Funding Opportunities
The purpose of this funding opportunity is to support Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth (CSEY) Advocacy programs. CSEY Advocacy programs provide individualized 24/7 crisis response, ongoing trust-based relational support, and case management for children and transition-age youth who are survivors of commercial sexual exploitation. For this solicitation, children are considered individuals 0–17 years of age and transition-age youth are individuals 18–24 years of age.
This solicitation is specific to CSEY Advocacy programs.
Information about other related funding opportunities is provided below and on the Funding Opportunities tab of the eGrants homepage:
Funding is authorized for these projects under the following sources:
All awards are subject to the availability of appropriated funds and any modifications or additional requirements that may be imposed by law.
Applications may be submitted by non-profit corporations (including hospitals and faith-based organizations), counties applying to provide direct services to victims only, Native American tribes, 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.
Applicants must access the Public Safety Office (PSO)’s 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 10/1/2025 and expire on or before 9/30/22026. Projects may not exceed a 12-month project period.
Minimum: $25,000
Maximum: None
Match Requirement: 20% of the total project
The match requirement may be met through cash or in-kind contributions.
Note: All applicants are strongly cautioned to only apply for funding they can responsibly expend in the grant period. The PSO will track 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.
For the purpose of this solicitation, children are considered individuals 0–17 years of age and transition-age youth are individuals 18–24 years of age. Applicants may choose to apply for funding to serve children, transition-age youth, or both populations. Applicants seeking to serve both should select “CSEY Advocacy for Children” AND “CSEY Advocacy for Transition-Age Youth” under the Activities tab.
1. CSEY Advocacy for Children
Development, expansion, or enhancement of a program that employs, trains, and supervises advocates to provide individualized 24/7 crisis response, ongoing trust-based relational support, and long-term case management for minor victims of commercial sexual exploitation (through the age of 17). Programs must respond immediately to crisis recoveries by law enforcement or the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) and respond to non-urgent identifications from referral partners within a designated timeframe. Programs must continue to support survivors by offering a long-term, trust-based relationship throughout treatment and into long-term wellness. Services must include case management to help meet the survivor’s need for residential placement and medical or behavioral health services; accompaniment within hospital, law enforcement, and judicial/court systems; emotional support; and, as appropriate, services to support a survivor’s sustained placement in their home or other protective setting. Programs must meet minimum standards for abuse risk management and service quality and effectiveness that have been developed specifically for CSEY Advocate programs. Please see Program Specific Requirements below for information about these standards. Programs will work collaboratively to support victim-centered goals brought forth by the survivor, law enforcement, and other partners. This includes contributing to the investigative and service planning activities of local multidisciplinary and care coordination teams, where they exist.
2. CSEY Advocacy for Transition-Age Youth
Development, expansion, or enhancement of a program that employs, trains, and supervises advocates to provide individualized 24/7 crisis response, ongoing trust-based relational support, and case management for transition-age youth who are victims of commercial sexual exploitation (age 18 through the age of 24). Programs must respond immediately to crisis recoveries by law enforcement or the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) and respond to non-urgent identifications from referral partners within a designated timeframe. Programs must continue to support survivors by offering a long-term, trust-based relationship throughout treatment and into long-term wellness. Services must include case management to help meet the survivor’s need for residential placement and medical or behavioral health needs; accompaniment within hospital, law enforcement, and judicial/court systems; emotional support; and, as appropriate, services to support a survivor in maintaining safe or stable housing. Programs must meet minimum standards for abuse risk management and service quality and effectiveness that have been developed specifically for CSEY Advocate programs. Please see Program Specific Requirements below for information about these standards. Programs will work collaboratively in support of the victim-centered goals of the survivor, law enforcement and other partners, including contributing to multidisciplinary service planning as appropriate.
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:
a. We treat individuals who have experienced exploitation as victims and survivors, not perpetrators.
b. We are collaborative.
c. We are survivor informed.
d. 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.
e. 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.
f. Our approaches, systems and services are trauma-informed, responsive, and include trust-based relationships.
g. We develop and support community-based, sustainable resources and services.
h. We are committed to long-term individualized services, including planning for, and re-engaging with, children and transition-age youth after relapse.
i. We research the causes of and effective responses to exploitation and we evaluate and continuously improve our activities.
j. We work to prevent and reduce demand for exploitation and to hold all exploiters, including facilitators, and those who benefit from exploitation accountable.
