Washington Pilot Project

A dedicated staff. A proven model. A productive environment. The missing piece? Durable funding.

When FVAP brought our work to Washington State, we brought with us a simple but radical belief: survivors of domestic violence deserve to be heard, believed, and protected—not just in the trial courts, but at the very highest levels of justice. In the life of our Washington pilot, that belief came alive.

Our small but mighty Washington team stood beside survivors when their lives and safety hung in the balance. They won appeals that pulled people back from the brink of danger. They worked to change laws so the next survivor wouldn’t face the same impossible barriers. They lit a fire in the state to show what is possible when the ferocity for survivor advocacy only strengthens.

Our support for FVAP Washington was not misplaced, though. We proved that the FVAP model works in multiple states—securing legal victories, overturning dangerous decisions, and inspiring systemic change that will echo for years. The lesson is clear: our model is not just needed—it is a proven, effective pathway to lasting justice.

Despite these victories, the pilot could not be sustained and the office stopped accepting new clients at the end of 2024—not because the vision failed, but because the resources did. The hard truth is that funding structures nonprofits rely on are fragile, competitive, and flawed. In the very systems designed to protect survivors, there are cracks wide enough for life-saving programs to fall through.

We now have a bold blueprint for the future—rooted in real-world success, informed by hard-earned lessons. The Washington pilot showed us what’s possible, and what structures need to be in place for any future expansions. With your continued partnership, we will turn that possibility into permanence. This is just the beginning.

Future Plans

The Washington State pilot demonstrated FVAP’s bold leadership and commitment to our mission. Despite concluding due to funding constraints, the pilot achieved life-saving legal outcomes, strengthened community partnerships, and generated critical insights into effective service delivery. With this tested, data-driven blueprint, FVAP is now positioned to guide future expansion with greater agility, strategic focus, and operational foresight. Moving forward, FVAP will leverage these lessons to craft a deliberate, organization-wide roadmap toward our moonshot—that “justice happens the first time”—emphasizing growth that amplifies outcomes rather than diluting effectiveness.

Thanks to the work of the tireless attorneys and intake personnel who served in the FVAP Washington office, we were able to spur lasting change and elevate the ongoing needs of survivors in Washington through the publication of our Washington-based research study, the Appellate Justice Report 2024, authored by Kellie Colemon and Anna Kashner. This report is slated to be publicly available in early 2026. FVAP extends its heartfelt gratitude to all who made this report possible, to fearless advocates who breathed life into FVAP WA, and to everyone who believed in our mission.

Key Lessons

Conduct comprehensive needs assessments that include asset mapping of local donors, potential funders, and Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOLTA) resources.
Prioritize investment in administrative, fundraising, and public relations capacity before expanding the program team, ensuring operations and funding development are established prior to opening service doors.
Pause or slow expansion when resources do not align with need, to allow internal stabilization before scaling.

Information for survivors to navigate appeals

Since online resources from the Washington State Court of Appeals are lacking, and the window to file a notice of appeal is very short, we are sharing what we have learned over 3+ years to be useful information for survivors to navigate the appeals process.

Click each blue underlined hyperlink below to open that resource in a new tab.

FVAP’s Legal Resource Library still contains invaluable information for survivors in the state of Washington. This includes: