Funding will expand community-owned approaches to safety and support

The Seattle Office for Civil Rights (SOCR) has opened applications for the 2025 Collective Network Request for Proposals (RFP). This funding opportunity will increase community-owned approaches to safety, healing, and self-determination for survivors while providing those engaging in abusive behavior with supportive resources for transformation and change. 

A total of up to $570,000 is available from the City of Seattle’s general fund, and SOCR intends to award at least two applicants. The deadline to submit applications is 11:59 p.m. on October 30, 2025 p.m. Pacific Time. To apply, visit SOCR’s Collective Network RFP webpage. 

“Our communities hold the power to transform the way we respond to domestic violence – from a system that reacts after harm has occurred to one that prevents it through care, accountability, and shared responsibility,” said John Page, SOCR’s Director of Community Investments. “This RFP is an invitation to co-create solutions that center survivors, honor cultural strengths, and build lasting safety through collective ownership.” 

Why this matters

Domestic violence is a widespread issue

Domestic violence impacts every community. According to the American Journal of Public Health:  

Despite decades of public funding and policy efforts, domestic violence remains one of the most widespread forms of interpersonal harm leading to injury, housing insecurity, educational disruptions, chronic health problems, and early death. Domestic violence is a civil rights and equity issue because it has implications for housing, employment, and equal protection under the law. 

Survivors and advocates request community-based alternatives to criminal legal system responses 

A report authored in 2023 by community members with lived experience, policy experts, and domestic violence advocates shows that criminal legal system responses often fail to address the root causes of domestic violence and improve long-term safety and well-being for survivors. Some survivors report being ignored, disbelieved, or discredited as victims and witnesses through criminal legal system responses. Further, research shows criminal legal system responses to domestic violence can have negative consequences that disproportionately impact people from marginalized communities, particularly Black, Indigenous, LGBTQ+, people of color, people with disabilities, and those at the intersection of these identities. For both survivors and people who have caused domestic violence, criminal convictions can cause long-term barriers to employment opportunities, housing access, and more.  

Instead, many survivors turn to trusted friends, family, and community organizations for help. This RFP builds on the vision of local advocates who pushed the City of Seattle to invest in community-led responses that support dignity, self-determination, and healing for everyone involved in domestic violence situations. 

Types of programs eligible for funding 

Funding will support existing services and new pilot programs that include, but are not limited to: 

• Bystander intervention trainings that empower individuals with skills to support friends and loved ones experiencing domestic violence

• Domestic violence response programs that center healing, resilience, and accountability for survivors and their loved ones 

• Programs that uphold dignity and the potential for transformation for those engaging in abusive behaviors, recognizing that many who enact domestic violence are also survivors of violence themselves 

Visit SOCR’s Collective Network webpage for more information about this RFP’s outcomes, eligibility requirements, and how to apply.