Guilford College has received a federal grant for a program designed to reduce domestic and dating violence, sexual assault and stalking by enhancing education and prevention and providing victim services for students. 

The $400,000 grant, which was awarded in a competitive process, is from the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) Grants to Reduce Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking on Campus Program. 

It is a multi-year grant that enables the College to build on its current strategies to combat violence, assault and stalking. 

Guilford is among more than 20 colleges nationally that received an OVW Campus Program grant in 2023. Grantees are required to adopt a multidisciplinary response program that involves student affairs, student health, athletics, residence life, law enforcement and victim service providers. 

Guilford’s program will be implemented in partnership with the Greensboro Police Department, Family Service of the Piedmont, Guilford Green Foundation/LGBTQ Center and other community partners.

The College will provide incoming students with prevention and educational programs about sexual and domestic violence, training for Public Safety and training for judicial and disciplinary board members.

Steve Mencarini, Dean of Students, says the College is putting together a Coordinated Community Response Team that will determine how the grant will be allocated in the coming months. He says the grant will allow Guilford to offer safety programs and resources on campus as well as build relationships with local support organizations and national experts on making the campus even safer than it already is.

“One of the things that stood out for our application was how strong we were in the efforts that we already are providing at Guilford,” says Steve. “This grant will only enhance that.”

Steve says Guilford showed federal officials in its grant application the support the College gives to all students. “Guilford has a history of supporting documented and undocumented students, LGBTQ students, students with disabilities – everyone,” he says. 

“I think that worked very much in our favor. It showed that we're not building something new here. What we're doing is we're enhancing what already exists.”