The Endowment Act, or Act 1 of 2013, directs PCCD to expend the monetary penalty imposed on the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) by the National Collegiate Athletic Conference (NCAA) to aid the victims of child sexual abuse in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 

Per the settlement recently announced between State Senator Jake Corman, State Treasurer Rob McCord, PSU and the NCAA, $48 million will be deposited into an endowment which was established as a separate trust fund in the State Treasury. 

Act 1 stipulates that no more than half of the funds may be spent annually within the first five years of the penalties paid into the endowment, and for each year thereafter, all interest and earnings of the endowment shall be expended according to the Act.

PCCD is charged with the expenditure of the money for the following purposes and for the benefit of the residents of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania:

1.   Programs or projects preventing child sexual abuse and or assisting the victims of child sexual abuse.
2.   Multidisciplinary investigative teams established under 23 Pa.C.S. (relating to Domestic Relations).

3.   Child advocacy centers.

4.   Victim service organizations that provide services to children subjected to sexual abuse.

5.   Training of persons who are mandated by law to report child sexual abuse or to treat victims of child sexual abuse.

An overview of PCCD’s competitive grant process and timeline is available on the Overview of the Competitive Grant Process webpage. 

In addition to Act 1, Act 28 of 2014 created the Children’s Advocacy Center Advisory Committee (CACAC) within PCCD.  The members of the CACAC include experts in the investigation, identification, prosecution and treatment of victims of child sexual abuse.  This advisory committee will advise the commission with regard to the expenditure of Endowment Act funds in the categories mentioned above.  The Chairman of the CACAC is Bucks County District Attorney David Heckler, who was also the Chairman of the PA Task Force on Child Protection, which comprehensively rewrote Pennsylvania’s Child Protective Services Law. 

Any organization or entity who is interested in receiving PCCD’s funding announcement notifications should Subscribe for Email Notifications.  Any funds distributed under Act 1 will be released through our Egrants system.  If your organization or entity is not registered in Egrants yet, you can start that process on our Funding Webpage.