MCEDV Launches New Film to Promote Direct Financial Assistance for Survivors

This October, MCEDV is launching a new new short film that amplifies survivors’ voices and experiences, and builds awareness of domestic abuse and violence and the resources that are available to survivors in Maine. 

The film, produced by Emmy-nominated GoodFight Media, also serves as a call to action, inviting Mainers to support survivors and join the movement to end domestic violence in Maine. It highlights a reality that is deeply misunderstood: domestic violence is deeply rooted in manipulation and control, and economic abuse is a key component, happening in 99% of all instances of intimate partner violence. Against this backdrop, integrating financial assistance with advocacy services is critical.  

MCEDV’s Liberation Fund, which was established in 2020 in response to the urgent needs survivors faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, has helped over 1,300 survivors in Maine and continues to be an invaluable resource today.     

MCEDV Executive Director Francine Garland Stark notes:

It is hard to escape from someone who controls everything. It can be a long, dangerous, and expensive journey. Advocates at Maine’s Domestic Violence Resource Centers have long known that often, what people need is financial help to get past current obstacles and stabilize for the future. However, the ability to give that help hasn’t always been there. A resource like the Liberation Fund, which pairs direct financial assistance with safety planning, housing help, legal aid, and more, is changing that for survivors in Maine.

For a survivor of domestic abuse, just one expense – no matter the amount – can be a barrier when trying to move toward safety and freedom. The Liberation Fund, which relies on support from individuals and private foundations, helps address this reality. Every dollar donated to the fund directly helps survivors and their children by connecting them with resources that will remove barriers to achieving safety.  

Support survivors with a gift to the Liberation Fund today.