Handbook for STOP Administrators

The Handbook for STOP Administrators is designed to provide guidance to State and U.S. Territorial recipients of STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program funds. Authored by the ALSO STAAR TA Project in close collaboration with the Office on Violence Against Women and STOP administrators, the Handbook offers:

  • Information and contextual background about VAWA, OVW, and other important federal resources;
  • Information about management of STOP Grants at the State and Territorial levels including dissemination of STOP funds within the State/Territory and monitoring of subgrantees; and
  • Information about collaboration as a fundamental tenet of the STOP program. 

Please note: the Handbook does not contain information about the processes and procedures for applying for a federal STOP Grant, OVW or grant program policies, federal or OVW fiscal policies, federal civil rights requirements, or other STOP administrator responsibilities in their roles as applicants for and recipients of federal grant funds.

View handbook.

Note: Some pages of the Handbook PDF were intentionally left blank for two-sided printing

View Handbook for STOP Administrator Calls 
October 23rd Call Recording
October 27th Call Recording

The Handbook is divided into five main Parts. Some of the Parts are further subdivided into Chapters. Click on specific Parts of Handbook below to view or download the PDF. Each of the Parts contains a detailed, navigable table of contents. 

Part One- Background and Overview of the Handbook introduces the handbook, outlines its purpose and scope, and provides instructions on how to use it.

Part Two – VAWA and OVW provides brief information about and links to the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW).

Part Three – STOP Formula Grants Program Roles and Technical Assistance is divided into two chapters. 

  • Chapter One (Roles of OVW, STOP Administrators, and the Comprehensive TA Provider) distinguishes among the roles and responsibilities of OVW program managers and STOP administrators.
  • Chapter Two provides details on the kinds of technical assistance that are available to STOP administrators and their subgrantees, the role of the comprehensive TA provider for the STOP Program, and the processes for obtaining and utilizing it.

Part Four – Administering and Managing STOP Funds within the State/Territory offers guidance on the processes that STOP administrators engage in within their State or Territory to administer and manage funds after receipt of a federal STOP award.

  • Chapter One (Soliciting Applications and Selecting STOP Subgrantees) includes information on developing a subgrantee application package, notifying potential applicants of the availability of funds, conducting application review, determining which applications are fundable, making final funding recommendations, and developing grant agreements.
  • Chapter Two (Managing Subgrantees) covers why to monitor subgrantees, objectives, types of monitoring activities, monitoring processes, and related topics.

Part Five – Facilitating Collaborative Efforts at the State/Territory and Local Levels examines how administrators can participate in and encourage collaboration and coordinated responses. This part includes information on structuring collaborative initiatives, obtaining buy-in from community members, and determining membership. It includes examples of how STOP administrators can use collaboration to move forward on STOP priorities within the State or Territory. 

Supplemental Material

The Handbook text is paired with supplemental material – including State and Territorial sample documents used for STOP Grant administration – that are available on the Supplemental Material page and were previously available through Dropbox. If you are a STOP administrator or designee, you are eligible for access to these materials. To learn more, email the ALSO STAAR TA Project at alsostaarprojectta@also-chicago.org.