In May 2011, the Ms. Foundation for Women announced new grants to 15 national, state and local organizations working to end child sexual abuse. These grantees represent some of the most exciting work happening in the emerging movement to end child sexual abuse.

The grantee organizations are from diverse fields, including sexual assault, child abuse prevention, domestic violence, arts, faith, and policy advocacy. They also include new state coalitions that are uniting public and private agencies, survivor advocates, and those working in sex-offender management and treatment.

The 15 grantees were selected from among an historic number of submissions received in response to a Ms. Foundation request for proposals to end child sexual abuse. See below for a description of the grantees and their projects.

CONNECT (New York, NY) is dedicated to preventing interpersonal violence and promoting gender justice through legal empowerment, grassroots mobilization and transformative education. With support from the Ms. Foundation they will address the silence and denial that surrounds child sexual abuse in New York City’s faith communities. They will create New York City’s first faith-based working group on child sexual abuse prevention; conduct a community needs assessment specific to faith congregations; and develop an organizing and advocacy blueprint to guide a grassroots faith-based movement to end child sexual abuse.

Darkness to Light (Charleston, SC) a national organization, specializes in adult-focused prevention education and public awareness of child sexual abuse. Stop It Now (Northampton, MA), a national group, specializes in prevention education, support services and public policy related to child sexual abuse. Together, with support from the Ms. Foundation, they will work in partnership with federal agencies to encourage the integration of child sexual abuse prevention standards into federally funded youth programs. They will create and execute a plan for federal agency reform and engage federal training and technical assistance centers to include child sexual abuse as a priority. This project also receives support from Prevent Child Abuse America.

generationFIVE (Oakland, CA) works to interrupt and mend the intergenerational impact of child sexual abuse on individuals, families and communities. With support from the Ms. Foundation they will work to shift current responses to child sexual abuse away from a criminal justice-only approach, and increase the capacity of marginalized communities to build and sustain culture change around child sexual abuse. They will strengthen current Transformative Justice Collaboratives in four cities, including resource mapping and campaign development in these locations, and more broadly, promote transformative justice as a recognized response to child sexual abuse.

Kingsbridge Heights Community Center (Bronx, NY) provides a wide range of services to community members living in the Bronx, NY. With support from the Ms. Foundation they will expand their child sexual abuse program to include survivor advocacy and systems change. They will recruit, train and support survivor advocates to work as partners in a tightly-focused campaign to increase funding for abuse prevention and treatment in New York City. This is the first step in a five-year plan to make advocacy a central part of their child sexual abuse program.

Massachusetts Citizens for Children (Boston, MA) is the lead partner of the Enough Abuse Campaign, a comprehensive initiative focused on ending child sexual abuse in Massachusetts. With support from the Ms. Foundation they will strengthen the movement of concerned citizens working to end child sexual abuse across the state. They will expand the campaign to three new communities; increase the participation of innovators, experts, survivors and local community members; formalize working partnerships with community-based organizations; and engage in policy advocacy.

Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault (St. Paul, MN) represents rape crisis centers and allied agencies committed to ending sexual violence. With support from the Ms. Foundation they will work to bring the prevention of child sexual abuse to the core agenda of both policymakers and community members in Minnesota. They will develop communications strategies that link the prevention of child sexual abuse with the prevention of sexual victimization and perpetration more broadly; establish a work group that will serve as the statewide arbiter of public policy initiatives related to child sexual abuse; and support community activism at the local level.

OAASIS (Oregon Abuse Advocates and Survivors in Service) (Portland, OR) is an activist group of child sexual abuse survivors and family members focused on community education and policy change in Oregon. With support from the Ms. Foundation they will promote the role of survivors in shifting society’s understanding and response to child sexual abuse, with a particular focus on public policy. They will expand their survivor speakers bureau; organize a statewide conference to bring together child sexual abuse experts and survivors; conduct a survey of survivors and service providers to inform their policy goals; and build a base of support for their policy agenda.

Peace Over Violence (Los Angeles, CA) focuses on the intervention and prevention of sexual assault, domestic violence, teen dating violence and stalking in Los Angeles County. Partner 1 in 6 (Santa Clarita, CA) is a national organization that provides resources and support to men who have had unwanted or abusive sexual experiences in childhood. Together, with support from the Ms. Foundation, they will work to remove the shame and stigma associated with child sexual abuse by moving the discussion from the private to the public sphere. They will recruit, train and support a diverse group of survivors to work as community educators and policy advocates. They will conduct interviews with survivors and service providers and create a white paper outlining policy recommendations and an action agenda for the prevention of child sexual abuse. The paper will be presented in at least three public settings in California alongside survivor advocates.

Ping Chong & Company (New York, NY) is a theatre company and the creator of Secret Survivors, a dramatic work presented by child sexual abuse survivors that uses personal narrative to encourage dialogue and audience engagement. With support from the Ms. Foundation they will work to increase awareness about child sexual abuse, give voice to a range of survivor perspectives, and challenge common misconceptions and judgments. They will create a Secret Survivors film documentary and tool kit and use them in community organizing throughout New York City.

Prevent Child Abuse America (PCAA) (Chicago, IL) a national organization, works at the federal level and through its state chapters to prevent the abuse and neglect of children. With support from the Ms. Foundation they will expand the Enough Abuse Campaign to two new states and establish PCAA as a national leader on child sexual abuse prevention. They will facilitate state-level planning, implementation and evaluation of the campaign in Maryland and New Jersey, and integrate child sexual abuse prevention into their national communications and policy platform.

Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina (Raleigh, NC) works to prevent child abuse and neglect and serves as the lead partner of the North Carolina Coalition on Child Sexual Abuse Prevention. With support from the Ms. Foundation they will work with policymakers, service providers and community members to develop a comprehensive, evidence-based plan to prevent child sexual abuse in North Carolina. They will create a comprehensive statewide plan based on a needs assessment, field scan, stakeholder meetings and national research on evidence-based practices.

Samaritan Counseling Center (Lancaster, PA) provides professional counseling, consultation and education while integrating the personal and spiritual values of their clients. They sponsor the Safe Church Project, which supports church congregations in developing a holistic approach to child sexual abuse. With support from the Ms. Foundation they will expand the Safe Church Project and engage churches in a process designed to change attitudes, beliefs and institutional practices through policy development, congregational education and training for staff and volunteers.

Tewa Women United (Santa Cruz, NM) supports Native women in becoming a positive force for social change. With support from the Ms. Foundation they will integrate child sexual abuse prevention into their existing efforts to support pregnant women, their families and communities. They will work in partnership with local service providers to create opportunities for pregnant women and their families to explore the connections between healthy families and child sexual abuse, as well as publish a report on key findings.

Teach our Children (Brooklyn, NY) works to end the cycle of child sexual abuse in Jewish communities. With support from the Ms. Foundation they will work with the Orthodox Jewish community to shift culture around child sexual abuse and engage mothers in changing community attitudes and institutions. They will train mothers on child sexual abuse prevention and response; support mothers in targeted activism; and publish a manual that includes an organizing guide and lessons learned.

Press Release

10 May 2011

Ms. Foundation Awards Funds to End Child Sexual Abuse