Grants to USA and territories nonprofits, for-profits, government agencies, tribal governments, and IHEs to enhance the capacity of programs responding to the needs of child victims of trafficking and exploitation. Funding is available in two categories: enhancing services at mentoring sites, and providing training or technical assistance to mentoring sites.
The purpose of this program is to enhance the capacity of applicant organizations to respond to the needs of child victims of commercial sexual exploitation (CSE)/domestic sex trafficking (DST). Under this initiative, OJJDP expects successful applicants to develop or enhance mentoring service models and mentor training based on best practices to focus on the needs of youth who are at risk or are victims of CSE/DST; develop or update strategies to recruit and maintain mentors to serve under-identified and underserved populations; begin or enhance efforts to identify and enroll youth who are in need of services; and provide needed services to these youth.
There are two categories of funding available under this solicitation:
Category 1: Mentoring Project Sites
This program supports the efforts of eligible applicant organizations to develop or enhance their mentoring capacity, facilitate outreach efforts, and increase the availability of direct services for child victims (younger than age 18) of CSE/DST, including children who are U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents.
Category 2: Training and Technical Assistance
In addition to supporting program implementation and direct service activities, the initiative will fund a training and technical assistance provider to support the Category 1 project sites.
OJJDP expects that Category 1 project sites will develop or enhance mentoring service models and mentor training based on best practices to focus on the needs youth, who are at risk for or are victims of CSE/DST .
Specific objectives include:
-Develop or enhance mentor service models youth, who are at risk for or are victims of CSE/DST. Qualified mentor programs involve structured relationships between an adult (counselor, case manager, trained volunteer, and/or survivor) and the youth mentee in one- on-one and/or group sessions. These sessions may include both structured and informal activities that relate to social competence, life skills, victim support, job skill development, mental health, substance abuse, and other related subjects. Research indicates that youth who participate in mentoring relationships that last 12 months or longer demonstrate improvement as compared to those with shorter relationships. Applicants are encouraged to visit the OJJDP National Mentoring Resource Center website to determine how to integrate the Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring into their program model.
-Implement or enhance efforts to identify youth, who are at risk for or are victims of CSE/DST. This may include street outreach efforts, partnerships with organizations that serve the youth community, and/or collaboration with key stakeholders in the community.
-Implement or enhance baseline training for mentors and provide ongoing development and support after the initial training is complete. Initial orientation trainings must include specific information about youth who are at risk for or are victims of CSE/DST. However, training must go beyond a “one-shot model” to provide for the continuous development and support of mentors to help them enhance their knowledge and abilities while they build relationships with their young mentees, respond to their needs, and support their healing.
-Develop, expand, or enhance access to supportive direct services for youth, who are at risk for or are victims of CSE/DST. These youth have service needs that extend beyond traditional mentoring, including but not limited to intensive case management, court advocacy, appropriate shelter, safety planning, mental health treatment, medical care, dental care, substance abuse treatment, acquiring identification or benefits, specialized educational services/GED, job training, employment assistance, transportation, victim advocacy, and other support services such as accompanying the victim during his or her participation in a criminal prosecution against the offender, when appropriate. Programs are encouraged to enhance existing community collaboratives and partnerships, where feasible. In addition, it is important for program models to provide timely access to direct services for targeted youth.
Category 2: Training and Technical Assistance (Competition ID: OJJDP-2017-11592)
OJJDP is seeking an experienced organization to provide training and technical assistance services to the current group of project sites and new sites funded through this solicitation. The goals and objectives for Category 2 include:
-Provide support, technical assistance, and training to community-based programs working with child victims of CSE/DST and their stakeholders, including but not limited to juvenile justice professionals, teachers and other school personnel, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, child advocates, victim service providers, case managers, outreach workers, the judiciary, health and mental health professionals, legal advocates, mentor volunteers, and others.
-Assess the individual and collective training and technical assistance needs of project sites and develop technical assistance plans for each site. Possible training and technical assistance needs of the project sites may include guidance on developing collaborative partnerships, establishing or enhancing volunteer recruitment and retention policies and procedures, enhancing or developing mentoring models, outreach work with underserved and special populations, subject-matter training on child sexual exploitation, trauma- informed practice, and sustainability.
