Strategic federal grant planning that led to a $700,000 OVW Rural Program award and lasting impact for Georgia survivors.
Written by Dr. Amy Drews, PhD, GPC
In Spring 2024, RIC partnered with Satilla Advocacy Services (SAS), a dual sexual assault and child
advocacy center serving six rural counties in Southeast Georgia, to develop and submit a highly
competitive grant proposal to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women
(OVW) Rural Program.
SAS, formed in 1996, has a long-standing reputation for delivering comprehensive, trauma-informed
services for survivors of sexual assault and child abuse in Bacon, Brantley, Charlton, Coffee, Pierce, and
Ware counties. It is the only dual agency in its primary six-county service area, providing both child
advocacy and sexual assault services.
This potential funding represented an opportunity for SAS to deepen services in its rural service area
and improve access for Limited English Proficient (LEP) survivors. To ensure a successful application, we
met weekly and implemented a grant development process that included:
● Creating a milestone tracker to manage timelines, assign responsibilities, and meet internal and
application deadlines.
● Aligning all sections of the proposal with the OVW scoring rubric to ensure we earn maximum
points in each category.
● Gathering data to illustrate need and organizational capacity, including service statistics and
regional demographics.
We grounded the proposal in SAS’s 2023 impact, listing the number of survivors served and detailing
specific services provided, including the 24-hour crisis hotline, forensic medical exams and interviews,
therapy services, advocacy, outreach, and education. We also addressed critical gaps, including
transportation and communication barriers in rural areas. While headquartered in Waycross, additional
satellite offices would reduce access issues for both survivors and multidisciplinary team partners, such
as first responders and healthcare providers.
In Fall 2024, the OVW Rural Program awarded SAS a three-year $700,000 grant. This funding enabled
SAS to enhance staff to better serve sexual assault survivors in its rural service area, purchase
equipment for forensic medical examinations, develop bilingual outreach and prevention materials,
provide real-time translation services to improve accessibility for LEP survivors, and increase outreach
and services to underserved Hispanic communities.
Survivor feedback illustrates the powerful impact of SAS’s work in rural Georgia and the vital role of
continued funding, such as the OVW Rural grant. Survey responses reflect overwhelmingly positive
experiences, with survivors saying they felt safer after speaking with staff. They shared that the
organization helped them manage overwhelming emotions and better prepare for daily life challenges.
Survivors also felt strongly supported, saying that staff made it clear the abuse was not their fault.
Respondents also expressed a high level of inclusion and empowerment, saying they received valuable
guidance for safety planning.
