The purpose of this funding opportunity is to support programs for children and transition-age youth through age 24 who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation and support their healing through community-based direct services. These programs include:

1. Drop-in centers including street outreach for children and transition-age youth.
2. Emergency residential placements for children and transition-age youth, including programs that build placement capacity within existing residential programs.
3. Innovative direct service projects that advance recovery of, and support healing for, survivors.

This solicitation is specific to community-based programs to address the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Youth (CSEY).

Information about other related funding opportunities is provided below and on the Funding Opportunities tab of the eGrants homepage:

• Specialized Advocacy for Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth, FY2025. Projects to support advocacy services for children and transition-aged youth within the CSEY Advocacy model.
• General Victim Assistance Grant Program, FY2025. Projects to support services and assistance to victims of crime. Services to adult survivors of human trafficking, inclusive of sex and labor trafficking, are eligible activities under this grant program, as are long-term residential programs (shelters) to serve child and transition-age youth.
• Statewide Solutions to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation, FY2025. Projects to support statewide training and technical assistance to service providers and tools to improve the response to children and transition-aged youth (non-direct service programs).
• County Solutions to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation, FY2025. County projects to prevent, investigate, or prosecute the commercial sexual exploitation of persons in Texas.
• Specialty Courts Grant Program, FY2025. County projects to support specialty court programs. Commercially Sexually Exploited Persons (CSEP) Specialty Courts, are eligible for funding under this grant program.

PLEASE NOTE, A 20% MATCH REQUIREMENT TAKES EFFECT THIS FUNDING CYCLE.

Funding is authorized for these projects under the following sources:

1. Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (VOCA) as amended and codified in 34 U.S.C. §20103. VOCA funds are made available through a Congressional appropriation to the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime.
2. Section 9901 of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), Pub. L. No. 117-2, which amends Title VI of the Social Security Act by adding sections 602 to establish the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund.
3. State funds are authorized under SB30 Section 2.26 passed during the 88th Regular Session for Trusteed Programs within the Office of the Governor.

All awards are subject to the availability of appropriated federal funds and any modifications or additional requirements that may be imposed by law.

Applications may be submitted by state agencies, public and private non-profit institutions of higher education, independent school districts, Native American tribes, non-profit corporations (including hospitals and faith-based organizations) and units of local government, which are defined as a non-statewide governmental body with the authority to establish a budget and impose taxes (includes hospital districts). Other local governmental agencies should apply through an associated unit of local government.

Note: Only projects funded in Fiscal Year 2024 are eligible for consideration under this Funding Announcement.

Applicants must access the Public Safety Office (PSO) eGrants grant management website at https://eGrants.gov.texas.gov to register and apply for funding.

Applicants are required to submit fully developed and detailed grant budgets at the time of application. The PSO will not accept placeholder applications and/or budget line items in lieu of a well written and detailed grant application.

Please note, applications submitted under this funding announcement will not be reviewed by a local Council of Governments (COG).

Projects selected for funding must begin on or after 10/1/2024 and expire on or before 9/30/2025. Projects may not exceed a 12-month project period.

Minimum: $10,000

Maximum: Not to exceed amount requested in prior year. 

Match Requirement: 20% of the total project.

The match requirement may be met through cash or in-kind contributions.

Note: Applicants are strongly cautioned to only apply for funding they can responsibly expend in the grant period. PSO will be tracking expenditure rates throughout the life of the grant and may take action to avoid large de-obligations at the end of the grant period.

Grantees must comply with standards applicable to this fund source cited in the Texas Grant Management Standards (TxGMS), Federal Uniform Grant Guidance, and all statutes, requirements, and guidelines applicable to this funding.

Applications should address one of the following program types. All programs must target the needs of commercially sexually exploited children or transition-age youth. Specialized services may be delivered within existing programs serving a broader population. 

