FY 2026 Missing and Exploited Children Training and Technical Assistance
🏛 Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention (USDOJ-OJP-OJJDP)
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Oct 7, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for state, Tribal, and local agencies seeking to strengthen their response to missing and exploited children cases. Eligible applicants include law enforcement agencies, prosecutors' offices, child protection agencies, and other child-serving organizations that work with multidisciplinary teams. The program supports capacity-building in investigation and prosecution of crimes against missing and exploited children. Activities include training, technical assistance, and coordination among prosecutors, law enforcement, child protection personnel, and medical providers.
Applicants must demonstrate commitment to multidisciplinary collaboration. Organizations must be able to coordinate with multiple partner agencies. Priority is given to agencies serving underserved or high-need communities.
Not the right fit? Find grants for your organization in 5 questions →
Program description
This is a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for the OJJDP FY 2026 Missing and Exploited Children Training and Technical Assistance program. This opportunity will build the capacity of state, Tribal, and local agencies to effectively investigate and prosecute cases of missing and exploited children. The program provides assistance to multidisciplinary teams of prosecutors, state and local law enforcement, child protection personnel, medical providers, and other child-serving professionals to strengthen multidisciplinary responses to cases of missing and exploited children and improve the investigation and prosecution of perpetrators.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
- 501(c)(3) Public Charity
- Nonprofits
- Private University
- Public University
- Small Business (SBA-defined)
Demographic focus
How to apply
Application links
Key dates & requirements
Required documents
- SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance)
- SF-424 Supplement
- Project Narrative (proposal)
- Budget and Budget Narrative
- Letters of Support from partner agencies
- Organizational capacity documentation
- Logic model or performance management plan
Program contact
- 👤 Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention
- 📧 OJP.ResponseCenter@usdoj.gov
- 📞 0000000000
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 16.543 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
-
$42,976,147
-
$41,383,391
-
$40,994,666
-
$38,700,000
-
$36,922,517
-
$35,428,442
-
$13,200,000
-
$11,900,000
-
$7,550,000
-
$6,100,000
Top States by Funding
- VA 14 awards $261.4M
- WI 10 awards $55.0M
- CA 9 awards $12.2M
- TX 5 awards $8.4M
- FL 5 awards $6.8M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 16.543). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2024 | $60,244,666 | |
| 2025 | $41,565,824 | |
| 2026 est. | $83,752,293 |
FAQ
Who is eligible to apply for this grant?
State, Tribal, and local law enforcement, prosecutors' offices, child protection agencies, and multidisciplinary task forces working on missing and exploited children cases.
What types of activities does this funding support?
Training, technical assistance, capacity-building, and multidisciplinary coordination for investigating and prosecuting missing and exploited children cases.
Is cost sharing required?
No. This is a 100% federally-funded opportunity with no matching funds requirement.
When is the deadline?
The deadline is October 29, 2026. This is a fixed deadline, not rolling.
What is the funding level?
The total program funding is $1,200,000. Individual award amounts will vary based on the scope of work and number of selected applicants.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Emphasize your organization's multidisciplinary partnerships and track record coordinating across agencies. Stronger networks make stronger applications.
- Show concrete outcomes from any prior training or technical assistance work. Numbers and measurable results strengthen competitiveness.
- Address specific gaps in your region's capacity to investigate and prosecute missing and exploited children cases clearly and directly.
- Include letters of support from partner agencies (law enforcement, prosecutors, child protection, medical providers) to demonstrate commitment to collaboration.
- Explain how your organization will sustain activities beyond the grant period through partnerships and institutionalization of improved practices.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Applicants fail to demonstrate genuine multidisciplinary partnerships or only list agencies without showing actual collaboration history. Applications lacking specific, measurable goals for improving investigation and prosecution capacity get rejected. Weak sustainability plans that rely solely on grant funding fail to convince reviewers the work will continue.
Similar grants
- OPEN OJJDP FY 2026 Victims of Child Abuse Act Training and Technical Assistance for Child Abuse Professionals — Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention
- OPEN OJJDP FY 2026 Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program Support — Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention
- CLOSED OJJDP FY 2026 Invited to Apply – Expanding Tribal Children’s Advocacy Centers — Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention
- OPEN OJJDP FY 2026 Strengthening Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Technological Investigative Capacity — Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention
- OPEN OJJDP FY 2026 Community and Schools Youth Drug Prevention Program — Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention