Regional Childrens Advocacy Centers Program

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), a component of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, has released the Fiscal Year 2025 Regional Children’s Advocacy Centers Program. This program is authorized under the Victims of Child Abuse Act, 34 U.S.C. 20303, and aims to enhance the national network of Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs) by funding four regional centers across the United States. The regional centers will be established in the Northeast, South, Midwest, and West census regions. Their mission is to improve the multidisciplinary response to child abuse and neglect through specialized training, technical assistance, and coordination among state chapters, CACs, and multidisciplinary teams. The program seeks to strengthen the infrastructure of local and state-level child advocacy services. Award recipients will provide resources and training that enhance the investigative and prosecutorial responses to cases of child abuse and neglect. The funding is specifically intended to expand coordinated assistance across professional fields including law enforcement, child protection, prosecution, mental health, medical care, and victim advocacy. Recipients will be expected to conduct regional and statewide assessments, identify gaps in services, and design and deliver capacity-building initiatives that meet identified needs. The scope of funding requires grantees to implement joint planning with all regional centers and the Tribal CAC training and technical assistance provider to establish a systematic and coordinated approach. Key deliverables include annual statewide technical assistance assessments, creation of training curricula, delivery of train-the-trainer programs, and the production of resources aligned with emerging field needs. The centers must also collaborate with other Victims of Child Abuse Act program partners to maintain a five-year strategic plan and an annual operational plan. Unallowable activities include programs that conflict with federal immigration law, civil rights statutes, or restrictions on providing legal services to undocumented individuals outside of certain exceptions. Eligible applicants are local public and private nonprofit children’s advocacy center agencies and organizations with at least five years of experience delivering regional or national training and technical assistance related to the judicial handling and investigative response to child abuse and neglect cases. Only one application may be submitted per applicant. While applicants may collaborate with other organizations through subawards, the lead applicant must be a qualified CAC agency or organization. No cost-sharing or matching is required for this opportunity. Applications must be submitted through a two-step electronic process. First, the Standard Form 424 (SF-424) must be submitted in Grants.gov by October 6, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Second, the full application, including proposal narrative, budget forms, resumes, letters of support, and other required attachments, must be submitted in JustGrants by October 14, 2025, at 8:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Applicants must ensure their registration in SAM.gov is active and complete no later than September 29, 2025, to allow sufficient processing time. Failure to complete either submission step will result in disqualification. Evaluation of applications will begin with a responsiveness check, ensuring eligibility and completeness. Peer reviewers will score applications on five criteria: statement of the problem (10 percent), project goals and objectives (20 percent), project design and implementation (30 percent), capabilities and competencies (30 percent), and budget (10 percent). Applications must clearly outline measurable objectives, detailed implementation plans, staffing capacity, and budget alignment with project goals. The Assistant Attorney General makes final funding decisions, considering peer review scores, geographic distribution, strategic priorities, and available funds. The total funding available is $4.5 million, with up to four awards anticipated. Each award will not exceed $1,125,000 and will cover a 12-month period of performance beginning October 1, 2025. Funding availability is contingent on federal appropriations. Award notices will be delivered through JustGrants, and recipients must comply with all post-award reporting requirements, including quarterly financial reports, semi-annual performance reports, and final project documentation. Contact for this program is available through the OJP Response Center at 800-851-3420 or OJP.ResponseCenter@usdoj.gov. Additional technical assistance is provided through SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and JustGrants help desks.