The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), a component of the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs, is offering funding under the Improving Outcomes for Child and Youth Victims of Human Trafficking program. This initiative aims to improve statewide or Tribal jurisdiction-wide systems and policies that affect children and youth who have been victims of sex or labor trafficking. The OVC's overarching mission is to enhance the nation's capacity to assist crime victims and to provide leadership in changing attitudes, policies, and practices to promote justice and healing for all victims.
The goal of this funding opportunity is to support the creation and implementation of strategic, jurisdiction-wide plans to enhance the identification, protection, and support of child and youth trafficking victims. Recognizing the multifaceted challenges these victims face—particularly when interacting with law enforcement, child welfare, juvenile justice, and other systems—OVC seeks to enable jurisdictions to establish coordinated, multidisciplinary responses. The program is structured into two phases: development or expansion of a strategic plan (Phase 1), followed by implementation or refinement of strategies (Phase 2). Successful applicants will be required to submit various deliverables, including strategic plans, collaboration plans, and progress reports.
Eligible applicants include U.S. state governments and federally recognized Native American Tribal governments. Applicants may only submit one application per entity, but subrecipients may be listed on multiple applications. Both new applicants and those who have previously received OVC trafficking grants are eligible, provided they demonstrate how the proposed project differs from or expands existing work. A mandatory 25% match is required, calculated based on the total project cost, and may be satisfied through cash or in-kind contributions.
Allowable costs include personnel, training, policy development, assessments, and public awareness campaigns, among others. However, costs such as stipends to encourage victim participation, holding empty shelter beds, vehicle purchases, and legal assistance for unauthorized immigrants are not allowable. Applicants must ensure all staff working with trafficking victims are properly trained, and must adhere to confidentiality provisions in accordance with federal law.
Applications follow a two-step submission process. First, applicants must submit the SF-424 form via Grants.gov by March 11, 2026. Next, the full application must be submitted through JustGrants by March 18, 2026. Required components include a proposal abstract, proposal narrative, budget detail form, logic model, timeline, MOUs or LOIs, and other supporting documentation. SAM.gov registration is mandatory and should be initiated as early as possible.
Award recipients will be expected to provide quarterly financial and semi-annual performance reports, along with final reports at the conclusion of the 48-month performance period, which is expected to start July 1, 2026. The total funding available for this solicitation is $4.8 million, with an award ceiling of $1.6 million per recipient. Three awards are anticipated. While the opportunity does not specify recurrence, future continuation funding may be considered based on availability of appropriations, project performance, and alignment with strategic priorities.