1. Community-Based Drop-in Centers

Development, expansion, or enhancement of a drop-in center which may include street outreach programs for children or transition-age youth who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation or are victims of crime that place them at high risk for commercial sexual exploitation. The project must provide tangible and felt-safety, safety planning, individualized and immediate trauma-responsive assessment and case management including connecting the survivor to needed medical and behavioral health care, legal and other resources, counseling, support groups, relationship building opportunities in a non-judgmental environment, and assistance with securing emergency and long-term residential services. Center access must reflect days and times when survivors would be most vulnerable to trafficking recruitment or exploitation, and when law enforcement would refer recovered youth to the center for services. Applicant must accept survivor walk-in self-referrals and be accessible, either on-site or through an on-call response, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

  2. Emergency Residential Placements

Development, expansion, or enhancement of a program that provides emergency placement for community children, children in the care of DFPS, and/or Juvenile Justice, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The program must provide physical safety, safety planning, individualized and immediate trauma-responsive behavioral healthcare, legal, educational, vocational, and housing resources, community and relationship-building opportunities in an empowering, non-judgmental environment, and re-engagement after runaway episodes or other disruptions in placement or services. Programs must identify strategies to promote survivor’s tangible safety and felt safety. Clinical, behavioral milieu, and service planning approaches must follow recognized promising practices or evidence-based programs. Stabilization and Assessment Centers providing brief placements for highly dysregulated survivors are included in this category.

3. Innovative Direct Services for Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth

Consideration will be given to a limited number of innovative direct service projects to support child and youth survivors of commercial sexual exploitation. Applicants must clearly articulate the population that will benefit directly from this innovative service, survivor outcomes that will be different because of this innovation, and any research that supports the effectiveness of the proposed project.

All projects under this funding announcement must meet the following requirements:

1. Child Sex Trafficking Team Guiding Principles

Eligible applicants are required to adhere to the Guiding Principles of the Child Sex Trafficking Team (CSTT), where applicable. The CSTT’s Guiding Principles are:

• We treat individuals who have experienced exploitation as victims and survivors, not perpetrators.
• We are collaborative.
• We are survivor informed.
• Our systems and programs prioritize the needs of children and transition-age youth who have experienced exploitation and strive to give equal access to services regardless of system involvement.
• We seek to prevent exploitation by educating the public, supporting protective factors for all children and transition-age youth, and by building resiliency among the most vulnerable.
• Our approaches, systems and services are trauma-informed, responsive, and include trust-based relationships.
• We develop and support community-based, sustainable resources and services.
• We are committed to long-term individualized services, including planning for, and re-engaging with, children and transition-age youth after relapse.
• We research the causes of and effective responses to exploitation and we evaluate and continuously improve our activities.
• We work to prevent and reduce demand for exploitation and to hold all exploiters, including facilitators, and those who benefit from exploitation accountable.

2. Commercial Sexual Exploitation Identification Tool

Use of the Commercial Sexual Exploitation Identification Tool (CSE-IT) is required for programs funded by this award. A CSE-IT screening must be conducted for each client entering services. Any deviation from this requirement must first be approved by the CSTT.

3. Experience Providing Crisis Services

Eligible applicants must have experience providing identical or similar crisis support services for children and transition-age youth who have been victims of trafficking, sexual assault, or exploitation.

4. Evidenced-Based Practices

Applications should identify specific recognized promising practices or evidence-based models for programmatic, skills-building, and clinical services the project plans to utilize to empower and build agency with survivors. This information should be reflected in the project’s response to “Evidence-Based Practices” under the Narrative tab of eGrants. 

5. Cultural Competency

Applicants must be culturally competent when providing services to victims. Victim service providers must have the ability to blend cultural knowledge and sensitivity with victim restoration skills for a more effective and culturally appropriate recovery process. Cultural competency occurs when: (1) cultural knowledge, awareness and sensitivity are integrated into action and policy; (2) the service is relevant to the needs of the community and provided by trained staff, board members, and management; and (3) an advocate or organization recognizes each client is different with unique needs, feelings, ideas and barriers.

6. Access for Persons with Limited English Proficiency

Applicants are required to provide meaningful access to services for persons with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) and must maintain policies and procedures that document compliance with this requirement. An LEP person is one whose first language is not English and who has a limited ability to read, write, speak, or understand English. Meaningful access may entail providing language assistance services, including oral interpretation and written translation, where necessary. In order to comply with this requirement, grantees are encouraged to consider the need for language accessibility services when developing program budgets. 

