OJJDP FY 19 Strengthening Investigative Tools and Technology for Combating Child Sexual Exploitation | OJJDP 2019 14989

Opportunity Information: Apply for OJJDP 2019 14989

The OJJDP FY 19 Strengthening Investigative Tools and Technology for Combating Child Sexual Exploitation grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number OJJDP 2019 14989) is a discretionary funding program from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, offered under CFDA 16.543. The core purpose of the solicitation is to strengthen the ability of law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies to investigate and build cases involving child sexual exploitation by expanding access to effective technology, improving investigative methods, and providing training tied directly to those tools. In practical terms, the program is geared toward making investigations faster, more accurate, and more scalable in the face of growing volumes of digital evidence and increasingly sophisticated offender tactics.

A central emphasis of this opportunity is support for the development, refinement, and advancement of investigative tools, methods, and technologies that are already widely used in the field, rather than focusing only on brand-new or experimental concepts. The solicitation targets capabilities that help agencies address child pornography offenses, broader child exploitation crimes, and sex trafficking, recognizing that these cases frequently involve digital platforms, encrypted communications, online grooming behaviors, large media collections, cross-jurisdictional leads, and complex evidentiary chains. By investing in proven tools and the training to use them effectively, the program aims to improve operational readiness and case outcomes while helping agencies keep pace with rapid technological change.

The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which generally signals that the awarding agency expects substantial involvement during the project period. While the specific form of that involvement can vary by program, cooperative agreements typically include closer coordination with the federal sponsor than a standard grant might, such as collaborative planning, shared milestones, or federal participation in certain programmatic decisions. This structure fits a technology-and-training initiative where interoperability, standards, dissemination, and alignment with national priorities can matter as much as the immediate deliverables.

Key logistics included an opportunity creation date of May 28, 2019, with an original application closing date of July 29, 2019. The award ceiling was set at $2,000,000 per award, and OJJDP anticipated making up to six awards, indicating a competitive solicitation intended to fund a limited number of comparatively sizable projects. The activity category is Law, Justice and Legal Services, consistent with the program's focus on investigative capacity building and prosecutorial support.

Eligibility is listed as "Others," with the expectation that applicants consult the solicitation's additional eligibility language for precise definitions and requirements. This type of eligibility label often indicates that eligible entities may include certain nontraditional applicants beyond standard state or local government units, potentially such as nonprofit organizations, research or technical assistance providers, or other specialized organizations able to deliver investigative technology solutions and training support. Regardless of the specific eligible categories, the intended beneficiaries and end users described in the opportunity are law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies that handle child sexual exploitation matters.

Overall, this grant opportunity is designed to bolster the technology backbone and skill sets that investigators and prosecutors rely on when confronting child sexual exploitation, including child pornography and sex trafficking cases. By funding improvements to widely used investigative tools and pairing those improvements with relevant training, the program aims to enhance investigative effectiveness, strengthen evidentiary development, and expand agency capacity to protect children and pursue offenders in technology-driven crime environments.

• The Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "OJJDP FY 19 Strengthening Investigative Tools and Technology for Combating Child Sexual Exploitation" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.543.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 28, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 29, 2019. (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 $2,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for OJJDP 2019 14989

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