concept

Crime Victims Fund

Also known as: CVF

Facts (21)

Sources

Justice Department Slashes Essential Services for Crime Victims brennancenter.org Brennan Center for Justice Nov 7, 2025 11 facts

perspectiveThe Brennan Center for Justice recommends that policymakers improve the stability of the Crime Victims Fund by reducing reliance on financial penalties and increasing reliance on congressional appropriations.

measurementIn 2024, the Crime Victims Fund and matching state dollars provided assistance to more than 7 million people.

claimState, local, and tribal governments, as well as nonprofit organizations, have relied on federal resources from the Crime Victims Fund for more than 40 years to serve and compensate victims.

claimRecent large settlements have bolstered the Crime Victims Fund, but it remains an unpredictable source of funding for crime victims’ needs.

accountCongress passed the Victims of Crime Act in 1984, which created the federal Crime Victims Fund to support state and local victim compensation and assistance programs, financed through fines and penalties from federal criminal prosecutions.

claimThe Department of Justice's trend of prosecuting fewer white-collar crimes, such as financial fraud and corruption, may reduce federal financial penalties that support the Crime Victims Fund, thereby depleting resources for victims nationwide.

claimVictim services organizations were already facing budget shortfalls and funding instability in the Crime Victims Fund, which is a primary source of federal grants for victim services.

claimFinancial uncertainty regarding the Crime Victims Fund has compounded the negative impact of the loss of Department of Justice funding for crime victim services.

claimThe Crime Victims Fund's financial standing is insecure because its primary source of financing—federal criminal monetary penalties—fluctuates based on the number of cases prosecuted by the federal government and the amount of fines collected.

claimLegislative fixes adopted by Congress over the years have been insufficient to shore up the Crime Victims Fund in the long term.

claimVictim services groups and Congress have repeatedly raised concerns about the long-term stability and solvency of the Crime Victims Fund.

Hope After Harm: An Evaluation of State Victim Compensation Statutes americanprogress.org Center for American Progress Aug 20, 2025 10 facts

claimThe VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act (VOCA Fix Act), signed into law in 2021, expanded the funding sources for the Crime Victims Fund to include funds collected from federal deferred prosecution and non-prosecution agreements.

claimUnlike the federal Crime Victims Fund (CVF), which is primarily funded by fines and fees from white-collar crimes, state-level criminal fines and fees are disproportionately levied on the same populations that are most in need of victim compensation but least likely to receive it.

claimStates have historically supplemented annual Crime Victims Fund (CVF) funding by collecting criminal fines and fees, but overreliance on this source threatens the sustainability of victim compensation programs.

measurementThe federal Crime Victims Fund (CVF) was capped at slightly more than $2 billion in fiscal year 2021.

claimThe U.S. Congress passed the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) in 1984, which established the Crime Victims Fund (CVF) to be administered by the federal Office for Victims of Crime (OVC).

measurementThe federal Crime Victims Fund (CVF) is financed by non-taxpayer dollars derived from fines and fees associated with federal prosecutions and provides funding to state victim compensation programs through a formula grant program that matches 75 percent of states’ annual victim compensation spending.

claimThe United States Congress passed the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) in 1984, which established the national Crime Victims Fund (CVF).

claimThe Crime Victims Fund (CVF) is financed by fines and penalties from convictions in federal cases, rather than by general tax revenue.

claimThe United States Congress passed the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) in 1984, which established the Crime Victims Fund (CVF) to provide financial support to state crime victim compensation (CVC) programs and victim service providers.

claimConcerns regarding the health and stability of the federal Crime Victims Fund (CVF) led to the introduction of the National Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2024.