United States Attorney William M. McSwain Announces More Than $36 Million Available to Fight Human Trafficking and Assist Victims

PHILADEPHIA, PA – United States Attorney William M. McSwain announced that more than $36 million in Department of Justice grants are available to help communities combat human trafficking and serve adults and children who are victimized in trafficking operations.

“Human trafficking is horrific crime – one that strips victims of their dignity and often leaves them traumatized, with lasting physical and emotional scars,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “Human traffickers pose a serious threat to public safety, which is why the Department of Justice and my Office have made prosecution of these crimes a top priority. This is both a national and local problem, and these grants will help fund programs designed to assist those directly and indirectly affected by this serious issue.”

“Human traffickers pose a dire threat to public safety and countering this threat remains one of the Administration’s top domestic priorities,” said Katharine T. Sullivan, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs. “The Department of Justice is front and center in the fight against this insidious crime. OJP is making historic amounts of grant funding available to ensure that our communities have access to innovative and diverse solutions.”

The funding is available through the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), the federal government’s leading source of public safety funding and crime victim assistance in state, local, and tribal jurisdictions. OJP’s programs support a wide array of activities and services, including programs that support human trafficking task forces and services for human trafficking survivors.

The following funding opportunities are currently available, with several more coming in the near future:

• Missing and Exploited Children Training and Technical Assistance Program

https://ojjdp.ojp.gov/funding/opportunities/ojjdp-2020-17351

Total Available:          $1.8 million                                        

Deadline:                     April 6, 2020

Through this program, OJP seeks to improve and expand the development and implementation of training and technical assistance on effective responses to missing and exploited children’s issues for multidisciplinary teams of prosecutors, state and local law enforcement, child protection personnel, medical providers, and other child-serving professionals. Additionally, this program will provide support for the implementation of all National Missing Children’s Day activities.  The following entities are eligible to apply for and receive funds pursuant to this grant: nonprofit and for-profit organizations and institutes of higher education.

• Research and Evaluation on Trafficking in Persons

https://nij.ojp.gov/funding/opportunities/nij-2020-17324

Total Available:          $2.5 million                                        

Deadline:                     April 20, 2020

Through this solicitation, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) – a research, development, and evaluation arm of the Department of Justice – continues to build upon its efforts to better understand, prevent, and respond to trafficking in persons in the United States. Applicants should propose research projects that, first and foremost, have clear implications for criminal justice policy and practice in the United States. NIJ is also particularly interested in research projects addressing both sex and labor trafficking. The following entities are eligible to apply for and receive funds pursuant to this grant: states (including territories); units of local government; federally recognized Indian tribal governments that perform law enforcement functions; nonprofit and for-profit organizations; and institutes of higher education.

• Specialized Training and Technical Assistance on Housing for Victims of Human Trafficking

https://www.ovc.gov/grants/pdftxt/fy-2020-specialized-tta-on-housing-for-victims-of-human-trafficking.pdf                                                                           

Total Available:          $2 million                                           

Deadline:                     May 14, 2020

The selected applicant will work with victim service providers assisting trafficking victims to identify challenges and opportunities to better meet the full range of housing needs of survivors of human trafficking. Priority support will be given to current grantees of the Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime (OVC). The selected applicant must be able to assist service providers on a national scale in leveraging existing federal, state, local, and private housing programs and initiatives that trafficking survivors may qualify for, and should demonstrate partnerships with relevant housing stakeholders. The following entities are eligible to apply for and receive funds pursuant to this grant: nonprofit, nongovernmental victims’ service organizations with the capacity to serve human trafficking victims.

• Improving Outcomes for Child and Youth Victims of Human Trafficking      

https://www.ovc.gov/grants/pdftxt/fy-2020-ht-improving-outcomes-for-child-and-youth.pdf

Total Available:          $6 million                                          

Deadline:                     May 18, 2020

OVC is seeking applications for states or tribes to develop, enhance, and coordinate programs and activities geared toward improving outcomes for child and youth victims of sex and labor trafficking. The overall goal of the program is to improve responses for child and youth victims of trafficking with a focus on coordination at the statewide or tribal jurisdiction level to create effective change across systems.  The following entities are eligible to apply for and receive funding pursuant to this grant: states (including territories) and federally recognized Indian tribal governments.

• Integrated Services for Minor Victims of Labor Trafficking     

https://www.ovc.gov/grants/pdftxt/fy-2020-services-for-minor-victims-of-labor-trafficking.pdf

Total Available:          $8 million                   

Deadline:                     May 18, 2020

The purpose of this program is to develop, expand, or strengthen victim service programs for minor victims of labor trafficking, whose victimization occurred when they were under the age of 18. Organizations funded under this program will provide (directly and through partnerships) services that minor victims of labor trafficking often require to address their needs for safety, security, and healing. The following entities are eligible to apply for and receive funding pursuant to this grant: states and territories; units of local government; Indian tribes; and nonprofit, nongovernmental victims’ services organizations with the capacity to serve human trafficking victims.

• Services for Victims of Human Trafficking

https://www.ovc.gov/grants/pdftxt/fy-2020-services-for-victims-of-human-trafficking.pdf

Total Available:          $16.5 million              

Deadline:                     May 18, 2020

OVC is seeking applications to support services for victims of all forms of human trafficking throughout the United States. This program furthers the Department’s mission by enhancing the field’s response to victims of human trafficking. The following entities are eligible to apply for and receive funding pursuant to this grant: states and territories; units of local government; Indian tribes; and nonprofit, nongovernmental victims’ services organizations with the capacity to serve human trafficking victims.

For more information regarding all OJP funding opportunities, please visit: https://www.ojp.gov/funding/explore/current-funding-opportunities.