by Angela Yannelli, Kentucky Lantern
July 16, 2025

Whether they’ve told you or not, someone you know or love has probably experienced or is experiencing domestic violence. 

They might be a coworker who is constantly bombarded with calls from their spouse, a sibling who suddenly can no longer make it to family gatherings, or your child’s best friend who wants to spend every weekend at your house. 

Everyone knows someone affected by domestic violence. Kentucky’s 15 state-designated domestic violence programs provided more than 15,500 Kentuckians with domestic violence services in fiscal year 2024 alone. 

 Unfortunately, the services you or a survivor of domestic violence might turn to for help in the face of abuse are under threat of destabilization due to ongoing federal funding uncertainty. Federal grant cancellations, delays to the release of funding opportunities, firings at federal agencies that distribute funding for services, and the president’s proposed cuts to domestic violence and sexual assault programs in his fiscal year 2026 budget proposal have us worried about the future of domestic violence services across the country.    

ZeroV, Kentucky’s domestic violence coalition, and our network of 15 member programs rely on nearly $20.2 million in federal funding to provide lifesaving services to survivors and their children across the state. Federal funding makes up more than 40% of our combined budgets, and it supports every service our network provides, including crisis lines, emergency shelter, safety planning, court advocacy, housing assistance, food assistance and more.  

Congress will soon start making budget appropriations for FY26, and it is imperative that members consider the lives they would risk by cutting funding for domestic violence services. 

As certainty about federal funding continues to diminish, questions about the future of domestic violence services continue to grow: What parts of the services infrastructure that generations of victim-survivor advocates have worked hard to build over the last 40 years might disappear? Which of our lifesaving services might be reduced or entirely lost? But most importantly, what would happen to our friends, family members, coworkers, and neighbors experiencing domestic violence if the services that could save their lives were no longer accessible or available?   

When lives are on the line, we cannot afford to be uncertain. Our commonwealth must be willing to take a stand for its most vulnerable Kentuckians, including those experiencing multiple layers of barriers and oppression that intersect with and add to the trauma of domestic violence.

 If we are to end domestic violence, we must address the racism, homophobia, poverty, homelessness, mental health issues and substance misuse issues that make survivors more vulnerable to abuse; we must hold accountable the people who abuse their partners; and we must find a way to increase protective factors such as accessible and affordable food, housing and health care. Cutting federal funding and infrastructure is not the answer. We must protect the lives and futures of survivors and our communities by protecting the domestic violence services our fellow Kentuckians depend on.  

ZeroV has launched a #GetLoudForSurvivors campaign to raise awareness about threats to victim-survivor services.  

Whether you realize it or not, someone you know depends on these services. 

Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com.

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Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Left

This content emphasizes the importance of federal funding for domestic violence services and highlights concerns about proposed budget cuts under the current administration. It stresses social issues such as racism, homophobia, poverty, and mental health, advocating for governmental responsibility and protective social measures. These themes typically align with progressive or center-left values focused on social justice, funding for public services, and support for vulnerable populations. However, the tone is measured and policy-focused rather than strongly ideological or partisan, placing it in the center-left category.