History & Accomplishments
Since 2019, Keene State College has been awarded two competitive grants through the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) Campus Program, totaling nearly $700,000 in federal funding to strengthen the College’s prevention of and response to sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. The first grant (2019–2023) provided $300,000 to establish a sustainable prevention framework, while the second grant (2023–present) awarded $400,000 to expand programming, increase student engagement, and strengthen campus capacity.
Over the course of both grants, sexual violence prevention has evolved from a series of awareness events into a comprehensive, year-round educational program that reaches students throughout their college experience. Today, students have access to interactive workshops, awareness campaigns, campus-wide events, peer education opportunities, and an extensive collection of online resources designed to promote healthy relationships, consent, bystander intervention, and survivor support.
The grant funded Keene State’s first full-time OVW Project Director, allowing the College to offer consistent prevention education, coordinate campus initiatives, build community partnerships, and respond quickly to emerging student needs. This dedicated position also made it possible to develop new educational content tailored specifically to the Keene State community rather than relying solely on existing curricula.
A major accomplishment of the current grant cycle has been the creation of the College’s Peer Education Program. Student leaders complete the nationally recognized NASPA Certified Peer Educator Program before serving as educators, advocates, and ambassadors for healthy campus culture. Peer educators assist with presentations, outreach events, awareness campaigns, classroom programming, and resource promotion while ensuring prevention efforts remain relevant and student-centered.
Grant funding has supported the development of a diverse portfolio of prevention programming that addresses topics including consent, healthy relationships, stalking, bystander intervention, trauma, interpersonal safety, digital safety, alcohol- and drug-facilitated sexual assault, and violence within LGBTQ+ relationships. Existing presentations have been redesigned to be more interactive and audience-specific, while new workshops have been developed in response to student feedback and emerging research.
Beyond traditional presentations, the grant has expanded student engagement through campus-wide initiatives such as Welcome Week programming, The C-Word theatrical performance, Take Back the Night, Denim Day, Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Start by Believing, Turn Campus Teal, resource fairs, tabling events, and collaborative programs with student organizations and academic departments. New initiatives continue to be introduced each year to keep prevention education engaging, relevant, and responsive to student interests.
The grant has also strengthened access to information by creating the Sexual Violence Prevention Virtual Resource Center, a centralized online hub where students, employees, and families can find educational materials, reporting options, support services, policies, and upcoming events. Additional multimedia resources, including student-focused videos explaining the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) process and local advocacy services, have further expanded access to information outside the classroom.
Perhaps most importantly, the OVW Campus Grant has allowed prevention education to become an integrated part of campus life rather than a one-time training or annual awareness campaign. Students now encounter prevention messaging through workshops, residence life, athletics, student organizations, peer educators, awareness events, classroom presentations, and digital resources throughout the year. By investing in student leadership, evidence-informed programming, and sustainable campus infrastructure, the grant has created lasting institutional change and strengthened Keene State College’s commitment to fostering a safe, supportive, and inclusive learning environment.
For more information or to become involved in OVW grant initiatives, please contact:
Catt Workman, OVW Project Director
catherine.workman@keene.edu
603-358-2077