FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 11, 2023

Press Contact: Grace Glaser, Public Affairs & Policy Manager: gglaser@valor.us, (916) 446-2520 x323

The California Legislature Extends Essential Prevention Funding

SACRAMENTO – The Alliance for Boys and Men of Color (ABMoC), the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence (the Partnership), the Culturally Responsive Domestic Violence Network (CRDVN), and ValorUS® (VALOR) along with budget champion, Assembly Member Reggie Jones-Sawyer and a wide coalition of over 100 organizations, are excited to share that the California Legislature has directed continuing funding to the Sexual and Domestic Violence Prevention (SD) Grant program, a critical funding source for domestic violence and sexual assault prevention work.

In amendments made to SB 104 and AB 104 in late August, the legislature allocated $2.3 million to continue the SD program. This small dollar amount is a significant victory for the 46 anti-violence programs in California that rely on state support to implement their prevention programming and will allow these organizations to sustain their violence prevention work for a longer period of time.

Prevention works by changing the conditions and norms that create space and opportunity for domestic and sexual violence to occur. An evaluation by the California Department of Public Health and the Center on Gender Equity and Health at UC San Diego School of Medicine highlights the effectiveness of one such prevention effort: California’s Rape Prevention and Education Program. This program, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, brings funding and resources to states to support prevention programming. Over 40 percent of organizations that implemented this program reported that it resulted in a school or community policy or protocol change that would help reduce sexual violence in their community. The same evaluation found that over 80 percent of participating agencies reported community leadership, action, or interest in preventing sexual violence following implementation of the program.

While this allocation is a small amount in the overall California budget, it will have long-lasting impacts on Californians. Thank you to the California Legislature for setting a precedent that prevention is an essential component of state policy.