7. Access for Persons with Disabilities

Applicants are required to provide equal access to services for clients with disabilities and must maintain policies and procedures that document compliance with this requirement. An individual with a disability is defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment. In order to comply with this requirement, grantees are encouraged to consider the need for accessibility services for persons with disabilities when developing program budgets. 

8. Response to Substance Use Disorders

The CSTT recognizes that survivors of commercial sexual exploitation are often impacted by substance use disorders as a result of, or connected to, their victimization. Applicants are required to describe the project’s policy or approach to serving survivors who experience substance use disorders or are working to maintain sobriety.

9. Background Checks

Eligible applicants must conduct national sex offender registry and criminal background checks that meet or exceed the below criteria on all new hires.

• A multi-state criminal records search
• A social security number trace and alias search
• An individual county level search in every county the applicant has lived, over the last seven years
• A national fingerprint-based search
• In addition, proof that the check has been completed and has been reviewed and is kept on file.
• Texas Department of Family and Protective Services child abuse history check

Applicant organization must repeat criminal background checks on all continuously employed staff at least once every two years, or more frequently if required by state or program-specific regulations, and at time of rehire for returning or seasonal staff.

Note: Residential programs contracting with the Department for Family and Protective Services (DFPS) to serve youth in conservatorship already meet the above requirements.

10. Activity Requirements | Community-Based Drop-in Centers

Eligible applicants for drop-in and street outreach services must have:

• Experience providing identical or similar services, including, but not limited to emergency shelter for missing and homeless youth, or
• Experience providing professional assessment or crisis services (e.g., licensed mental health or medical care) on a walk-in basis to marginalized populations of youth, or
• Experience operating a federally funded street outreach or trafficking outreach program.

Applicants must demonstrate an ability to provide drop-in center services to survivors 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and are expected to detail their project’s plan to satisfy this requirement in the Narrative tab of eGrants. Applicants should also include their project’s strategy or approach to disseminating drop-in center access and service information to their target population.

11. Activity Requirements | Emergency Residential Placements

Eligible applicants for emergency residential services for CSEY must:

• Be in good standing with all state licensing, regulatory, and zoning bodies.
• Meet Texas Minimum Construction Standards of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) (new facilities).
• Have a current Residential Child Care License to operate a Child-Placing Agency or General Residential Operation providing emergency care, treatment services, and/or multiple services. Proof of licensure is required to be considered for funding. Upload licensure documentation to the Upload.Files tab of eGrants.
• Have a Department for Family and Protective Services (DFPS) contract for residential services with the State of Texas, if serving youth in DFPS conservatorship. A copy of this contract must be uploaded to the Upload.Files tab of eGrants.
• If the proposed project operates under the direct oversight of another entity, the overseeing organization must satisfy licensure and contractual eligibility requirements listed in 11 (c) and (d). Documentation must be executed from both organizations illustrating this oversight relationship, including that it will be in force for the entire term of this grant funding cycle, and be uploaded to the Upload.Files tab of eGrants.
• Follow board approved resident and staff grievance policies and procedures that indicate periodic engagement with Board of Directors or other third party for quality improvement review. Upload documentation of grievance policy to the Upload.Files tab of eGrants.
• Employ part or full-time licensed mental health clinicians for routine clinical and emergency behavioral services. Upload mental health clinician licenses to the Upload.Files tab of eGrants.

12. Activity Requirements

Applicant organizations must demonstrate robust community support for their project. This should include executed letters of intent or memorandums of agreement from partner organizations; a law enforcement task force, police department, or sheriff’s office; and the local Care Coordination Advisory Council, if present. If your application involves serving children in DFPS conservatorship, you will also need to submit a letter of support or letter of commitment from DFPS, https://www.dfps.state.tx.us/Doing_Business/partnering.asp. Letters of support must be uploaded to the Upload.Files tab of eGrants and signed by appropriate agency leadership.

13. Organizational Chart

Applicants must upload the project’s organizational chart illustrating administrative, clinical, and programmatic leadership. Upload documentation to the Upload.Files tab of eGrants.

14. Project Sustainability

Applicants must articulate their project’s plan for continued financial sustainability. 

