Several rape crisis centers around the country are reportedly experiencing a disruption in funding. As a result, several centers have been forced to cut staffing and services for the time being.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) award grants and funding to rape crisis centers and related organizations every five years. This year, the grant cycle was scheduled to begin February 1, 2025. Once grants are allocated, funds are distributed through state health departments and then presented to nonprofits working to prevent sexual violence and support survivors of sexual violence.
According to a report from Will Stone of NPR, Terri Poore, a policy director at the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence, says the CDC has provided no explanation as to why funds have not been distributed, but still hopes there’s a “simple solution.”
“I am worried this is having a very real-world impact on anti-sexual violence work,” Poore told NPR. “Nobody knows what is causing the delay and how long it will be.”
Inside of the CDC, uncertainty lives. Several CDC webpages briefly went dark to comply with the Trump administration’s DEI directives and rumors of layoffs continue to loom large above the agency.
“The president seems at war with public health and science. Which scientists will the president fire, and for what cause?” Professor Lawrence Gostin of Georgetown University told The Independent.
“Indiscriminate cuts will weaken health protection, from drug safety to fighting epidemics.”