-Facilitate peer-to-peer information sharing between the project sites and networking to promote problem solving and innovation through the exchange of information and ideas across project sites.
-Arrange onsite consultations by diverse subject-matter experts.
-Establish tools and practical techniques for working across different disciplines to facilitate information sharing, communication, and coordination.
-Develop and maintain a pool of experts who can provide onsite technical assistance tailored to the specific needs of each project site. OJJDP will expect experts to use a cross-discipline approach and act as problem-solving agents to assist the project sites as they address challenges, barriers, and unintended consequences.
-Convene grantee meetings, including providing logistical support, developing meeting agendas, and identifying faculty and/or consultants.
-Perform all logistics to support training and technical assistance activities and events.
-Work collaboratively with OJJDP to develop and provide materials, including training agendas and other products, prior to any training or technical assistance events or any site visits that expert consultants conduct.
-Plan and coordinate, in conjunction with OJJDP, annual cross-site meetings of Category 1 mentoring project site grantees.
In addition to addressing the specific goals and objectives listed for each category of this solicitation, all applicants (Category 1 and Category 2) should include public awareness activities as part of their projects and discuss how their strategies will raise awareness of commercial sexual exploitation and domestic sex trafficking of youth.
Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
Private institutions of higher education
Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
Others (see text field entitled "Additional Eligibility Criteria" for clarification)
Small businesses
State governments
Additional Eligibility Criteria
Category 1: Mentoring Project Sites
Eligible applicants are limited to states (including territories), units of local government, federally recognized tribal governments as determined by the Secretary of the Interior, nonprofit organizations, and institutions of higher education (including tribal institutions of higher education).
Applicants that are nonprofit organizations must be organizations described in 26 U.S.C. § 501(c)(3) and exempt from taxation under 26 U.S.C. § 501(a). Nonprofit organizations that hold money in offshore accounts for the purpose of avoiding paying the tax described in 26 U.S.C. § 511(a) are not eligible to apply.
Category 2: Training and Technical Assistance
Eligible applicants are limited to nonprofit organizations and for-profit organizations (including tribal nonprofit and for-profit organizations) and institutions of higher education (including tribal institutions of higher education). For-profit organizations must forgo any profit or management fee.
Eligible applicants that propose to provide direct services to youth must not include youth who are age 18 or older in the population they will serve.
OJJDP welcomes applications under which two or more entities would carry out the federal award; however, only one entity may be the applicant. Any others must be proposed as subrecipients (“subgrantees"). The applicant must be the entity that would have primary responsibility for carrying out the award, including administering the funding and managing the entire program. Under this solicitation, only one application by any particular applicant entity will be considered. An entity may, however, be proposed as a subrecipient (“subgrantee”) in more than one application.
OJJDP may elect to fund applications submitted under this FY 2017 solicitation in future fiscal years, dependent on, among other considerations, the merit of the applications and the availability of appropriations.
Pre-Application Information
Applicants must register with Grants.gov prior to submitting an application. All applications are due by 11:59 PM eastern time (ET) on June 15, 2017.
To be considered timely, an application must be submitted by the application deadline using Grants.gov, and the applicant must have received a validation message from Grants.gov that indicates successful and timely submission.
OJP urges applicants to submit applications at least 72 hours prior to the application due date to allow time for the applicant to receive validation messages or rejection notifications from Grants.gov and to correct in a timely fashion any problems that may have caused a rejection notification.
OJJDP expects to make up to three (3) awards in Category 1; and one (1) award in Category 2.
Estimated Size of Grant
Category 1: Mentoring Project Sites - OJJDP expects to make awards of up to $450,000 each.
Category 2: Training and Technical Assistance - OJJDP expects to make an award of up to $500,000.
Term of Contract
Category 1: Mentoring Project Sites - OJJDP expects to make awards for a 36-month period of performance, to begin on October 1, 2017.
Category 2: Training and Technical Assistance - OJJDP expects to make an award for a 12-month period of performance, to begin on October 1, 2017. If the awardee demonstrates progress toward implementing project activities and goals, OJJDP may provide supplemental funding in FYs 2018 and 2019 under this solicitation. With the supplemental funding, the project period may be extended for two additional 12-month increments for an overall project period of 36 months.
Contact Information
Grants.gov Customer Support Hotline:
800-518-4726 / 606-545-5035 support@grants.gov
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