15. Special Requirements for Vehicle Purchases

Only non-profits will be eligible to purchase vehicles under this funding announcement. The vehicles must be for the purpose of transporting victims to various services. Applicants must explain in their eGrants application how the vehicles will be utilized and how that strengthens their delivery of victim services.

16. Progress Reporting

Grantees will be required to report fund-specific progress report data and must follow reporting instructions provided by the PSO.

Quarterly summaries articulating program achievements and de-identified client progress or success stories must be reported quarterly in the Progress.Reports.General tab of eGrants. Grantees must also report staff turnover and address challenges experienced during the quarter.

Federally funded grantees will also be required to submit data in the Progress.Reports.Federal tab of eGrants each quarter.

1. Entities receiving grant funds must demonstrate a record of effective services to victims of crime and support from sources other than the Crime Victims Fund; or substantial support from sources other than the Crime Victims Fund.

• A program has demonstrated a record of effective direct services and support when, for example, it demonstrates the support and approval of its direct services by the community, its history of providing direct services in a cost-effective manner, and the breadth or depth of its financial support from sources other than the Crime Victims Fund.

• A program has substantial financial support from sources other than the Crime Victims Fund when at least twenty-five percent of the program’s funding in the year of, or the year preceding the award comes from such sources.

2. Local units of governments must comply with the Cybersecurity Training requirements described in Section 772.012 and Section 2054.5191 of the Texas Government Code. Local governments determined to not be in compliance with the cybersecurity requirements required by Section 2054.5191 of the Texas Government Code are ineligible for OOG grant funds until the second anniversary of the date the local government is determined ineligible. Government entities must annually certify their compliance with the training requirements using the Cybersecurity Training Certification for State and Local Governments. A copy of the Training Certification must be uploaded to your eGrants application. For more information or to access available training programs, visit the Texas Department of Information Resources Statewide Cybersecurity Awareness Training page.

3. Entities receiving funds from PSO must be located in a county that has an average of 90% or above on both adult and juvenile dispositions entered into the computerized criminal history database maintained by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) as directed in the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, Chapter 66. This disposition completeness percentage is defined as the percentage of arrest charges a county reports to DPS for which a disposition has been subsequently reported and entered into the computerized criminal history system.

Counties applying for grant awards from the Office of the Governor must commit that the county will report at least 90% of convictions within five business days to the Criminal Justice Information System at the Department of Public Safety.

4. Eligible applicants operating a law enforcement agency must be current on reporting complete UCR data and the Texas specific reporting mandated by 411.042 TGC, to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) for inclusion in the annual Crime in Texas (CIT) publication. To be considered eligible for funding, applicants must have submitted a full twelve months of accurate data to DPS for the most recent calendar year by the deadline(s) established by DPS. Due to the importance of timely reporting, applicants are required to submit complete and accurate UCR data, as well as the Texas-mandated reporting, on a no less than monthly basis and respond promptly to requests from DPS related to the data submitted.

5. Local units of government, including cities, counties and other general purpose political subdivisions, as appropriate, and institutions of higher education that operate a law enforcement agency, must comply with all aspects of the programs and procedures utilized by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) to: (1) notify DHS of all information requested by DHS related to illegal aliens in Agency’s custody; and (2) detain such illegal aliens in accordance with requests by DHS. Additionally, counties and municipalities may NOT have in effect, purport to have in effect, or make themselves subject to or bound by, any law, rule, policy, or practice (written or unwritten) that would: (1) require or authorize the public disclosure of federal law enforcement information in order to conceal, harbor, or shield from detection fugitives from justice or aliens illegally in the United States; or (2) impede federal officers from exercising authority under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a), § 1226(c), § 1231(a), § 1357(a), § 1366(1), or § 1366(3). Lastly, eligible applicants must comply with all provisions, policies, and penalties found in Chapter 752, Subchapter C of the Texas Government Code.

Each local unit of government, and institution of higher education that operates a law enforcement agency, must download, complete and then upload into eGrants the CEO/Law Enforcement Certifications and Assurances Form certifying compliance with federal and state immigration enforcement requirements. This Form is required for each application submitted to OOG and is active until August 31, 2025 or the end of the grant period, whichever is later.

