About VAWA MEI
Documenting the impact OVW grants make on victims of domestic/sexual violence , their families, and their communities.
Our Mission
VAWA MEI is committed to helping grantees report accurate data about their work so that effectiveness reports provide a compelling illustration of the scope and burden of violence, as well as the complex multi-system interventions that OVW funds to address it.
Our Work
The Violence Against Women Act Measuring Effectiveness Initiative (VAWA MEI) was established in 2001 to help the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) document and measure the work of thousands of OVW grantees nationwide who are addressing violence against women, including sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, child sexual abuse, elder abuse, and sex trafficking.
VAWA MEI began with data reported by 6 grant programs, and continues to track the OVW-funded work of over 4,600 grantees in 24 grant programs.
VAWA MEI creates reporting tools and resources for grantees to report their OVW-funded activities and provides ongoing training and technical assistance. Our staff of 15 researchers cleans and analyzes the reported data, and publishes 6-month summary reports for each discretionary grant program, annual summary reports for formula STOP and SASP grant programs, and biennial Reports to Congress including emerging research from the field and cumulative data from all OVW-funded programs over 2-year periods.
The VAWA MEI project is part of the Justice Policy Program at the Catherine Cutler Institute, University of Southern Maine.
