NOVA, Bucks County’s comprehensive crime victim services agency, has received a $10,000 Bucks Innovation and Improvement Grant (BIIG) from Foundations Community Partnership to develop educational programs that address the growing threat of artificial intelligence–enabled child sexual abuse and exploitation. The funding positions the organization to update its prevention work at a moment when digital risks are evolving faster than traditional safety education.
Across the country, law enforcement and victim services agencies are struggling to keep pace with new ways criminals are using AI technology. In Bucks County, NOVA is already encountering these changes in its work with victims and families. According to the organization, offenders are increasingly using artificial intelligence to create realistic yet fabricated Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), generate explicit deepfakes from ordinary non-explicit online photos, and coerce or extort children and youth for money or additional explicit content. These tactics are complicating prevention, detection, and community understanding of online harm.
Alyssa Davis, NOVA’s Primary Prevention Coordinator, described what the agency is seeing on the ground and why the grant matters. “NOVA is seeing first-hand how AI technology is amplifying the threat of sexual abuse and exploitation in new and disturbing ways,” she said. “We are grateful to Foundations Community Partnership for allowing us the opportunity to develop programming to educate the community about these threats.” Her statement connects NOVA’s day-to-day casework to its prevention mission.
With the BIIG funding in place, NOVA will build directly onto its existing digital wellness program instead of replacing it. The agency plans to integrate AI-awareness content into current digital safety lessons while simultaneously creating new programming designed specifically for middle school students, high school students, parents, educators, and community members. Each component will be age-appropriate, recognizing that different groups face different online risks and require different levels of technical understanding.
The new curriculum will focus on the specific ways AI is being weaponized against children. This includes education about AI-generated CSAM, deepfake manipulation of personal images, and online sextortion schemes targeting minors. These materials are intended to help young people and adults recognize warning signs, understand how AI tools operate, and respond appropriately when risks emerge.
Foundations Community Partnership has positioned the BIIG grant program as a mechanism for supporting innovative responses to emerging community needs. Falesha Grasty, Chair of the FCP Board of Directors, spoke directly to NOVA’s selection. “We appreciate NOVA’s continued leadership in developing this innovative program that will increase artificial intelligence literacy and keep our communities safe,” she said. NOVA’s proposal stood out within the grant cycle because it addressed a threat many organizations are only beginning to confront.
Over the coming months, NOVA will begin developing its AI-focused curriculum and educational materials using the $10,000 grant. The organization plans to roll out the programs to schools and community groups throughout Bucks County as they become available. Parents, educators, and community members interested in NOVA’s prevention education offerings can find more information and resources at novabucks.org/prevention as the work moves forward.
