To
provide assistance to victims of severe forms of trafficking (i.e.,
sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force,
fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such
act has not attained 18 years of age; or the recruitment, harboring,
transportation, provision or obtaining of a person for labor or
services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose
of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or
slavery) without regard to the immigration status of the victim.
A set aside of the total appropriation for the following purposes
is as follows: three percent for research, evaluation, and statistics;
two percent for training and technical assistance; and one percent
for management and administration of grant funds.
TYPES
OF ASSISTANCE:
Project Grants. Place Cursor Here for Definition
Direct Payments for Specified Use. Place Cursor Here for Definition
USES
AND USE RESTRICTIONS:
Funding
under this program is intended primarily, but not exclusively, to
meet victims' pre-certification needs. Pre-certification refers
to the period of time between when trafficking victims are initially
identified by law enforcement and officially certified by the Federal
government as such. Two types of cooperative agreements for victim
services will be awarded under this program: a) Comprehensive Services;
and b) Supplemental and Specialized Services. Comprehensive Services
(a) awards will support the creation and/or enhancement of collaborative
networks that will provide comprehensive services for trafficking
victims within a given community or region. These awards are intended
to build community-based networks of comprehensive, integrated,
and culturally appropriate services for trafficking victims. Supplemental
and Specialized Services (b) awards will support discrete, rapid
response victim services, wherever and whenever trafficking victims
are identified. Applicants must demonstrate to capacity to quickly
mobilize resources to accommodate the needs of potentially large
numbers of victims and the ability to coordinate with other trafficking
programs and other service providers. In addition to the two types
of cooperative agreements to be awarded under this program, one
award of $600,000 will support training and technical assistance
to victim service organizations to enhance their services to trafficking
victims, and one award of $300,000 will support evaluation of trafficking
programs funded by this grant funding program.
ELIGIBILITY
REQUIREMENTS:
Applicant
Eligibility: The Attorney General may make grants
to States, Indian tribes, units of local government, and nonprofit,
non- governmental victims service organizations.
Beneficiary
Eligibility: Eligible victim assistance agencies.
Eligibility depends on the nature of the grant but may include
a wide variety of public and private nonprofit agencies.
Credentials/Documentation:
Applications for this program must be on Standard Form 424 at
a time specified by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of
Justice Programs and must contain the following certification
and assurances: (1) assure that the applicant will provide such
accounting, auditing, monitoring and evaluation procedures as
may be necessary, and keep such records as the Office of Justice
Programs may prescribe, to assure fiscal control, proper management
and efficient disbursement of Federal funds; (2) assure that the
applicant will adhere to the audit and financial management requirements
set forth in the effective edition of the OJP Financial Guide;
(3) assure that the applicant will comply with all applicable
nondiscrimination requirements; (4) certify that the applicant
will comply with certifications regarding Lobbying, Debarment,
Suspension, and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements (OJP Form 4061/6);
and other responsibility matters; and, (5) certify that the information
in the application is correct and that the applicant will comply
with all applicable provisions of the Victims of Crime Act and
other Federal laws, (including subtitle A, Title II of the Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA) 1990) regulations, and circulars.
Costs will be determined in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-87
or OMB Circular No. A-133.
Pre-application
Coordination: The standard application form
furnished by the Federal agency in accordance with 28 CFR, Part
66 (Common Rule) must be used for all grants made by the Office
for Victims of Crime. This program is excluded from coverage under
E.O. 12372.
Application
Procedure: In accordance with the Common Rule,
Standard Form 424 must be submitted by nonfederal agencies in
applying for funding under this program. These are available from
the grantor agency. At the time of submission, an original and
two copies are required.
Award
Procedure: Generally awards will be made on
a competitive basis with applications reviewed by a panel of subject
matter experts who will assess application submissions based on
established criteria and forward a recommendation to the Director
of the Office for Victims of Crime. The Assistant Attorney General,
Office of Justice Programs has final approval authority.
Deadlines:
Deadlines will be announced by OVC in its Trafficking Victims
Protection Act Discretionary Grant Application Kit and in the
Federal Register. For a copy of the Application Kit, please call
the OVC Resource Center at 1-800-627-6872, or call the OVC Reply
line at (202) 616-1926; or visit the OVC homepage at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/.
