The Texas Council on Family Violence on July 15 announced recipients of more than $300,000 to 12 domestic violence agencies across Texas via its 2021 Swalm Grants, with 91% of the grants matching 100% of the recipients’ requested amounts. Individual grants ranged from $6,000 to $30,000, and come from the Swalm Endowment Fund.

Grantees are selected annually by at-large Council board members. This year, 27 providers applied for financial assistance for infrastructure projects, prevention services, and flexible funding purposes, which cover childcare costs, legal services, survivors’ debt, evictions and rent.

Family Crisis Center of the Big Bend received $16,800. The Center will use its grant to cover housing deposits, rent assistance, utility payments, childcare costs, and job training to help family violence survivors find safety and become self-sufficient as they rebuild healthy lives apart from their abusers.

In 2005, the Swalm Family of Houston and New Ulm gifted the Council an endowment fund of $5 million to benefit domestic violence service providers in Texas. In accordance with the family’s wishes, each grant must be large enough to impact the community, and applicants must be organizations whose primary focus is serving victims of domestic violence.