DOJ – Specialized Services for Victims of Human Trafficking (2017)

By NLADA on January 16, 2017

Applications Due: March 9, 2017 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time

Description:

The primary goal of this program is to enhance the quality and quantity of specialized services available to assist victims of human trafficking, as defined by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000, as amended. This solicitation will provide funding to victim service organizations with a demonstrated history of providing specialized services for victims of human trafficking. Applicants will have the opportunity to apply for funding to support the following types of services for victims of human trafficking: 1.) Housing/Shelter; 2.) Job Training, Education & Employment; 3.) Legal Assistance 4.) Health, Mental Health, & Substance Abuse Services. In addition to the provision of direct services, funding will also support efforts to increase the capacity of communities to respond to human trafficking victims through the development of interagency partnerships, professional training, and public awareness activities.

Funding Title: OVC FY 17 Specialized Services for Victims of Human Trafficking

Agency Name: Office for Victims of Crime

Funding Opportunity Number: OVC-2017-11578

Funding Instrument Type: Cooperative Agreement

Express Language for Legal Aid: Yes.

Legal services is identified as one of the four priority areas the OVC is interested in supporting:

“Legal services. Comprehensive and holistic legal services, addressing the range of legal issues that arise from the victimization, may be provided in-house or through referrals to community partners. Examples of allowable services include, but are not limited to, immigration assistance; assistance with civil legal remedies such as family law (including divorce, custody, and child support; emancipation, dependency, or guardianship; and family reunification), protective orders, employment law (including wage and hour claims), public benefits access, and assistance pursuing efforts to vacate a victim’s criminal conviction and/or expunge a victim’s criminal record (where the law allows a record to be vacated/expunged based on being a human trafficking victim); crime victims’ rights enforcement; and advocacy/support in criminal matters. Note: OVC funding may not be used for criminal defense services.”

Target Population: Victims of human trafficking, including services for underserved or unserved populations such as men and boys, American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN), African Americans, Asian Americas, Latinos, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (LGBTQ)

Expected Number of Awards: 16

Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement: Yes

Estimated Total Program Funding: $10,000,000

Award Ceiling: $600,000

Award Floor: $0

How to Apply: Applicants must register in, and submit applications through Grants.gov, a primary source to find federal funding opportunities and apply for funding. Find complete instructions on how to register and submit an application at http://www.Grants.gov. Applicants that experience technical difficulties during this process should call the Grants.gov Customer Support Hotline at 800–518–4726 or 606–545–5035, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except federal holidays. Registering with Grants.gov is a one-time process; however, processing delays may occur, and it can take several weeks for first-time registrants to receive confirmation and a user password. OJP encourages applicants to register several weeks before the application submission deadline.

In addition, OJP urges applicants to submit applications 72 hours prior to the application due date to allow time 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.

OVC strongly encourages all prospective applicants to sign up for Grants.gov email notifications regarding this solicitation. If this solicitation is cancelled or modified, individuals who sign up with Grants.gov for updates will be automatically notified.

Current Closing Date for Applications: by March 9, 2017 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time

Eligible Applicants: By statute, grants under this program may be awarded to states, units of local government, federally recognized Indian tribal governments (as determined by the Secretary of the Interior), and nonprofit (defined as an organization that is described in section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 and is exempt from from taxation under 501 (a) of such title), nongovernmental organizations (including tribal nonprofits). For the purposes of this program, a unit of local government is any city, county, township, town, borough, parish, village, or other general purpose political subdivision of a state, territory, or federally recognized Indian tribal government. Organizations with a demonstrated history of providing victim assistance, social services, legal services, shelter, or mental health services for victims of human trafficking are eligible to apply. Tribal governments, tribal nonprofits, and organizations that specialize in serving American Indian and Alaska Native victims of human trafficking are also eligible to apply.

Link to Full Announcement: Here

Contact Information: For technical assistance with submitting an application, contact the Grants.gov Customer Support Hotline at 800-518-4726 or 606-545-5035, or via email to support@grants.gov. The Grants.gov Support Hotline hours of operation are 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except federal holidays.

Applicants that experience unforeseen Grants.gov technical issues beyond their control that prevent them from submitting their application by the deadline must email the OVC contact identified below within 24 hours after the application deadline and request approval to submit their application. Additional information on reporting technical issues is found under “Experiencing Unforeseen Grants.gov Technical Issues” in the How to Apply section.

For assistance with any other requirements of this solicitation, contact Ivette Estrada, Victim Justice Program Specialist, by telephone at 202-307-0932 or by email at ivette.estrada@usdoj.gov.