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 immediate and long-term services. These programs include:

1. emergency residential placements for children and transition-age youth (including programs that build placement capacity within existing residential programs);
2. long-term residential placements for children and transition-age youth (including programs that build capacity within existing residential programs);
3. drop-in centers including street outreach for children and transition-age youth;
4. specialized trauma-responsive behavioral health community services; and
5. innovative services that advance recovery of, and support healing for, survivors.

Projects seeking to provide the above programs for children and transition-age youth who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation or sex trafficking should apply under this Request for Application.

Projects seeking to provide Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth (CSEY) Advocacy services must apply under the Specialized Advocacy for Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth Request for Application.

Projects seeking to provide services to adults who have been victimized by human trafficking should apply under the General Victims Services Request for Application.

Federal funding is authorized for these projects under the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (VOCA) as amended and codified in 34 U.S.C. §20103. 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.

Additional eligibility requirements for grant applicants for all service types include: A) a track record of successful operations of the same or similar services for which funding is being pursued and, B) a positive history with, or the absence of a negative history with, OOG grants performance and management. See below for additional organizational requirements applicable to each service.

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

Projects selected for funding must begin on or after 10/1/2023 and expire on or before 9/30/2024. Projects may not exceed a 12-month project period.

Minimum: $10,000

Maximum: None

Match Requirement: None

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

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.

Established Program Types: 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.

Note: Only one Program Type may be selected for each application. Organizations seeking to address multiple Program Types should submit multiple applications.

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 of 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. Long-term Residential Placements

Development, expansion, or enhancement of a program that provides long-term treatment foster care or residential treatment for both system-involved and non-system involved children and transition-age youth who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation. Programs must provide access to intensive case management and wraparound facilitation, 24-hour clinical and behavioral crisis services, safety planning, individualized and immediate trauma-responsive case management (including connecting survivors to needed medical and behavioral healthcare, legal, educational, and vocational resources), community and relationship building opportunities in an empowering, non-judgmental environment, and re-engagement after missing events or other disruptions in placement or services. Residential programs for transition-age youth must support empowerment through services that engage survivors in vocational and educational opportunities in the community. Strategies employed in clinical, behavioral milieu, and all other service planning must follow recognized promising practices or evidence-based programs.

4. Specialized Trauma-Responsive Behavioral Health Services

Development or expansion of mental and behavioral health services. Services to this targeted population may be provided within programs serving victims of other crimes and/or other causes of complex trauma. Therapeutic modalities must utilize recognized promising practices or evidence-based interventions. Preference will be given to programs utilizing the Wraparound approach and those that provide crisis behavioral intervention services, support for survivors living at home or in DFPS-approved placement, and services for youth without access to public funding for healthcare.

5. Innovative Services for Commercially Sexually Exploited Persons (CSEP)

Consideration will be given to a limited number of innovative services for survivors that do not fit into one of the five program types above. Applicants are strongly encouraged to identify and collaborate with one of the five activity types in this Funding Announcement. Applicants must designate the organization(s) and program(s) that will benefit directly from this innovative service, the target population that will benefit, the survivor outcomes that will be different because of this innovation, and any research that supports the effectiveness of the service for survivors of commercial sexual exploitation.

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

1. 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.

2. Community Support

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 the Department of Family and Protective Services, https://www.dfps.state.tx.us/D.... Letters of support must be uploaded to the Upload.Files Tab of eGrants and signed by the appropriate leadership from each supporting agency.

3. Victim Services Assessment Survey

All recipients of funding under this announcement may be required to participate in a victim services assessment during their grant period, as directed by PSO.

4. 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 receive various services. Applicants must explain in their eGrants application how the vehicles will be utilized and how that strengthens their delivery of victim services.

Measures

The performance measures listed on the Measures tab of eGrants are tied to an activity as selected by the applicant on the Activities tab. Please carefully review the instructions below before entering data in the Measures tab of eGrants.

Measures should reflect an applicant's best estimate of the level of activity they expect to perform during the grant period. For measures that do not require data estimates, applicants will be directed to enter a value of “1.” Note: During the project period, grantees will be required to track and report for all Performance Measures.

Guidance on submitting OOG-Defined Performance Measures for each activity:

1. Emergency Residential Placements

Output Measures: Applicants are required to report estimated target values for:

• Total number of children (ages 0-17) served
• Total number of transition-age youth (ages 18-24) served
• Total number of additional individuals (ages 25 and above) served
• Number of beds made available under this funding for individuals who have experienced or are at risk of exploitation
• Average length of stay in days
• Average length of time, in hours, from referral to placement offer

Applicants should enter the number “1” for all other Output Measures.

Outcome Measures: Applicants are required to report estimated target values for:

• Number of planned discharges
• Number of unplanned or crisis discharges

Applicants should enter the number “1” for all other Outcome Measures.

