OVW is a component of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). Created in 1995, OVW
administers grant programs authorized by the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and
subsequent legislation and provides national leadership on issues of domestic violence, dating
violence, sexual assault, and stalking. OVW grants support coordinated community responses
that provide services to victims and hold offenders accountable. The Resource Center on Workplace Responses to Victims of Domestic and Sexual Violence
(Resource Center) (Assistance Listing # 16.028) provides information and assistance to
employers, labor organizations, and victim service providers to aid in their efforts to develop and
implement workplace responses to assist victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual
assault, stalking, and sexual harassment, including addressing the needs of underserved
communities. The implementation of VAWA 2022 resulted in the following substantive changes to the
program, which have not yet been implemented:
• A requirement for the Resource Center to maximize outreach to employers with fewer
than 20 employees, in addition to private companies, federal agencies, public entities
such as public institutions of higher education, and state and local governments.
• A requirement for the Resource Center to develop a website with resources specific to
employers with fewer than 20 employees, including live training materials.
• Explicitly including sexual harassment as a focus of the Resource Center.
• The provision that the recipient of the Resource Center award may develop a plan to
enhance the capacity of survivors to obtain and maintain employment, including through
the implementation of a demonstration pilot program to be known as ‘Pathways to
Opportunity’, which shall:
(1) build collaborations between and among victim service providers, workforce
development programs, and educational and vocational institutions to provide trauma
informed programming to support survivors seeking employment; and
(2) be centered around culturally specific organizations or organizations that primarily
serve populations traditionally marginalized in the workplace.
