SNOWE AND COLLINS ANNOUNCE $85,526 DOJ GRANT TO MAINE COALITION TO END DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

WASHINGTON, D.C.- U.S. Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins announced today that the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence will receive $85,526 in grant funding from the Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs. "This award comes as great news to a hardworking organization dedicated to helping victims and ending the cycle of domestic violence," said Senators Snowe and Collins in a joint statement. "We are delighted that the Department of Justice is providing support to address this critical issue."

Grant funding will be used to fund the State Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Coalitions Program. This program recognizes the critical role played by state sexual assault and domestic violence coalitions in the implementation of the Violence Against Women Act of 2000. The coalitions coordinate victim services within their state as well as collaborate with other federal, state, and local entities to respond to violence against women issues affecting their jurisdictions.

The Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence (MCEDV) is a network of ten domestic violence programs advocating for the safety and rights of battered women and their children. MCEDV will use this award to build the capacity of the organization as follows:

• Creating a technical assistance coordinator position to identify the needs of member programs, develop a plan, and provide and/or coordinate technical assistance as needed; • Compiling and maintaining an inventor of resource material; • Providing staff support for Affinity Group meetings; • Creating a Quality Assurance Coordinator position to coordinate the development of quality assurance standards and the peer evaluation process; • Developing a data collection system to track and report service delivery statistics; and • Developing the coalition web site and online communication systems.