OVC FY 2026 Improving Outcomes for Child and Youth Victims of Human Trafficking
Purpose of the Funding
The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) is committed to advancing work that furthers the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) mission to keep our country safe and secure and uphold the rule of law and protect the rights of American citizens. OJP provides federal leadership, funding, and other critical resources to directly support law enforcement, combat violent crime, protect American children, provide services to American crime victims, and address public safety challenges, including human trafficking and the opioid crisis.
This is a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for the FY 2026 Improving Outcomes for Child and Youth Victims of Human Trafficking. The purpose of this program is to
improve outcomes for children and youth who are victims of human trafficking by integrating human trafficking policy and programming at the state or Tribal level and
enhancing coordinated, multidisciplinary, and statewide approaches to all forms of trafficking as defined by 22 U.S.C. § 7102(11).
Many states and Tribes face obstacles to comprehensively respond to human trafficking involving children and youth. Minor victims of human trafficking frequently interact with various systems, including child welfare, juvenile justice, and criminal justice systems, while also receiving victim services. As these systems and stakeholders have different goals and requirements, often minor victims of human trafficking go unidentified and services for, and responses to, these victims may be uncoordinated.
Through this program, outcomes for child and youth victims of human trafficking will be improved through the development and implementation of a statewide or Tribal
jurisdiction-wide strategic plan. The plan should address challenges related to identifying and serving child and youth victims of sex and labor trafficking, as well as
identifying, investigating, and prosecuting traffickers.
Grantees will conduct their project in two phases:
- Phase 1: Development or expansion of the jurisdiction-wide strategic plan.
- Phase 2: Implementation or expansion of identified strategies and ongoing
refinement of the statewide or Tribal jurisdiction-wide strategic plan and its
related strategies to improve services and outcomes for minor victims of human
trafficking.
Jurisdiction-wide anti-trafficking approaches may include but are not limited to—
- developing policies, practices, and guidelines;
- carrying out resource or needs assessments;
- identifying and filling gaps in victim service delivery;
- aligning efforts across multidisciplinary teams, task forces, and steering
committees; - providing training and public awareness outreach;
- developing, adopting, and implementing victim screening and identification tools; and
- conducting assessments of program outcomes (including evaluations).
The selected strategies may inform state and Tribal policies; strengthen communication, collaboration, and coordination across youth-serving and other state agencies; or improve local awareness, knowledge, and understanding of child and youth trafficking identification and response.
