entirely separate from FVPSA, vary significantly by state, and not every state has one — check with your state's health or family services department to see what, if anything, applies where you operate. For church-affiliated pregnancy centers weighing this funding path in depth — including why most operate as a separately incorporated 501(c)(3) rather than as a ministry line-item — see our pregnancy resource center ministry grants guide.
A related but distinct funding stream worth knowing about: the Department of Justice separately funds direct services for survivors of human trafficking, with faith-based organizations explicitly named as eligible applicants. See our anti-trafficking ministry grants guide if your congregation's victim-services work overlaps with trafficking survivors, since the funding source and eligibility rules differ from FVPSA.
A congregation offering pastoral crisis counseling without licensed victim-services staff or confidentiality protocols in place is not yet positioned to compete for direct FVPSA subgrant funding — and applying prematurely tends to produce a rejection rather than a useful learning experience. A more realistic and still valuable role is becoming a formal referral partner for an existing funded program in your area: training clergy and staff to recognize warning signs, hosting support groups run by the licensed program, and providing space or in-kind support. This builds the track record that makes a future direct application stronger. See our emergency shelter grants for churches guide for the closely related eligibility rules around ESG-funded shelter programs.
See our mental health grants for churches guide for related crisis-services funding, or government grants for churches for how FVPSA fits alongside other federal programs. Contact us with questions about your state's specific process.