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Issues: In the Movement, Litigation
Why It Matters
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) established a federal commitment to supporting survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault by funding critical services through grants administered by the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW). For decades, state coalitions have relied on these grants to provide trauma-informed care, emergency housing, legal assistance, and more. Congress has created and authorized other programs – such as programs under the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act, and the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act – that have also long provided critical support to organizations that serve survivors, families, youth, and unhoused individuals.
Under the Trump-Vance administration, the federal agencies tasked with implementing this programs imposed unlawful new conditions on grant recipients, requiring them to certify they are not supporting and will not support diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs, discuss “gender ideology,” serve undocumented immigrants, even when those services are required by law or essential to survivor care, among other illegal conditions. Through politically motivated funding conditions, the administration is undermining Congress’s clear intent, threatening the effectiveness of these programs, and jeopardizing services that vulnerable communities across the country depend on.
These unlawful policy conditions force organizations to choose between losing critical funding or facing severe legal and financial risks under the False Claims Act.
In addition to the National Women’s Law Center, the plaintiffs in both cases are represented by Democracy Forward, Jacobson Lawyers Group, the Lawyers’ Committee for Rhode Island, and the ACLU Foundation of Rhode Island.
Our Lawsuits
On June 16, 2025, the National Women’s Law Center filed a lawsuit on behalf of 17 state domestic violence and sexual assault organizations, seeking immediate relief to stop the Trump-Vance administration from imposing unlawful restrictions on grants issued by OVW.
The new restrictions imposed on grant funding for domestic and sexual violence services make it impossible for many of the service providers to operate programs effectively, threatening to eliminate services that victims of violence rely on in neighborhoods throughout the country.
Domestic and sexual violence prevention coalitions across the country are suing the DOJ to block unlawful restrictions on lifesaving programs that support survivors.
On July 21, 2025, when the Department of Health and Human Services and Housing and Urban Development adopted similar, illegal conditions on grant recipients, the National Women’s Law Center filed another lawsuit on behalf of the same 17 state domestic violence and sexual assault organizations and 5 housing, youth, and homelessness organizations.
Selected Court Filings
RICADV v. Bondi (Department of Justice)
RICADV v. Kennedy (Department of Health and Human Services & Department of Housing and Urban Development)
Press Releases
In The News
Domestic violence nonprofits sue over Trump administration’s anti-DEI funding rules