Groundbreaking Effort Launches to Increase Private Sector Support to End Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault

Leading Corporations Announce Millions of Dollars in Commitments to Public-Private Partnerships during “NO MORE Week” 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – March 19, 2014 – Major corporations joined forces this week to pledge millions of dollars in new commitments to help end domestic violence and sexual assault as part of a groundbreaking effort to increase private sector support of these urgent issues. For several of the corporations this is their first, significant and public endeavor to support domestic violence and sexual assault awareness, two issues that many corporations have historically shied away from tackling. 

The pledges were announced during, “NO MORE Week,” March 17-21, 2014, a weeklong awareness initiative focused on ending domestic violence and sexual assault.

The corporate commitments announced this week to address domestic violence and sexual assault include: 

Allstate Foundation: Announced a 50 percent increase in funding for financial empowerment services benefitting domestic violence survivors.

Avon Foundation for Women: Announced three grants to create and disseminate three targeted prevention and intervention training tools to help bystanders – families, friends and strangers – recognize, respond and make appropriate referrals in situations when partner violence, dating abuse or sexual assault are suspected or observed.

Finn Partners: Committed to provide pro bono communications and public relations counsel for the NO MORE symbol and movement.

GUESS?, Inc. / GUESS Foundation: Announced an investment to support the roll-out of Peace Over Violence’s annual sexual violence awareness campaign, Denim Day. The commitment includes a donation of $100,000, the participation of more than 400 stores under the GUESS? Inc. umbrella including messaging in storefront windows, online and mobile marketing, and print PSA’s in Vanity Fair, Marie Claire, Teen Vogue and Lucky magazines.

Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Announced a donation to the NO MORE public awareness effort to end domestic violence and sexual assault.

Mary Kay: Committed $1 million to the loveisrespect text for help service that provides young people with resources and support to have healthy dating relationships, as well as $100,000 to support Break the Cycle’s, “NO MORE Silence: It’s Time To Talk Day,” a nationwide parent-child engagement campaign to prevent teen dating violence on Feb. 4, 2014.

USA Network: Committed to airing a 16-hour “NO MORE Excuses” marathon of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit (SVU) on April 27, 2014 to commemorate National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. Throughout the marathon, which will be hosted by SVU cast members, USA Network will air NO MORE PSAs, direct viewers to contact national help resources and highlight NO MORE on social media.

Valeant Pharmaceuticals: Pledged to donate a goal of $1 million from sales of its aesthetic injectable, Obagi, and dermatology products to support the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence in serving survivors of domestic violence and educating communities about this issue. To date Valeant’s support has reached 19,000 women and enabled NCADV to expand many of its initiatives.

Verizon Wireless: Committed $75,000 to support Break the Cycle’s “It’s Time To Talk Day,” which included the creation of a teen dating violence prevention PSA. Additionally, the spot will air across Verizon’s FiOS platform throughout May 2014.

Viacom: Announced an investment to produce and disseminate new, NO MORE PSAs, co-directed by Founder & President of the Joyful Heart Foundation, Actress Mariska Hargitay and Executive Vice President of Viacom Velocity Creative Content Solutions, Viacom Music and Entertainment, Niels Schuurmans. The PSAs will air across a variety of Viacom’s networks.

As part of these efforts, earlier this week, corporate leaders and advocacy groups met with White House officials, including representatives from the White House Council on Women and Girls, to discuss the important role that all stakeholders – including the private sector – can play in supporting domestic violence and sexual assault programs.

NO MORE, a unifying symbol for domestic violence and sexual assault, works to generate support and resources to help domestic violence and sexual assault prevention organizations. These organizations are partners of NO MORE:

• 1in6, Inc.
• Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence
• National Sexual Violence Resource Center
• National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
• Safe Horizon
• National Domestic Violence Hotline
• National Resource Center on Domestic Violence
• Sisters of Color Ending Sexual Assault
• A CALL TO MEN
• U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women
• California Coalition Against Sexual Assault
• National Network to End Domestic Violence
• National Sexual Assault Coalition Resource Sharing Project
• Futures Without Violence
• Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation
• Joyful Heart Foundation
• Casa de Esperanza
• Break the Cycle
• Men Can Stop Rape
• National Alliance to End Sexual Violence
• Peace Over Violence
• YWCA USA

To learn more about how to support the work of local domestic violence and sexual assault prevention organizations or to participate in, “NO MORE Week” visit www.nomore.org.  Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

About NO MORE

NO MORE is a new unifying symbol designed to galvanize greater awareness and action to end domestic violence and sexual assault. Supported by major organizations working to address these urgent issues, NO MORE is gaining support with Americans nationwide, sparking new conversations about these problems and moving this cause higher on the public agenda. For more information on NO MORE, to get involved or to get the symbol, visit www.nomore.org.