Special Note for New Programs
While not part of the budgeting, you may remember from the eligibility requirements that you must have provided direct services to crime victims for at least one year, or provide evidence that your organization has strong, sustainable support from the community. If you can’t, then you must demonstrate 25-50% financial support from non-VOCA sources. This is different than the 20% match required for all grant applicants, but it can include more than just the VOCA-funded project. The exact percentage between 25% and 50% will be set by your state.
How can I show that I have a strong, sustainable program in my community?
You may be able to avoid demonstrating the non-VOCA source support in your budget if you provide evidence that you have community support. This can include:
- Letters of support from other community organizations, churches or criminal justice agencies (law enforcement, prosecutor’s office, district attorney’s office, coalitions, etc.)
- News clippings documenting your work in the community
Build a relationship with your state’s VOCA Administrator. This is critically important especially given the amount of discretion administrators retain at the state level in the absence of more specific guidelines from the federal office on what types of documentation can or should be accepted. The administrator can make case-by-case decisions.
If the administrator is familiar with your organization and track record in the community, he or she can determine that you have a record of providing effective services so you wouldn’t be subject to the higher financial threshold.
If you do need to show higher financial support:
If you simply cannot do any of the above or the VOCA Administrator does not accept it, you will have to show 25-50% non-VOCA sources within your budget. All of the above matching items and income sources can count towards this threshold.
Talk to your VOCA administrator about which parts of your organization can count towards the 25-50%. If they allow you to include your full organization, the requirement will be easier to meet.
Example: Let’s say your organization provides emergency food services to victims and you want to add a grief support component with new VOCA funds. Your organization’s total food services program costs $20,000, and the new grief support portion would cost another $10,000. Your total budget would be $30,000 with the new VOCA project ($20,000 for the food program + $10,000 for the VOCA program). If food service is already funded with non-VOCA sources, you already meet the requirement! Why? Because that $20,000 in income for the food program is more than half of your total budget of $30,000.