From the Star Tribune:

Holder announced the distribution of nearly $400 million in federal grants to target crime and public safety issues, including:

• $29 million to hire 87 new tribal law-enforcement officers, to purchase crime-fighting technology and basic equipment, and to secure training and technical assistance.

• Nearly $71 million to combat violent crime against Indian women and to enhance victim safety and crime prevention strategies for tribal governments and organizations.

• More than $295 million to support critical criminal justice needs, including building new corrections facilities and tribal courts, creating sex-offender registries, addressing the effect of alcohol and substance abuse on tribal communities and addressing infrastructure needs.

Link to the rest of the story

In related news, we found this very useful link from the U.S. Department of Justice about how the recovery funds are being spent. Included on the page are RSS Feeds you can subscribe to for weekly updates on money that is being released.

Here is a link to a PDF report specifically about the Office on the Violence Against Women and how they plan on distribute recovery money.

Money from the federal economic stimulus package is being made available to the National Domestic Violence Hotline Center and a teen abuse dating hotline, (Biden) said. The investment helps saves hospital costs incurred by abused women and addresses the problems of dysfunctional families and children from abusive families who may grow up to abuse themselves, he said.

In other funding news, women in Oregon rallied at the capitol against cuts in the state’s budget

In New York state, Governor David Paterson made some proposals:

to prohibit housing and employment discrimination against domestic violence victims, strengthen penalties for violating protection orders, and provide more assistance to child victims”

Washington, DC (March 3, 2009) /PRNewswire/ — One in three women worldwide experience violence in their lifetime, and in the U.S., a woman is assaulted every nine seconds. Around the world, services for victims are often vastly underfunded or unavailable, and in many countries, laws to protect women do not exist or are not enforced.

In response, the Avon Foundation for Women today announced meaningful new efforts to eradicate violence against women and help ensure justice for all women worldwide. This included a $1.5 million grant by the Avon Foundation for Women to launch the Avon Global Center for Women and Justice at Cornell Law School. This new center will focus on working with judges, legal professionals, governmental and non-governmental organizations to improve access to justice in an effort to eliminate violence against women and girls. Avon also expanded its relationship with the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) with a new commitment of $250,000 for the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, which will be added to the grant of $1 million awarded in 2008 for the Trust Fund

Link to the announcement.