2. Experience Providing Crisis Services
Eligible applicants must have experience providing identical or similar crisis support services for children and transition-age youth who have experienced trafficking, sexual assault, or exploitation. Applicants must also have experience providing 24/7 crisis victim services in the community or at organizations other than their own (e.g., law enforcement, hospitals, emergency shelters) upon direct notification by law enforcement or emergency personnel. This information should be reflected in the project’s response to “Capacity & Capabilities” under the Narrative tab of eGrants.
3. Commercial Sexual Exploitation Identification Tool
The Commercial Sexual Exploitation Identification Tool (CSE-IT) is required to determine eligibility for services funded by this award. A CSE-IT screening must be conducted in Lighthouse for each client entering CSEY Advocacy services. Scores of Clear Concern must be reported to DFPS Statewide Intake. Projects funded under this award are required to serve clients who receive a score of Clear Concern, meaning a number of 9-23 on the CSE-IT.
4. National Human Trafficking Hotline Referral Directory
Eligible applicants must register their organization’s services with the National Human Trafficking Hotline Referral Directory.
5. Texas CSEY Advocacy Minimum Standards
Recipients of funding under this announcement must adhere to the Texas Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth (CSEY) Advocacy Minimum Standards. Applicants will be required to respond to this survey as part of the application process using a hyperlink available on the eGrants Narrative tab.
Sexual Assault Programs
Sexual assault programs applying to provide CSEY Advocacy services within their existing organization should outline the project’s plan to meet the required elements and standards for CSEY Advocacy and should detail the project’s strategy to differentiate CSEY Advocacy services from sexual assault advocacy services.
6. Balanced Caseloads and Transition Planning
Programs must demonstrate plans to keep caseloads balanced to provide meaningful interaction and services to survivors. Applicants must also detail transition planning strategies or policies used by the program to support survivors as they prepare to exit services, including transitions to other CSEY Advocacy programs (refer to the Texas Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth (CSEY) Advocacy Minimum Standards).
7. 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.
8. Community Endorsement
Applicant organizations must have endorsement by the care coordination team (CCT) or CCT Advisory Council if either is active, for the role of CSEY Advocacy. In the absence of a CCT, endorsement may be provided by the local trafficking coalition or law enforcement task force. The coalition or task force must include representation from law enforcement organizations leading trafficking investigations in each county for which services are proposed. 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 endorsement must be uploaded to the Upload.Files tab of eGrants and signed by appropriate agency leadership.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
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.
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. 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.
b. 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. 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. 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. Additionally, per Section 420.042 "A law enforcement agency that receives evidence of a sexual assault or other sex offense...shall submit that evidence to a public accredited crime laboratory for analysis no later than the 30th day after the date on which that evidence was received." A law enforcement agency in possession of a significant number of Sexual Assault Evidence Kits (SAEK) where the 30-day window has passed may be considered noncompliant.
6. 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, 2026 or the end of the grant period, whichever is later.
7. 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.
8. 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 the suspension or termination of grant funds.
Grant funds may not be used to support the unallowable costs listed in the Guide to Grants, available under the “Guides” tab of the eGrants homepage, 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;
19. Any use of grant funds to replace (supplant) funds that have been budgeted for the same purpose through non-grant sources; and
20. Any other prohibition imposed by federal, state or local law or regulation.
PSO will screen all applications to ensure that they meet the requirements included in the funding announcement.
Applications will then be reviewed by PSO staff members or a review group selected by the executive director. PSO will make all final funding decisions based on eligibility, reasonableness, availability of funding, and cost-effectiveness.
The Office of the Governor may not fund all applications or may only award part of the amount requested. In the event that funding requests exceed available funds, the Office of the Governor may revise projects to address a more limited focus.
For more information, contact the eGrants help desk at eGrants@gov.texas.gov or (512) 463-1919.
Back to Top