OJJDP FY25 National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Invited to Apply

The U.S. Department of Justice, through its Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, has released a funding opportunity titled OJJDP FY25 National Center for Missing and Exploited Children – Invited to Apply. This notice of funding opportunity provides support for the ongoing operations of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, also known as NCMEC. Established in 1984, NCMEC functions as the national resource center and clearinghouse on issues related to missing and exploited children. Its mission is to help prevent child abduction and sexual exploitation, to locate and recover missing children, and to deliver assistance to victims, their families, and the professionals who work on these cases. The scope of the program is broad, reflecting NCMEC’s national role in coordinating responses to missing and exploited children. The cooperative agreement provides funding to maintain and expand NCMEC’s programs, which include prevention efforts, victim assistance, and training and technical support for law enforcement, child-serving professionals, and other organizations engaged in child protection. The funds may be used to support the operational and programmatic activities required for NCMEC to fulfill its mission, including research, training, public education, and victim services. While the notice does not specify detailed spending rules, the funding is clearly designated to sustain the national resource center functions and associated program activities. Eligibility for this funding opportunity is highly restricted. Only the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is eligible to apply, making this an exclusive grant with no competition. The notice explicitly identifies NCMEC as the sole applicant under the Additional Information on Eligibility field. This aligns with NCMEC’s statutory role under federal law to serve as the nation’s designated clearinghouse for these issues. No other organizations, including nonprofits, government entities, or individuals, are permitted to apply. The application process follows the standard federal grant submission procedures. Applications must be submitted by the listed closing date through the Grants.gov system. The opportunity was posted on September 25, 2025, and the application window closes on October 1, 2025. No pre-application steps, such as letters of intent or concept papers, are mentioned in the announcement. This suggests that the application period is short and focused solely on the invited applicant. The cooperative agreement will be awarded after the closing date, but no specific award date is listed in the notice. There is no indication of a recurring cycle, though the program has historically been reissued annually. The total program funding available is $42,976,147, and the award ceiling is equal to that amount. Since only one award is anticipated, the entire funding amount will be awarded to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. There is no cost-sharing or matching requirement associated with this award. The assistance listing for this opportunity is 16.543, Missing Children’s Assistance, which confirms its statutory alignment with NCMEC’s federally mandated role. Questions about the funding opportunity can be directed to Lou Ann Holland at the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The notice provides an email contact for Ms. Holland at Lou.Ann.Holland@usdoj.gov. No telephone contact information is included. Applicants experiencing technical issues with electronic access to the full announcement are advised to contact her directly. The notice also indicates that additional information may be available in the invitation letter, which is referenced as the source for further details beyond the Grants.gov synopsis.