Our Goal

The Peggy and Jack Baskin Foundation seeks to allocate funding to support nonprofit organizations that provide direct legal services to survivors of relationship abuse and sexual violence. Emphasis is placed on programs that exclusively serve survivors of relationship abuse and/or provide additional services, such as safety planning, and that adhere to guidelines in line with best practices to ensure the safety and wellbeing of survivors of relationship abuse.
This is not a service that we provide. We are trying to fund programs that provide this service. If you are experiencing relationship abuse and need support, please call 1-800-799-SAFE and you will be connected to your local resource.

What We Look For

The Peggy and Jack Baskin Foundation looks for programs, organizations, and initiatives that are currently or are willing to adhere to a strict set of best practice guidelines to ensure the safety of the relationship abuse survivors they serve.

We look for organizations that demonstrate how the following topics are addressed by existing (or proposed) guidelines:

  • Priority is given to programs that currently provide or are expanding to provide holistic legal services for survivors, including but not limited to: protection order support and representation in legal proceedings directly related to a client’s experience of relationship abuse, such as child support, child custody, legal separation/divorce, unemployment compensation, immigration matters, financial matters and/or housing
  • For existing programs, we look for model programs that are addressing a documented need and have a record of delivering effective services to clients
  • Attorneys and legal staff must be 40-hr relationship abuse and sexual assault trained
  • 40-hr relationship abuse and sexual assault trained advocates must be available through their own programming or with support from partner organizations
  • Program must reflect a commitment to perpetrator (those who choose to harm) accountability with an understanding (through a mission statement or similar statement) that the violence perpetrated against victims is grounded in an abuse of power by an offender and reinforced through intimidation and coercion
  • Programs must reflect an understanding of how intersectionality affects their clients, and provide training for their advocates in order to ensure that the most effective advocacy and services are available. For example, providing training that explains the reality that for many African American women, calling the police may not seem like a safe option due to the disproportionate use of force against African American people, including inappropriately arresting the survivor. More information can be found at: http://stoprelationshipabuse.org/educated/intersectionality/
  • Staff must be able to respond effectively to individual clients regardless of the client’s culture, ethnicity, religion and/or sexual orientation
  • Funded partners must make services culturally and linguistically available through their own programming or with support from partner organizations or programs to support the needs of the community served
  • Program must consult, coordinate with, and partner with nonprofit/nongovernmental victim services programs including sexual assault and relationship abuse programs as well as community-based programs
  • Program must provide services that promote the agency and self-sufficiency of survivors by improving their access to resources
  • There is a preference for applicant organizations for which women and gender-expansive individuals of color are the primary decision-makers
  • There is a preference for applicant organizations that integrate gender equity into their personnel policies, such as robust parental leave, child care, flexible work schedules, and relationship abuse workplace policies.

  • Walk-in space available
  • Physical, private space for appointments

  • Confidential services
  • Protocol implemented for responding to persons of concern appearing on site
  • Safety planning conducted with all clients
  • A clear conflict of interest policy to avoid serving perpetrators (those who choose to harm) 

  • A hotline is not prohibited, but primary services cannot be limited to over-the-phone intake
  • Funds cannot be used to support a legal aid hotline that provides legal aid to individuals other than clients

  • Intake form and procedures
  • Written procedures and screening questions to avoid serving perpetrators (those who choose to harm) /screening questions to identify a predominant aggressor rather than assuming mutual abuse, and/or training materials that explicitly train people how to screen for perpetrators

  • Programs must not provide services to perpetrators (those who choose to harm) of relationship abuse. There must be a thorough screening procedure in place. The Peggy and Jack Baskin Foundation has a policy that it will not provide funding to organizations that serve perpetrators (those who choose to harm) of relationship abuse or sexual assault. Please contact us for clarifying information regarding this
  • Organizational policies must not require mediation or counseling involving offenders and victims physically together, in cases where sexual assault, relationship abuse, dating violence, stalking or child sexual abuse is an issue
  • Programs must not support activities and/or policies that jeopardize victim safety or allow perpetrators (those who choose to harm) to avoid responsibility for their actions, including but not limited to:
    • Policies or practices must not discourage accepting cases for victims who do not have physical evidence
    • Must not promote mediation, alternative dispute resolution or joint counseling as a response to sexual assault, relationship abuse, dating violence and stalking
    • Must not provide representation on the condition that survivors seek protection orders, counseling or other course of action with which they disagree
    • Programs must not require mandatory trainings for victims. While we recognize that CPS requires this, we encourage organizations to work to remove this requirement

Please note: The Peggy and Jack Baskin Foundation is not afraid of the word feminism! We encourage you to openly discuss your intersectional feminist programming, goals, or approach.

To Apply

APPLY FOR A GRANT

Unsolicited proposals will not be accepted.