2. Long-term Residential Placements

Output Measures: Applicants are required to report estimated target values for:

• Total number of children (ages 0-17) served
• Total number of transition-age youth (ages 18-24) served
• Total number of additional individuals (ages 25 and above) served
• Number of beds made available under this funding for individuals who have experienced or are at risk of exploitation
• Average length of stay in days
• Average length of time, in hours, from referral to placement offer

Applicants should enter the number “1” for all other Output Measures.

Outcome Measures: Applicants are required to report estimated target values for:

• Number of planned discharges
• Number of unplanned or crisis discharges
• Approximately 90 days post-discharge, number of survivors enrolled in school or employed
• Approximately 90 days post-discharge, number of survivors following through with one or more discharge plan elements
• Approximately 90 days post-discharge, number of survivors living in a safe and/or stable environment
• Approximately 90 days post-discharge, number of survivors maintaining contact with positive support system

Applicants should enter the number “1” for all other Outcome Measures.

3. Community-Based Drop-in Centers

Output Measures: Applicants are required to report estimated target values for:

• Total number of children (ages 0-17) served
• Total number of transition-age youth (ages 18-24) served
• Total number of additional individuals (ages 25 and above) served

Outcome Measures: Applicants are required to report estimated target values for:

• Connecting: Number of non-CSEY (No or Possible Concern) children and transition-age youth participating in ONSITE counseling/therapy, case management, or group activities on two or more separate dates during the quarter (unduplicated)
• Connecting: Number of non-CSEY (No or Possible Concern) children and transition-age youth participating in REMOTE counseling/therapy, case management, or group activities on two or more separate dates during the quarter (unduplicated)
• Connecting: Number of non-CSEY (No or Possible Concern) children and transition-age youth participating in BOTH ONSITE and REMOTE counseling/therapy, case management, or group activities on two or more separate dates during the quarter (unduplicated)
• Connecting: Number of CSEY (Clear Concern) children and transition-age youth participating in ONSITE counseling/therapy, case management, or group activities on two or more separate dates during the quarter (unduplicated)
• Connecting: Number of CSEY (Clear Concern) children and transition-age youth participating in REMOTE counseling/therapy, case management, or group activities on two or more separate dates during the quarter (unduplicated)
• Connecting: Number of CSEY (Clear Concern) children and transition-age youth participating in BOTH ONSITE and REMOTE counseling/therapy, case management, or group activities on two or more separate dates during the quarter (unduplicated)

4. Specialized Trauma-Responsive Behavioral Health Community Services

Output Measures: Applicants are required to report estimated target values for:

• Total number of children (ages 0-17) served
• Total number of transition-age youth (ages 18-24) served
• Total number of additional individuals (ages 25 and above) served

Applicants may add any additional custom measures that would help us better understand the project’s activities and performance, but these are not required.

5. Innovative Services for Commercially Sexually Exploited Persons (CSEP)

Output Measures: Applicants are required to report estimated values for:

• Total number of children (ages 0-17) served
• Total number of transition-age youth (ages 18-24) served
• Total number of additional individuals (ages 25 and above) served

Applicants should enter a “0” for any measure listed that is not applicable to their project. Applicants may add additional custom measures to better demonstrate the project’s activities and performance, but these are not required.

Progress Reports

Grantees may be required to report fund-specific progress report data and must follow the progress reporting instructions provided by the Public Safety Office.

Grantees will be required to provide quarterly summaries that articulate program achievements and include de-identified client progress or success stories. Grantees are also expected to report staff turnover and address problems experienced during the quarter. Quarterly summaries will be submitted in the Progress.Reports.General tab of eGrants.

1. Entities receiving grant funds must demonstrate a record of effective services to victims of crime and financial 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.

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. The 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 percent 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, 2024 or the end of the grant period, whichever is later.

6. In accordance with Texas Government Code, Section 420.034, any facility or entity that collects evidence for sexual assault or other sex offenses or investigates or prosecutes a sexual assault or other sex offense for which evidence has been collected, must participate in the statewide electronic tracking system developed and implemented by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Visit DPS’s Sexual Assault Evidence Tracking Program website for more information or to set up an account to begin participating.

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/).

8. Eligible applicants will be required to provide regular reports reflecting the financial status of the grant, performance measures for services delivered, survivors assisted, service outcomes after discharge, and other selected metrics, and engagement with activities of care coordination where applicable. Applicants may be required to separate reports by program type, even if multiple awards are consolidated into one grant.

9. Eligible applicants will be required to adhere to relevant Guiding Principles for the Child Sex Trafficking Team and its partners, where applicable. 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.

10. Eligible applicants will be required to implement the CSE-IT (Commercial Sexual Exploitation Identification Tool) screening tool, where applicable. The CSE-IT, Trafficking Victims Identification Tool (TVIT), and/or other OOG-approved screening tools for adult presumed trafficking victimization will be required to determine eligibility for services funded by this award.