Range
of Approval/Disapproval Time: Approximately
2 months.
Appeals:
Hearing by the Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs.
Renewals:
Award are for 12 to 36 months, unless otherwise noted. Funding
for this program has been appropriated by Congress for FY 2002
only.
ASSISTANCE
CONSIDERATIONS:
Formula
and Matching Requirements: Eligible applicants
must match the Trafficking Victims Protection Act grant program
funds with a 25 percent cash contribution or the value equivalent
of an in-kind contribution(s). In-kind match refers to the value
of something received or provided that does not have a cost associated
with it.
Length
and Time Phasing of Assistance: Fiscal Year
2002 Trafficking funds may be carried for obligation by the grantee
for the duration of their grant award. Funds are released via
electronic funds transfer. Grantees must become enrolled in the
Automated Clearinghouse (ACH) Vendor Express Program to request
any Federal funds.
POST
ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Reports:
Quarterly financial reports and semi-annual progress reports will
be required as stipulated in the effective edition of the OJP Financial
Guide. A final financial and program report also will be required.
Audits:
All organizations that expend financial assistance of $300,000
or more in any fiscal year must have a single audit for that year
in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-133, as amended, unless
the audit condition on the award says otherwise. These audits
are due to the cognizant Federal agency not later than 9 months
after the end of the grantee's fiscal year.
Records:
Financial records, supporting documents, statistical records,
and all other records pertinent to a grant shall be retained for
a period of 3 years.
FINANCIAL
INFORMATION:
Account
Identification: 15-0404-0-1-754.
Obligations:
(Grants) FY 01 $0; FY 02 est $10,000,000; and FY 03 est $0.
Range
and Average of Financial Assistance:
Nine million is available for grants to support direct services
to trafficking victims. The number of awards and award amounts
will be determined according to documentation provided by the
applicant on the amount of funding needed to support services
to trafficking victims. One award of $600,000 will support
training and technical assistance to victim service organizations
to enhance their services to trafficking victims. One award of
$300,000 will support evaluation of trafficking programs
funded by this grant funding program.
Discretionary Grant Application Kit and current edition of the OJP
Financial Guide, which are available by writing to the Office for
Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, Department of Justice,
810 Seventh Street, NW., Washington, DC 20531, or calling (202)
307-5983.
INFORMATION
CONTACTS:
Regional
or Local Office: None.
Headquarters
Office: Office for Victims of Crime, Office
of Justice Programs, Department of Justice, 810 Seventh Street,
NW., Washington, DC 20531. Telephone: (202) 307-5983.
Web
Site Address: http://www.usdoj.gov/ovc
EXAMPLES
OF FUNDED PROJECTS:
(a) Comprehensive Services projects should provide a holistic approach
to assisting trafficking victims by either directly providing services
or coordinating access to services that provide shelter and sustenance,
general health and mental health care, legal services, jobs skills
training, cultural support from the community, and educational services.
Applicants must establish an advisory committee to guide the project;
conduct an assessment of existing community services, resources,
and needs; identify key partners including governmental and non-governmental
entities; and develop a plan to sustain the project after Federal
funding ends. (b) Supplemental and Specialized Services projects
must demonstrate capacity to provide discrete services such as legal,
housing, or mental health services to trafficking victims with very
little notice and lead time within a given geographical area; for
fluctuating numbers of victims; for victims with extremely limited
resources; for victims from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds;
and for victims who have experienced distinct or multiple forms
of victimization, including psychical and sexual assault, forced
labor, denial of medical care, etc. Programs must collaborate as
appropriate with recipients of funding for Comprehensive services,
and ensure trafficking victims have access to: emergency and long-term
medical and mental health care, legal services including immigration
advocacy, interpreter and translation services, social service and
criminal justice system-based advocacy, outreach services directed
toward immigrant populations, special services for victims who are
juveniles, and job skills training.
CRITERIA
FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS:
General criteria for selecting proposals have been developed by
the Office for Victims of Crime and are included in the Victims
of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act Discretionary Grant Application
Kit and published in the Federal Register.
