$2.25M to Expand Human Trafficking Services for Urban Native Communities

The Office for Victims of Crime has opened a $2.25 million federal funding opportunity to increase access to services for American Indian and Alaska Native victims of human trafficking living in urban communities.

This opportunity includes two distinct funding categories. One supports direct services for trafficking victims, while the other supports organizations that provide training and technical assistance to victim-service providers.

Organizations must pay close attention to the eligibility requirements. General nonprofit eligibility applies only to the second category. The direct-services category is limited to specific Urban Indian Organizations and qualifying Alaska Tribal Health Compact entities.

Grant Breakdown

OVC FY2026 Increasing Services for American Indian and Alaska Native Victims of Human Trafficking in Urban Centers Program

This program is designed to increase access to culturally responsive services for American Indian and Alaska Native victims of sex and labor trafficking in urban areas.

The funding may support direct victim services as well as training and technical assistance that strengthens the capacity of organizations serving Native trafficking victims.

Funding Agency: Office for Victims of Crime

Total Funding Available: $2.25 million

Anticipated Number of Awards: Five

Maximum Award: Up to $450,000

Award Period: 36 months beginning October 1, 2026

Award Type: Cooperative agreement

Match Requirement: No cost sharing or matching funds required

Funding Categories

Category 1: Direct Services for Trafficking Victims

OVC expects to make four awards under this category.

Eligible applicants are limited to:

• Urban Indian Organizations as defined by federal law

• Qualifying entities that are co-signers of the Alaska Tribal Health Compact and provide services to American Indian and Alaska Native populations in designated urban areas

Organizations applying under this category should be prepared to provide culturally responsive direct services to victims of human trafficking.

Category 2: Support for Victim-Service Providers

OVC expects to make one award under this category.

Eligible applicants include:

• Federally recognized Tribal governments

• Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education

• Private institutions of higher education

• Nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status

• For-profit organizations and small businesses

This category is intended to strengthen organizations serving American Indian and Alaska Native trafficking victims through training, technical assistance, resources, and professional support.

Application Deadlines

Grants.gov deadline: July 23, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET

JustGrants deadline: July 30, 2026, at 8:59 p.m. ET

Applicants must complete the SF-424 submission through Grants.gov before submitting the full application in JustGrants.

Organizations considering this opportunity must do more than demonstrate that trafficking exists in the communities they serve. A competitive application will require documented community need, culturally appropriate service strategies, qualified personnel, strong partnerships, and the infrastructure to manage a federal cooperative agreement.

If your organization serves Native communities but has not established the relationships, data systems, or program capacity required for this work, that readiness gap needs to be addressed before pursuing an award of this size.

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