The National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) is an American

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

that addresses the causes and impact of

sexual violence Sexual violence is any harmful or unwanted Human sexual activity, sexual act, an attempt to obtain a sexual act through violence or coercion, or an act directed against a person's sexuality without their consent, by any individual regardless of ...

through collaboration, prevention, and resources. Working in collaboration with state and territory sexual assault coalitions, representatives from underserved populations, the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the National public health institutes, national public health agency of the United States. It is a Federal agencies of the United States, United States federal agency under the United S ...

, the

U.S. Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of federal laws and the administration of justice. It is equi ...

Office on Violence Against Women The United States Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) was created following the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994. The Act was renewed in 2005, 2013 and again in 2022. The Violence Against Women Act legislation requires the Office o ...

, and a host of community-based and national allied projects, NSVRC provides national leadership to address and prevent sexual violence. Activities include providing training and technical assistance, giving referrals, consulting, participating in systems advocacy, creating online tools, curating a resource library, building capacity, integrating research findings with community-based projects, coordinating Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and sponsoring national conferences and events. NSVRC was founded by the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape in 2000. Although based in the United States, the NSVRC offers technical assistance and resources that assist communities and programs on a global scale.

Resources

As a national information center, NSVRC collects and disseminates a wide range of resources on sexual violence including statistics, research, position statements, statutes, training curricula, prevention initiatives, and program information. Additionally, NSVRC develops print and online resources on a range of sexual violence-related topics including

child sexual abuse Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in Human sexual activity, sexual activit ...

, housing, workplace sexual violence, sexual violence in disasters, engaging bystanders in prevention, and building collaborative community responses.

Library

NSVRC houses a largest resource collection devoted to the topic of sexual violence and its prevention, with more than 44,000 unique titles. Although th
NSVRC library
does not out loan books or audiovisual materials, many resources are available upon request through interlibrary loan. The library shares scholarly journal articles, reports, and other resources with the public upon request. Through the online catalog, the collection is available worldwide to advocates, researchers, practitioners, and the general public.

Online learning campus

NSVRC’
online learning campus
provides free access to eLearning modules that educate about sexual violence prevention and response.

History

NSVRC opened in July 2000 as a national information and resource hub relating to all aspects of sexual violence. Founded by the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape (the oldest anti-rape coalition in the country, founded in 1975) NSVRC is funded through a cooperative agreement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Violence Prevention.

Structure

NSVRC staff are guided and assisted by a national Advisory Council committed to ending sexual violence. Council members serve a three-year term during which time they participate in quarterly conference calls, annual meetings, committee work, and provide consultation on a variety of topics as needed.

Fundraising

NSVRC offers two donation streams: one that directly supports their work, and another that supports sexual assault victims impacted by disasters
Donations to NSVRC
support their work to create resources on sexual violence prevention, help facilitate technical assistance requests from coalitions, advocates, and others interested in understanding and eliminating sexual violence, and support efforts to prevent child sexual abuse.
The Relief Fund for Sexual Assault Victims
aids sexual assault victim and advocacy programs impacted by disasters. All donations go directly to victims and programs.

Affiliates

Pennsylvania Coalition to Advance Respect

The Pennsylvania Coalition to Advance Respect (PCAR) is the oldest anti-rape coalition in the United States, working to eliminate all forms of sexual violence and advocating for the rights and needs of victims. Founded in 1975, PCAR works with a statewide network of 51 rape crisis centers serving all 67 counties to provide services to survivors of sexual violence.

RALIANCE

RALIANCE
is a national partnership dedicated to ending sexual violence in one generation. It comprises NSVRC, the

California Coalition Against Sexual Assault ValorUS, formerly the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA), is a nonprofit membership association of rape crisis centers and sexual assault prevention programs in the State of California, in the United States. CALCASA is the onl ...

, and th
National Alliance to End Sexual Violence

Notable campaigns and programs

Sexual Assault Awareness Month

In the United States, April is typically designated as

Sexual Assault Awareness Month Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) is an annual campaign to raise public awareness about sexual assault and educate communities and individuals on how to prevent sexual violence in the United States. It is observed in April. Each year during t ...

(SAAM). The goal of SAAM is to raise public awareness about sexual violence and educate communities on how to prevent it. Since 2001, NSVRC has coordinated the national campaign theme and developed resources for organizations and individuals who wish to commemorate SAAM in their communities.

National Sexual Assault Conference

The National Sexual Assault Conference (NSAC) is a two-and-a-half-day, advocacy-based conference providing advanced training opportunities and information regarding sexual violence intervention and prevention. NSAC is an annual event that is organized on a rotating basis between NSVRC, the Pennsylvania Coalition to Advance Respect, and the

National award programs

NSVRC supports two award programs: * Th
Visionary Voice Awards
are given each April to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding work to end sexual violence. * Th
Gail Burns-Smith Award
recognizes people who have made significant contributions to preventing sexual violence through their work to facilitate effective partnerships between advocates working on behalf of victims and survivors and those working in the area of sex offender management and treatment.

Controversies

In February 2025, journalist Mady Castigan noted that NSVRC had recently removed references to trans people from their website. Castigan speculated that the change was related to the

second Trump administration Donald Trump's second and current tenure as the president of the United States began upon his inauguration as the 47th president on January 20, 2025. On his first day, Trump pardoned about 1,500 people convicted of offenses in the Janua ...

's restrictions on funding trans-supportive organizations.

References

External links

National Sexual Violence Resource CenterNSVRC LibrarySexual Assault Awareness Month
{{Authority control Non-profit organizations based in the United States Organizations established in 2000 Violence against women in the United States Rape in the United States Sexual abuse victims advocacy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2000 establishments in the United States