Attorney General Alan Wilson announces SC victims’ services groups awarded more than $26 million in grants

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that groups that help crime victims across South Carolina will soon be getting more than $26 million in federal and state grants. The S.C. Public Safety Coordinating Council formally approved the grants earlier this year, and the projects will begin on October 1, 2025.

The grants are distributed by the Department of Crime Victim Assistance Grants in the Attorney General’s Office. There are four different types of grants: Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grants; Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) grants; State Victim Assistance Program (SVAP) grants; and Supplemental Allocation for Victims Services (SAVS) grants.

“These state and local agencies and non-profit groups do so much to help people who are going through traumatic circumstances. With these funds, we are able to support agencies throughout the state as they assist victims of violent crime in their recovery,” Attorney General Wilson said.

The grants are being awarded to private non-profit organizations, sheriff’s offices, police departments, solicitor’s offices, and state agencies. For example, the City of Anderson Police Department is receiving $93,520 in VOCA and VAWA awards to support the investigation of domestic violence cases and advocacy for victims. McLeod Regional Medical Center in Florence is receiving VOCA and VAWA awards totaling $251,907 to conduct forensic interviews and provide medical care for sexual assault victims from 12 counties across the Pee Dee and Coastal regions. HALOS, a nonprofit agency based in Charleston that supports families providing kinship care across 10 Lowcountry and Midlands counties, is receiving a VOCA award of $114,177.

“The grant staff of the Crime Victim Services Division in the Attorney General’s Office is honored to work with the hundreds of caring, dedicated professionals who help victims of crime every day in South Carolina,” said Barbara Jean “BJ” Nelson, Director of the Division. “Our goal is to have the most effective and the most compassionate victim service system across the United States. 

Approximately 88 percent of the money comes from federal grants, with the remaining portion from state funds. Both VAWA and VOCA are administered by the US Department of Justice. VAWA is appropriated by Congress. VOCA uses non-taxpayer money from the Federal Crime Victims Fund, which is funded from federal fines and penalties, and it does not add to the national debt or deficit in any way.

You can see a list of groups receiving awards and their amounts here.