With April being Sexual Assault Awareness Month, providers around the state want people to be aware about significant funding cuts impacting rape crisis services.
DENVER — With April being Sexual Assault Awareness Month, providers around Colorado want people to be aware about significant funding cuts impacting rape crisis services.
A new report from the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CCASA) found more than half of agencies in the state have cut at least one program, meaning survivors may not get the help they need.
Providers said this stems from federal cuts.
For years, the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding has been drying up, and with it, a critical source of funding for many Colorado providers.
In the last year and a half, the Trump administration has been late in posting or withholding Office on Violence against Women (OVW) funding, driving agencies to sue for funds they say are critical.
“Victims need services. They deserve services,” said Brie Franklin, executive director of CCASA.
But for sexual assault survivors in need, services are getting fewer and farther between.
Franklin said as federal funding dwindles, their budget has dropped 45% in the past few years.
“Oh, things are pretty tough right now,” Franklin said. “The end of 2025, we laid off two staff and we just laid off two more.”
Elizabeth Newman, public policy director with CCASA, said the staff that are left are having their hours and their pay cut to keep things running.
“It’s challenging,” Franklin said.
“CCASA is not the only organization in this boat. This is a problem across the whole field,” Newman said.
In a new report, CCASA surveyed sexual assault service providers across Colorado, finding 85% of providers lost funding in the past fiscal year.
The report also said that half of providers have already laid off staff, half have cut multiple programs and more than 50% of survivors weren’t able to access services they need.
“It’s not surprising to me. I think we’re kind of in unprecedented times and these needs escalating,” said Laura Latimer, executive director of the Durango Sexual Assault Services Organization (SASO).
Latimer said they’re already stretched thin.
“We had already made a cut in removing our sexual assault response team coordinator,” Latimer said.
Cuts are coming even as SASO expanded into two new counties, serving more survivors.
But with 88% of their budget coming federally, VOCA funding cuts have hit hard, Latimer said. SASO would typically apply for OVW funds now, but is unsure they’ll be released at all, she said.
“It gets a little anxiety producing,” Latimer said. “You know, like, what other services are we’re not gonna be able to provide in our community as a result?”
With more budget cuts and belt tightening ahead, Franklin said they’re working to meet the need around the state, hoping no one slips through the cracks.
“It’s a lot and so we’re trying to make do as best as we can. I think there are concerns that more cuts and delays might be coming, so we’ll kind of see how we can weather the storm,” Franklin said.
Voters in Colorado passed Prop KK to help supplement federal funding, and it was money that was expected to head to providers this spring.
CCASA said what’s been collected so far falls far short of expectations and none of those funds have been released. They say it may be some time before providers see that relief.
In addition to CCASA and SASO, 9NEWS reached out to other agencies about how federal funding cuts are affecting them.
Below is a statement from Emily Tofte Nestaval, executive director of the Rocky Mountain Victim Law Center:
“Access to justice for victims and survivors in Colorado is decreasing. Rocky Mountain Victim Law Center’s capacity to provide free legal services has dropped from more than 3,300 individuals served annually to just 2,100 in one year. In 2025 and 2026, RMvlc reduced staff by a total of four full-time positions, two attorneys and two advocates, with additional cuts anticipated in 2027. We also lost our contract attorney program, which previously connected more than 150 survivors each year with low-bono legal representation to defend against litigation abuse, leaving survivors and their children at greater risk and with no comparable program to fill the gap.”
Below is a statement from Jenny Stith, executive director of the Wings Foundation:
“Wings is experiencing a 40 percent cut in federal funding this year, reducing staff by three positions so far and trying to maintain essential core services for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse and their loved ones.
“This community of survivors is dramatically underserved across a number of systems, as this specific experience of sexual violence has often been hard for many to speak about, and many survivors are not believed when they do. As a result, many suffer from symptoms like substance abuse, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, repeated assaults, even suicidality, yet struggle to access services helping them address the root cause of these challenges, which is a history of being sexually abused as a child.
“Wings has been working to raise the profile of adult survivors’ needs in Colorado and nationally for many years. Current cuts to funding threaten vital progress we have made. Colorado has been leading in this work and could be a template for other states to make progress, but essential capacity-building work we have been doing to support this is on pause with funding threats.
“In the wake of the national rhetoric that demeans adult survivors and leaves many without accountability or support, it is clear we need more education and action on their behalf.
“Thus, we are proud to share our new online learning series, Champions of Healing, for survivors and allies to learn more about childhood sexual abuse trauma, its impacts on adults, opportunities to support healing, and ways to respond to survivors with care and compassion. Expanding this resource to more communities is a pressing need and opportunity to meet this cultural moment and help others approach this issue, see that healing is possible, and understand that survivors are relying on us to make services accessible. Short promo videos can be accessed via our YouTube channel.”
