Healing Partnerships for Survivors Act
Healing Partnerships for Survivors Act would amend the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) to create a new grant program (Section 315) aimed at strengthening how health and wellness systems—including behavioral health and disability programs—and community-based sexual assault programs work together to support survivors across their lifespans. The bill authorizes funding for partnerships with health providers and other service organizations to deliver trauma-informed, culturally relevant services, training, and policies that improve the response to sexual assault, including for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. It also broadens FVPSA definitions to explicitly include sexual assault and would provide up to $30 million per year (fiscal years 2026–2030) to carry out these grants. Additionally, the bill sets forth grant administration, reporting, privacy protections, and a technical assistance program to support grantees.
Key Points
- 1Grants for strengthening public health systems of support for survivors of sexual assault: New authority to fund partnerships between health/wellness providers, behavioral health, disability programs, or other service providers and community-based sexual assault programs to improve survivor outcomes.
- 2Eligible recipients: State, territorial, and tribal coalitions; nonprofit community-based sexual assault programs (including rape crisis centers and culturally specific organizations) with demonstrated survivor-serving experience; and Indian tribes/tribal organizations.
- 3Use of funds and activities: Develop and implement trauma-informed, culturally relevant partnerships; provide services such as prevention, screening, care linkages, therapy, support groups, holistic healing, substance-use supports, temporary housing, and personal advocacy through case management; train staff; offer trauma-informed health/wellness modalities; address adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse across the lifespan.
- 4Reporting, evaluation, and privacy: Grantees must report on activities and outcomes, with evaluations and best-practice dissemination; programs must protect victim privacy, confidentiality, and safety in line with applicable laws.
- 5Technical assistance and training: Up to 10% of annual funds may go to 2+ eligible private, nonprofit sexual-assault-focused organizations to provide training/TA to current and prospective grantees; TA providers must have demonstrated expertise in working with culturally specific communities and/or services.
- 6Administration and funding levels: Cap on federal admin/monitoring costs at up to $5 million per year for FVPSA implementation; new authorization of appropriations of $30 million per year for fiscal years 2026–2030 to support Section 315 grants.
- 7Broader FVPSA amendments: Adds sexual assault to the list of violence covered (dating violence and sexual assault) in FVPSA’s authorization; defines sexual assault consistently with the Violence Against Women Act.