This Mother's Day, do something special for domestic violence victims and their children.

During the month of May, the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence (the Partnership) is running a Mother's Day Appeal to raise funds for EVA's Hope -- a fund that provides emergency financial assistance to victims of domestic violence.

Your contribution will make a huge difference for victims in need of emergency funding. Eighty percent of every dollar donated will directly support survivors of domestic violence.  

Each year, California domestic violence organizations provide life-saving services to victims of domestic violence and their children. However, there are times when additional financial support is needed to ensure the safety and well-being of the women, men, and children who seek their services.    

Through EVA's Hope, the Partnership will provide emergency financial assistance for domestic violence victims and their children as they flee abuse and rebuild their lives.

Shelters and other direct service organizations that are Partnership members may apply to the Partnership on behalf of domestic violence survivors for an EVA's Hope grant of up to $500 per survivor. These grants can be used by survivors for expenses such as food, transportation costs, rent deposits, employment and education costs, or other unanticipated expenses incurred while escaping violence.

Leaving an abusive relationship is only the first step in starting a new life. Your contribution to EVA's Hope will help a family along the path to a new, violence-free future.     

History of the Fund:

In 2009, the Partnership received an $80,000 donation from the recording artist Moby, in response to the elimination of state shelter funding by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Partnership distributed these funds directly to support shelters impacted by budget cuts. In 2011, additional funding from the California Governor's Conference was provided to the Partnership to assist domestic violence organizations and survivors. With this funding, we were able to provide over 424 referrals to local domestic violence shelters through our survivor referral and info line, and trained over 1400 domestic violence advocates.    

With the remaining funds from this donation, we decided to re-brand the Moby Fund. In 2013, we renamed the fund the EVA's Hope (Emergency Victim Assistance) Fund to represent the countless victims and children who are facing unexpected challenges as they work to rebuild their lives. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1 in 4 women and nearly 1 in 7 men in the U.S. have experienced severe physical violence by an intimate partner at some point in their lives. Through the EVA Fund, we will channel resources directly to victims when they need it most. Through this fund, we hope to not only bring resources to victims and their children, but also to raise awareness about the devastating impact of violence, because EVA's hopes and dreams for the future depend on it.