The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) is offering the Antiterrorism and Emergency Assistance Program for Victims of Mass Violence in Colorado.

AEAP grants are a mechanism by which the Director of OVC may award supplemental crime victim compensation and assistance to eligible entities responding to acts of mass criminal violence or domestic terrorism. The event must be sufficiently large that the jurisdiction cannot provide needed services to victims of the incident with existing resources, while also supporting victims of other crimes, in a timely and comprehensive manner. AEAP is designed to support mass violence incidents that are seemingly random or unpredictable in nature, and does not support victimization as a consequence of disputes between individuals or groups – including gang-related violence – domestic violence, or broader community gun violence. It is expected that states and communities use other funding, such as VOCA formula funding, to support victims in areas that are known to have higher crime rates.

AEAP funds may be used to provide emergency relief to benefit victims such as crisis response efforts, help victims adapt to and cope with the consequences of the event over the longer-term, and facilitate victim participation in the judicial process. AEAP can also supplement state crime victim compensation administrative agencies that reimburse victims for out-of-pocket expenses related to their victimization. Funding under this program is retroactive to the date of the incident. Justification for all funding must demonstrate that AEAP funds will support victims of the incident and are supplemental to existing resources. OVC may provide a no-cost consultant(s) to help the prospective grantee with the AEAP application process.