11. Eligible applicants will be required to collect and submit de-identified survey responses from survivors that have been developed by OOG.

12. Eligible applicants for emergency and/or long-term residential services for CSEY must 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, and
• DFPS contract for residential services with the State of Texas, serving foster youth at the Intense Plus, Intense or Specialized Level of Care, or a contract in good standing for residential services with county juvenile probation departments in closest proximity to the residential operations proposed for this service, or
• Substantial positive operational experience providing specialized residential care for trafficked youth AND successful outcomes outside of the State of Texas. Documentation of both must be uploaded into eGrants, or
• A written contract to develop and operate this program under the direct oversight of an agency that satisfies Texas licensure and contractual eligibility requirements in 11 (a) and (b). Documentation executed by both organizations illustrating this oversight relationship, including that it will be in force for the entire term of this grant funding cycle, must be uploaded into eGrants.

In addition to satisfying the bullets above, applicants seeking to operate a Stabilization and Assessment Center (SAC) must upload into eGrants the following:

• Organizational chart illustrating administrative, clinical and programmatic leadership, and
• Diversified sources of funding that reflect program sustainability.

13. Eligible applicants for emergency and/or long-term residential services for transition-age youth survivors of trafficking 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),
• 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 into eGrants),
• Employ part or full-time licensed mental health clinicians for routine clinical and emergency behavioral services (upload licenses into eGrants),
• Identify the specific recognized promising practice or evidence-based models for programmatic, skills-building, and clinical services that empower and build agency with survivors,
• Indicate a track record of successfully transitioning survivors into the community by their achieving educational, housing, and/or economic goals. Provide a de-identified/aggregate discharge outcomes report for one or more immediately prior years (upload report into eGrants).

14. Eligible applicants for non-residential drop-in and street outreach services for children and transition-age youth must have:

• Experience providing identical or similar services, including, but not limited to emergency shelter for runaway and homeless youth (RHY), 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 (e.g. LGBT youth), or
• Experience operating a federally funded street outreach or trafficking outreach program.

15. Eligible applicants for funding of specialized trauma-responsive behavioral health community services must have:

• Applicable professional licensure for providers of clinical services,
• Certification in and experience providing counseling and/or other therapeutic services with individuals experiencing symptoms of Complex-Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) and similar conditions, and
• Ability to provide services that are responsive to survivors’ needs such as crisis support, flexible hours, or off-site service delivery.

16. Eligible applicants for funding of innovative services must have:

• Experience providing identical or similar services for children and transition-age youth who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation, trafficking, or sexual assault in the same or nearby county in which innovative services are proposed, or
• Endorsement in writing by local trafficking coalition, task force, or care coordination team that includes law enforcement, for the innovative service proposed, and
• Letters of endorsement and MOU or other agreement(s) with benefiting organization(s), describing the innovative services to be provided, the outputs and outcomes projected, and the organizational commitments established under this agreement. These documents should be uploaded into eGrants.

Failure to comply with program or eligibility requirements may cause funds to be withheld and/or the 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. Reimbursement of crime victims for expenses incurred as a result of a crime;
6. Salaries, benefits, fees, furniture, equipment, and other expenses of executive directors, board members, and other administrators (Note: Time spent by executive directors to perform or support direct services is allowable);
7. Counseling or treatment exclusively for substance use disorders (Note: 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);
8. Victim-offender meetings that serve to replace (or as a part of) criminal justice proceedings;
9. Medical training;
10. Medical care or expenses (except as specifically allowed);
11. Forensic medical evidence collection to include the salary or overtime cost of SANE Nurses;
12. Cash payments to victims, gift cards, or fuel vouchers;
13. Creation of a voucher program where victims are directly given vouchers for such services as housing or counseling;
14. 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;
15. Leasing of vehicles;
16. Transitional housing - Travel, rental assistance, security deposits, utilities, and other costs incidental to the relocation to such housing, as well as voluntary support services such as childcare and counseling;
17. Research and studies;
18. Activities that may compromise victim safety;
19. 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;
20. Nonessential maintenance on buildings, lawn care, and landscaping; and
21. Any other prohibition imposed by federal, state or local law or regulation.

1. For eligible local and regional projects:

• Applications with regional or local scope will be forwarded by PSO to the appropriate regional council of governments (COG).
• The COG will give each application under this RFA a score from 1-5 based on how well the proposed program meets the requirements above and on factors including the program’s ability to meet state and community priorities and the program’s cost-effectiveness.
• PSO will take into consideration the COG’s score and will make all final funding decisions based upon eligibility, program requirements, quality of the grant application, state and local priorities, availability of funding, and cost-effectiveness.

2. Projects with a statewide scope will be reviewed by PSO staff or a review group selected by the executive director. PSO will make all final funding decisions based on eligibility, program requirements, quality of the grant application, state priorities, availability of funding, and cost-effectiveness.

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