STAR® Awarded $700,000 Federal Grant to Expand Rural Services for Sexual Assault Survivors

BATON ROUGE, LA (January 22, 2026): SEXUAL TRAUMA AWARENESS AND RESPONSE® (STAR®) a leading nonprofit dedicated to supporting survivors of sexual trauma, improving systems response, and creating social change to end sexual violence, has been awarded a $700,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW). The award comes through OVW’s highly competitive Rural Program, which funds initiatives to improve services for survivors in rural and underserved communities.

This multi-year grant will allow STAR to establish and expand dedicated sexual assault services in rural Louisiana communities that currently lack access to specialized care. Survivors in these areas often face significant barriers, including geographic isolation, limited service providers, and a lack of trauma-informed systems.

The project will support STAR’s expansion into rural parishes by providing 24 hour response, advocacy, and therapy for sexual assault survivors, as well as prevention initiatives for the broader communities. A key component of the grant includes a subgrant to the Louisiana Department of Justice (LADOJ) to support overtime costs for rural law enforcement officers and Louisiana Bureau of Investigation agents to attend trauma-informed sexual assault investigation training. This investment will strengthen coordinated community responses and improve outcomes for survivors.

“This grant allows us to partner with STAR to bring sexual assault services to rural communities that currently have none,” said Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill. “It also strengthens the response by ensuring rural law enforcement and our investigators can receive trauma-informed training, so survivors encounter systems prepared to support them.”

Local law enforcement partners emphasized the importance of collaboration in addressing sexual violence in rural areas.

“Protecting survivors of sexual violence requires strong partnerships,” said Concordia Parish Sheriff David Hedrick. “We look forward to working with STAR to expand access to specialized sexual assault services in Concordia Parish and further strengthen the support available to victims as we pursue justice.”

Statewide partners also highlighted the long-standing gaps this grant will help address.

“Survivors in rural Louisiana have faced long standing barriers to care after sexual violence,” said Rafael de Castro, Executive Director of the Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault. “STAR’s expansion through this Rural Grant will bring survivor centered, trauma-informed services to communities that have been left without support for far too long.”

STAR stands as one of two organizations in Louisiana selected to receive this funding. The award recognizes the potential effectiveness of STAR’s proposed project, which is uniquely designed to address and prevent sexual violence in rural communities where rates of victimization are high, and access to supportive services is low. Through the combined efforts of STAR’s award-winning advocacy, therapy, and legal programs, the project will help bridge the gap between this largely underserved population of survivors and accessible resources.

“At a time when funding cuts threaten critical services for survivors, we are incredibly honored to receive this funding from OVW,” said Morgan Lamandre, CEO of STAR. “It affirms that the work STAR does, and will do, makes a profound impact in the lives of survivors and creates positive change in our communities.”

Interested parties and members of the press should direct inquiries to Morgan Lamandre at (225) 615-7093 ext. 104 or morgan.lamandre@star.ngo.