6. Each non-profit 501(c)(3) organization must certify that it does not have, and will continue not to have any policy, procedure, or agreement (written or unwritten) that in any way encourages, induces, entices, or aids any violations of immigration laws. Additionally, the organization certifies that it does not have in effect, purport to have in effect, and is not subject to or bound by any rule, policy, or practice (written or unwritten) that would: (1) encourage the concealment, harboring, or shielding from detection of fugitives from justice or aliens who illegally came to, entered, or remained in the United States; or (2) impede federal officers from exercising authority under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a), § 1226(c), § 1231(a), § 1357(a), § 1366(1), or § 1366(3). Lastly, the organization certifies that it will not adopt, enforce, or endorse a policy which prohibits or materially limits the enforcement of immigration laws, and will not, as demonstrated by pattern or practice, prohibit or materially limit the enforcement of immigration laws.

Each non-profit organization must download, complete and then upload into eGrants the CEO/NGO Certifications and Assurances Form certifying compliance with federal and state immigration enforcement requirements.

7. Eligible applicants must be registered in the federal System for Award Management (SAM) database and have an UEI (Unique Entity ID) number assigned to its agency (to get registered in the SAM database and request an UEI number, go to https://sam.gov/).

Failure to comply with program or eligibility requirements may cause funds to be withheld and/or suspension or termination of grant funds.

Grant funds may not be used to support the unallowable costs listed in the Guide to Grants or any of the following unallowable costs:

1. Lobbying or advocacy activities with respect to legislation or to administrative changes to regulations or administrative policy (cf. 18 U.S.C. 1913), whether conducted directly or indirectly;

2. The active investigation and prosecution of criminal activity, except for the provision of victim assistance services (e.g., emotional support, advocacy, and legal services) to crime victims, under 28 CFR § 94.119, during such investigation and prosecution;

3. Any activities related to fundraising;

4. Capital improvements; property losses and expenses; real estate purchases; mortgage payments; remodeling; and construction;

5. Salaries, benefits, fees, furniture, equipment, and other expenses of executive directors, board members, and other administrators;

Time spent by executive directors to perform or support direct services is allowable.

6. Counseling or treatment exclusively for substance use disorders;

Treatment for substance use disorders is permitted if the disorder is a result of victimization and is a component of the general counseling that an individual receives under this grant.

7. Victim-offender meetings that serve to replace (or as a part of) criminal justice proceedings;

8. Medical training;

9. Medical care or expenses;

10. Forensic medical evidence collection to include the salary or overtime cost of SANE Nurses;

11. Cash payments to victims, gift cards, or fuel vouchers;

12. Creation of a voucher program where victims are directly given vouchers for such services as housing or counseling;

13. Transportation, lodging, per diem or any related costs for third-party participants to attend a training, when grant funds are used to develop and conduct training;

14. Leasing of vehicles;

15. Research and studies;

16. Activities that may compromise victim safety;

17. Entertainment, including amusement, diversion, social activities, field trips, excursions and any associated costs (i.e. tickets to shows or sports events, meals, lodging, rentals, transportation, and gratuities) unless there is a clear programmatic purpose and the costs are approved in advance by PSO;

18. Nonessential maintenance on buildings, lawn care, landscaping, and housekeeping; and

19. Any other prohibition imposed by federal, state or local law or regulation.

Application Screening

The Office of the Governor will screen all applications to ensure that they meet the requirements included in the funding announcement.

Merit Review

All applications with be reviewed by the Office of the Governor to understand the overall demand for the program and for significant variations in costs per item. Projects may also be reviewed by a panel selected by the Executive Director of the PSO. The Office of the Governor will determine if all eligible applications can be funded based on funds available, if there are cost-effectiveness benefits to normalizing or setting limits on the range of costs, and if other fair-share cuts may allow for broader distribution and a higher number of projects while still remaining effective.

Final Decisions

The Office of the Governor will make all final funding decisions. Other factors impacting the decision may include eligibility, compliance with program-specific requirements, quality of the application, cost-effectiveness, availability of funding, state government priorities and strategies, legislative directives, or geographic distribution.

For more information, contact the eGrants help desk at eGrants@gov.texas.gov or (512) 463-1919.