The Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers (MAPS) has lost a $214K annual federal grant which supported its Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (DVSA) program, including the provision of mental health support services to victims and survivors.

The four-year funding, provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is being terminated at the end of its second contract year on September 30, 2025, due to a “lack of congressional appropriation”, the federal agency announced in a letter. The decision cuts $428K from MAPS’ DVSA program, which represents a 14% budget reduction for the program.

“We were expecting and prepared to deal with federal funding cuts as the new administration took office,” said MAPS CEO Paulo Pinto, MPA. “However, we did not anticipate that such an essential and life-saving program, which serves hundreds of vulnerable victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault each year, would be so hastily cut midway through the contract, without consideration for the impact in our communities and organization.”

The federal grant termination will greatly reduce the health and social services organization’s ability to serve over two hundred community members dealing with domestic and sexual violence, including the provision of vital mental health services to approximately seventy-five victims of crime.

The cut also eliminates funding for two full-time employees and approximately $60K in indirect overhead operational support for the organization. So far, MAPS has been able to prevent lay-offs in the program by shifting and reassigning staff responsibilities and not filling open positions.

“It’s very frustrating to have to share this bad news with our communities, especially when it comes to domestic violence and sexual assault,” said Alirio Pereira, MA, MAPS Chief Program Officer. “Nonetheless, it is our responsibility to keep our communities informed about the consequences of these funding cuts and how they affect our ability to provide these much-needed services.”

The MAPS Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault serves hundreds of community members yearly with personalized assistance in moments of crisis, mental health and emotional support, safety planning, community prevention and education, information and referrals to medical and legal services, and more.