Grant Funding To Combat Crimes Against Children Announced For Missouri

Missouri Governor Mike Parson has announced $4 million dollars will be available through grant funding to combat crimes against children and provide funding to agencies that provide services to crime victims.

The funding will be federal funding that Missouri originally received from the Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding Program that has been reallocated because new needs have emerged which were not previously apparent when the funding was originally available. The governor’s release says crimes against children rose in 2020 and 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. This funding now fits the allocation.

$2 million dollars will be available for local law enforcement and prosecutors which may be used for hiring additional staff, investigating, prosecuting, and identifying crimes against children. That funding window is expected to open August 1st.

Another $2 million dollars in Victims of Crime Grant funding would provide assistance for agencies and centers that service victims from vulnerable populations adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. That funding window opens on September 1st.