Post-Secondary Education Opportunities for Child Protection Professionals

The U.S. Department of Justice, through the Office of Justice Programs and its Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, has released the fiscal year 2025 funding opportunity titled “OJJDP FY25 Post-Secondary Education Opportunities for Child Protection Professionals.” This program is designed to advance child protection efforts by supporting post-secondary education and continuing education opportunities for individuals preparing to enter or currently serving as child protection professionals. The program is authorized under the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2025, Public Law No. 119-4, 139 Stat. 9, 40. The purpose of this grant is to support the development, expansion, or enhancement of curricula in undergraduate, graduate, and professional licensing programs. The focus is to ensure mandated reporters and child protection professionals are trained in evidence-based methods for identifying and screening children for exposure to violence, abuse, and trauma. The initiative will provide training resources to a broad set of professionals including law enforcement officers, social workers, medical and behavioral health providers, and prosecutors. The ultimate goal is to improve recognition of children at risk, strengthen nondiscrimination and civil rights compliance in reporting, and enhance the ability of professionals to address child maltreatment and trauma. Funding under this opportunity is expected to total $835,375, with up to two awards anticipated. The maximum award ceiling is $417,687, and the performance period is set at thirty-six months, beginning October 1, 2025. Applicants may propose budgets smaller than the ceiling but must ensure the budget is adequate to achieve the project design. OJP will award cooperative agreements, which permit substantial involvement by the federal agency in project implementation. Funds must be spent only on allowable costs, and recipients must avoid unallowable activities such as those that conflict with federal civil rights laws or immigration law enforcement. Eligible applicants include a wide range of entities such as state governments, counties, cities, townships, special district governments, Native American tribal governments (federally recognized and non-federally recognized), public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status, and for-profit organizations other than small businesses. All recipients must forgo profit or management fees. Applicants may submit multiple proposals if each addresses a distinct project, and subrecipient partnerships are permitted provided that only one entity serves as the primary applicant. There is no cost sharing or match requirement under this program. Applications must be submitted through a two-step process. Step one requires applicants to file the SF-424 in Grants.gov no later than October 21, 2025, by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Step two requires submission of the full application in JustGrants by October 27, 2025, at 8:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Applicants must first be registered in SAM.gov and maintain an active Unique Entity Identifier throughout the grant period. Required documents include a proposal abstract, proposal narrative, budget detail form, resumes of key personnel, an organizational chart, a timeline, and other attachments as listed in the NOFO. A memorandum of understanding is required for any named project partners. Applicants must also complete all required DOJ disclosures and certifications. Applications will be reviewed for basic minimum requirements, followed by a peer review evaluating the problem statement, goals and objectives, project design, capacity, and budget. Additional consideration may be given to projects that directly support law enforcement, combat violent crime, provide services to American citizens, protect children, or support victims of trafficking and sexual assault. Award notices will be distributed via JustGrants, and unsuccessful applicants will receive reviewer comments. Post-award, recipients must comply with quarterly financial reporting, semi-annual performance reporting, and other DOJ reporting standards. Compliance with federal civil rights and nondiscrimination obligations is mandatory, and OJP reserves the right to impose additional oversight conditions. For assistance, applicants may contact the OJP Response Center at 800-851-3420 or 202-353-5556 (TTY), or via email at OJP.ResponseCenter@usdoj.gov during business hours Monday through Friday. Assistance with specific submission platforms is available through the SAM.gov Help Desk, Grants.gov Customer Support, or the JustGrants Service Desk. The funding opportunity was released on September 12, 2025, and applicants are encouraged to begin the registration process early to avoid technical issues.

Submit SF-424 early, begin SAM.gov registration in advance, and ensure budget only includes allowable costs