In 1994, the United States Congress passed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) as part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act. One part of VAWA is the STOP (Services, Training, Officers, Prosecution) Violence Against Women program, administered by the U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women (OVW). The STOP program promotes a coordinated, multidisciplinary approach to improving the criminal justice system's response to violent crimes against women; encourages the development and strengthening of effective law enforcement and prosecution strategies to address violent crimes against women; and the development and strengthening of victim services in cases involving violent crimes against women. The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) implements the Violence Against Women Act STOP grant program for Virginia. The STOP program, known as VSTOP in Virginia, is guided by the VSTOP State Planning Team.

These guidelines provide detailed guidance to aid applicants seeking funds. Using the guidance presented in this document, applicants should be able to efficiently and effectively prepare complete applications. The development of these requirements was informed by the Office on Violence Against Women and U.S. Department of Justice Grants Financial Guide.