"Testing rape kits sends a fundamental and crucial message to survivors of sexual violence: You matter. What happened to you matters." - Mariska Hargitay

The rape kit backlog—untested rape kits numbering in the hundreds of thousands across the country—represents a failure of the criminal justice system to protect survivors and to hold perpetrators accountable.

Thanks to your support, Joyful Heart’s tireless advocacy for comprehensive rape kit reform has brought us to an historic moment towards eliminating the backlog. As we take in this moment, I hope you will recommit to our shared work with a gift to the Joyful Heart Foundation today.

Earlier this month, nearly $80 million in grants was awarded to jurisdictions in 27 states across the U.S. to test more than 70,000 backlogged kits, investigate and prosecute cases connected to the backlog, and address the need for victim notification and re-engagement with the criminal justice system. Our work helped make it happen.

While this is the biggest investment of its kind to date, there are hundreds of thousands of untested rape kits that remain on shelves across the United States—thousands of survivors who deserve justice.

Mariska Hargitay, our Founder & President, referred to this groundbreaking announcement as, "evidence of vision: a vision of what justice can and should look like, a vision of what our society's commitment to healing can and should look like."

Our goal: to eliminate the backlog completely by advocating for comprehensive rape kit reform in all 50 states.

With your help, we can get there.

With your gift today, together we can #ENDTHEBACKLOG.