FRANKFORT, Ky. (April 30, 2026) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear awarded $16 million in federal grant funding to 88 agencies and organizations across the commonwealth that provide direct services to victims of crime and their families through the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grant program.
“Every single Kentuckian who has experienced the pain of crime deserves the resources and ability to take back and rebuild their lives,” Gov. Beshear said. “This annual funding allows folks who work directly with Kentuckians impacted to wrap their arms around them, protect them and help them start a new chapter.”
VOCA is the primary federal grant program supporting direct assistance services to victims of child abuse, sexual assault and domestic violence. Funding can also serve survivors of attempted homicide, families of homicide victims and victims of burglary, theft and drug- and alcohol-related crime, as well as elderly victims and adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse or assault.
Funds also support advocacy efforts for victims of domestic or sexual violence, civil legal aid, services for children and families affected by physical or sexual abuse and survivors of human trafficking.
To meet the funding priority requirements of the federal award, $11.2 million was reserved for member programs of Children’s Advocacy Centers of Kentucky, the Kentucky Association of Sexual Assault Programs, the Kentucky Court Appointed Special Advocates Network and ZeroV through a non-competitive application process. The remaining $4.8 million was made available to agencies and organizations through a competitive application process.
Gov. Beshear recognized recipients of this year’s funding:
- Kentucky Legal Aid’s Cumberland Trace Legal Services received $499,993 to provide legal services to meet the urgent needs of victims in Southcentral and Western Kentucky.
- Legal Aid Society received $416,181 to support its Victims of Crime Program, which provides holistic civil legal assistance to victims of crime to support long-term safety and stability.
- Home of the Innocents has been awarded $304,674 to continue offering comprehensive services for child victims of neglect and physical and sexual abuse in the commonwealth.
- Family Nurturing Center of Kentucky has been awarded $277,259 to continue its child abuse treatment services, providing trauma-informed, evidence-based counseling and support for children, adults and non-offending caregivers impacted by child abuse and family violence.
- The Lexington Police Department has received $57,046 to implement its Victim Services Unit project to significantly enhance its current victim advocacy program.
- Hope’s Wings received $52,986 to continue its work serving as a lifeline for domestic violence and sexual assault survivors in rural counties of Kentucky.
“It’s only by working together that we can make significant impacts in the lives of our neighbors, and this grant funding allows us to do just that,” Justice and Public Safety Cabinet Secretary Keith Jackson said. “Thank you to those Kentuckians who are reaching out and supporting crime victims in the commonwealth. Without you, we could not build the safer New Kentucky Home we all dream of.”
For a full list of subrecipients, click here.
The Beshear-Coleman administration’s top priority is the safety of all Kentuckians. The Governor has taken action to build safer communities and a better Kentucky.
Since taking office, the Beshear-Coleman administration has awarded $187 million in grant funding to victim service agencies across the commonwealth. Gov. Beshear has also signed legislation to make sexual extortion a felony and strengthened statutory language to include other forms of abuse and sexual exploitation of minors.
Last month, Gov. Beshear further protected Kentuckians by signing legislation to establish the offense of grooming to better protect Kentucky children and hold offenders accountable; to formalize the role of a statewide Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner coordinator to strengthen the state’s response to sexual assault cases and better support survivors; and to enhance the state’s stalking laws by broadening the scope covered under the law to include social media and more.
Protecting the commonwealth’s schools are also a top priority of Team Kentucky. In August, the Governor announced that 1,315 Kentucky public schools are following statutory safety requirements required by the School Safety and Resiliency Act and that the number of school resource officers protecting schools has increased more than 100% since he took office.
Since Gov. Beshear took office, fewer Kentuckians have returned to prison after their release. In February, the Governor announced that recidivism rates in the commonwealth have decreased for two years in a row, meaning that nearly 70% of those released from state custody have not returned. To build on this progress, Gov. Beshear recently signed House Bill 5, which provides the framework to create Kentucky’s first reentry campus, focused on increased public safety and boosting the state’s workforce.
The 2024 Crime in Kentucky Report, released in June 2025, shows that, from 2023 to 2024, there was a 7.66% overall decrease in reports of serious crime.
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