Research on Law Enforcement Responses to Sex Trafficking of Minors, Fiscal Year 2020 | NIJ 2020 18257

Opportunity Information: Apply for NIJ 2020 18257

The Department of Justice's National Institute of Justice (NIJ) funding opportunity titled "Research on Law Enforcement Responses to Sex Trafficking of Minors, Fiscal Year 2020" (Funding Opportunity Number NIJ 2020 18257; CFDA 16.560) is a discretionary grant program meant to support research that examines how law enforcement agencies in the United States have changed their approaches to preventing and responding to the sex trafficking of minors since the passage of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000. The central idea behind the solicitation is to build a clearer, evidence-based picture of what has shifted in practice over the last two decades, what remains uneven or underdeveloped, and what real-world barriers are shaping the way agencies handle these cases.

NIJ makes two research areas mandatory, and proposals that do not directly address both will not be considered for funding. First, applicants must study how widely law enforcement agencies have adopted practices grounded in the view that a trafficked minor should be treated as a victim rather than as a delinquent or offender. This requirement reflects a major policy and cultural shift that has been encouraged since TVPA: moving away from arresting, charging, or otherwise processing minors primarily through a delinquency lens and toward approaches that prioritize victim identification, protection, referral to services, and trauma-informed engagement. Second, applicants must examine the challenges agencies have faced when trying to adopt or implement these victim-centered practices. In other words, NIJ is not only looking for descriptions of ideal policy but also for an honest assessment of the practical obstacles that can prevent reforms from being adopted consistently, sustained over time, or applied across different units, jurisdictions, and case types.

Beyond those two required topics, NIJ signals additional areas that can be included to strengthen a proposal. One specifically mentioned area is the nature and effectiveness of victim-oriented practices that agencies have adopted. That could include research on how particular policies, training models, investigative protocols, multidisciplinary partnerships, diversion strategies, or referral pathways function in practice, and whether they lead to better outcomes such as improved victim identification, reduced criminalization of minors, increased access to services, stronger case building against traffickers and exploiters, or better coordination with child welfare, prosecutors, and community-based service providers. While NIJ does not limit applicants only to that example, the solicitation makes it clear that any additional topics are optional and must be built around, not in place of, the two required focus areas.

The opportunity is structured as a grant with an award ceiling of up to $1,000,000, and NIJ anticipated making one award. The solicitation was created on March 24, 2020, with an original closing date of May 25, 2020. Eligible applicants are broad and include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments; nonprofit organizations (including both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) entities, other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and other entities as described in the solicitation's additional eligibility information. The funding activity categories tied to the program include law, justice, and legal services, as well as science and technology and other research and development, reflecting NIJ's role as the research, development, and evaluation arm of the Department of Justice.

Overall, the grant is best understood as a targeted research investment focused on documenting and explaining the real evolution of law enforcement responses to minor sex trafficking after TVPA, with special emphasis on whether agencies have truly operationalized a victim-centered framework and what stands in the way when they try. The aim is not simply to restate statutory intent, but to measure adoption, map variation across agencies, and identify implementation challenges so that future policy, training, and practice can be guided by stronger evidence rather than assumptions.

• The Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice in the law, justice and legal services, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Research on Law Enforcement Responses to Sex Trafficking of Minors, Fiscal Year 2020" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.560.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 24, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 25, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for NIJ 2020 18257

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