Mission, Vision, and History

Many rape crisis centers began in the late 1960s when women began to speak out about their experiences with sexual assault and support one another in healing. In 1971, a group of women, primarily volunteers, began a program in Minneapolis offering 24-hour crisis lines, support groups, and a mechanism for victims/survivors, volunteers, and communities to speak out.

In 1975, the Minnesota Program for Victims of Sexual Assault in the Department of Corrections was created to fund and provide assistance to sexual assault programs statewide. As more programs started, many felt isolated, unsupported, and unable to take time away from working with victims/survivors to address statewide needs.

In 1978, the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault was born as a grassroots group of member programs sharing resources and support. Over time, MNCASA’s membership grew and our work expanded to include educational opportunities, providing technical assistance to programs serving victims/survivors, public education, public policy, prevention, and community awareness.

MNCASA was incorporated in 1982 and continues its work to prevent and address the root causes of sexual violence. In 2001, MNCASA added a national technical assistance program to provide expertise and leadership around systems change and strengthening community response to sexual violence. Today, MNCASA is a statewide coalition driving transformative culture change to address sexual violence through advocacy, prevention, racial justice, and systems change.