The 2026 DVPF Request for Proposals is Now Open!
We are pleased to announce that the 2026–2029 Domestic Violence Prevention Fund (DVPF) Request for Proposals is now open. Review the full RFP or register for an upcoming technical assistance session to learn more and ask questions.
Funding and Resources
Coordinate and Sustain Prevention
Address the Root Causes of Violence
Create Supportive,
Safe Environments
Domestic Violence Prevention Fund
Domestic Violence Prevention Fund (DVPF) Purpose & Goals
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health issue that can be prevented.
The purpose of the DVPF is to increase the number of schools, community groups and community-based organizations that are engaged in a public health approach to preventing IPV.
DVPF projects can, for example, support RI schools to align with the state’s comprehensive teen dating violence education law, the Lindsay Ann Burke Act through school climate and systems change strategies, such as:
- Policy implementation
- Staff training
- Media campaigns
- Community organizing with parent organizations, athletic programs and district-level health and wellness committees
While domestic violence and dating abuse can happen to anyone, the burden of this violence is not shared equally among groups. Women of color, people who are LGBTQ, people with disabilities and youth bear a disproportionate impact.
The goal of the DVPF is to address such disparities in Rhode Island by supporting prevention strategies that prioritize and center communities most impacted by IPV. The DVPF Advisory Committee gives priority to proposals that focus on engaging and affirming youth of color; LGBTQ, Two-Spirit, and Gender Nonconforming youth; and youth with disabilities in IPV prevention efforts and activities.
DVPF Grantees Between 2023 and 2026
Implementation Grants Recipients
Implementation Grants were awarded to the following organizations for the 2023–2026 three-year grant cycle. Grantees received $30,000 in year one, followed by $50,000 in both year two and year three.
ARISE
Expanded their Junior Flames program and implemented the middle school-level Identity Series. Junior Flames is a student-centered leadership, academic, and social-personal development program for middle school-aged youth, co-created by ARISE team members and youth as part of a 2022 DVPF micro-grant. The goals of this program were to build dialogue around healthy relationships, build awareness about identity development, improve school culture, and foster youth empowerment around relationships. ARISE served middle school students of color in public and private schools in the Providence, Cranston, Pawtucket, Warwick, and East Greenwich districts.
Progreso Latino
Continued the work of its Adult Social Action Committee (ASAC) by creating a new Youth Social Action Committee (YSAC) to focus on low-income, urban youth of color in the Blackstone Valley (Central Falls and Pawtucket). 50 mainly teen newcomers were recruited and exposed to the YSAC program, learning about IPV, developing positive relationships, and building a supportive network. In addition, Progreso Latino aimed to engage, train and involve adult mentors and volunteers to support the youth and offer mentorship and friendship in their new communities. Through this comprehensive initiative, the YSAC sought to empower young individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary to recognize and address issues, creating a ripple effect of positive change within the diverse communities of Blackstone Valley.
Youth in Action
Built on its successful pilot years of its Ten Young Men (TYM) program, which has fostered brave spaces for male identified youth of color to unpack the layers of oppression that come from being socialized through toxic masculinity, and how to find resilience, healing and paradigm-shifting momentum to further educate their peers. With this funding, YIA explored an implementation model for multiple future cohorts, such as an integration model with schools, and a systemic strategy through their deep partnership with Providence Public Schools District’s (PPSD) office of Equity & Belonging (OEB).
DVPF Grant Making Process
The DVPF supports two categories of funded projects,
Implementation Projects and Community Micro-grants.
01.
Accepting Grants
During the period when grant applications are being accepted, the RICADV will issue a Request for Proposals (RFP). We promote the RFP among our networks and announce it on our communications platforms.
Follow us on social media, and sign up for our email newsletters to make sure you receive updates! The RFP is also posted here on this page of our website.
02.
Grant Review Process
When the RFP window closes, the RICADV convenes the DVPF Advisory Committee, a legislated committee made up of members of the RICADV’s Board of Directors, as well as directors of several state departments, including the department of health, the department of human services, the office of the attorney general, and the office of the general treasurer, or their designees.
03.
Decision on Awards
The Advisory Committee reviews all proposals and makes decisions on the awards. The RICADV provides technical assistance and support to the committee and does not have a voting seat.
History of DVPF
The Domestic Violence Prevention Fund (DVPF) was established by the Rhode Island General Assembly in 2016. It was renamed the Deborah DeBare DVPF in 2018, in honor of the RICADV’s longstanding executive director Deborah DeBare, who led the coalition for 22 years.
By passing the DVPF legislation (R.I.G.L. § 12-29-12), the General Assembly created a fund with the primary purpose of preventing intimate partner violence (IPV), which includes domestic violence and dating abuse. This is the first state funding of its kind and the only state-level funding available in Rhode Island to address the prevention of IPV.
The DVPF is administered by the RICADV and funds evidence-informed primary prevention programs in Rhode Island. Primary prevention aims to stop IPV before it starts, to prevent people from ever becoming victims or perpetrators of abuse.
Helpline Available 24/7
The confidential statewide Helpline can be reached by calling 1-800-494-8100 or using the online chat here. The Helpline is for all victims of violent crime, including domestic and dating abuse, and those looking for more information to help a victim of violence.