Missing Children's Assistance
Active
- Assistance listing
- 16.543
- Agency
-
Office of Justice Programs
Department of Justice
- Grant awards
- 836 $1,480,944,728 in federal obligations
Program facts
- Also known as
- Missing and Exploited Children (MEC) Program
- Assistance types
-
- Cooperative Agreement
- Project Grant
- Block Grant
- Treasury account
-
- 15-0405-0-1-754
- More information
Program details come from SAM.gov Assistance Listings. Updated . Grant award figures come from USAspending.gov.
About this program
The Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs, through its Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), funds research, training, technical assistance, and demonstration programs addressing prevention, investigation, and services for missing and exploited children and families, with the most recent award made on October 1, 2025; Assistance Listing 16.543.
The program supports Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force operations at state and local law enforcement agencies, conducting proactive and reactive investigations into technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation, child sexual abuse material (CSAM) possession and distribution, and online enticement of children. Funded activities include digital forensic examinations, specialized investigative training for law enforcement and prosecutors, services for child victims and families, and community education on internet safety. The program also funds supporting infrastructure such as the National ICAC Data System (handling approximately 42,000 cybertips monthly), the ICACCOPS investigative tools platform, training platforms, and operational support for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), which operates a 24-hour cybertipline and national clearinghouse. Smaller portions of funding support evidence-based treatment programs for youth with problematic or illegal sexual behavior and victim support services.
Awards are predominantly Cooperative Agreements (94 percent of 836 total awards since 1992), with smaller shares of Project Grants (5 percent) and Block Grants (1 percent). OJJDP's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention leads funding at $802.7 million across 380 awards, followed by the broader OJJDP office with $674 million across 452 awards. Combined federal obligated across the portfolio totals $1.48 billion. Recent annual award volume ranged from 21 to 42 per year over the past five years.
Recent awards exemplify the program's scope. NCMEC received $42.9 million for operating its Cybertipline and National Resource Center (October 2025); state ICAC task forces received individual awards ranging from $358 thousand to $761 thousand to fund investigative personnel, forensic equipment, software, and training across Alaska, Tennessee, New York, and other states (October 2025). The National Criminal Justice Training Center received $1.8 million to maintain the ICACCOPS digital forensics platform (October 2024). Treatment-focused awards included $525 thousand to Youth Services Institute for teletherapy services for youth with problematic sexual behavior in Alabama (October 2024).
Multiple grant opportunities remain open. OJJDP FY 2026 ICAC Task Forces (due September 30, 2026, invitation-only) funds state and local law enforcement task forces to prevent and investigate technology-facilitated child exploitation. OJJDP FY 2026 Strengthening ICAC Technological Investigative Capacity (due October 29, 2026) supports development and refinement of investigative tools and methods; all entity types are eligible. OJJDP FY 2026 Missing and Exploited Children Training and Technical Assistance (due October 29, 2026) builds capacity among multidisciplinary teams. OJJDP FY 2026 ICACCOPS (due November 16, 2026) seeks maintenance and enhancements to the investigative platform; higher education institutions, nonprofits, and small businesses may apply.
Objective and description
- Objective
Program goal(s) name: Protect missing and exploited children. Program goal(s) description: Support research, training, technical assistance, and demonstration programs addressing the prevention, investigation and services for missing and exploited c
- Description
This program funds a variety of activities that support prevention, investigation and services for missing and exploited children and families, and professionals who work to prevent, recover and assist missing and exploited children, including victims of online and/or commercial sexual exploitation.
Eligibility
- Beneficiary eligibility
State and local units of government, private nonprofit agencies, organizations, institutions or individuals.
- Uses of assistance
Funds that support missing children's program activities.
- Length and time phasing of assistance
See applicable program announcement.
How to apply
- Preapplication coordination
Generally applicant documentation includes the Standard Form 424 (SF-424 - Application for Federal Assistance), a program narrative, budget detail worksheet, and budget narrative. There also are a number of certifications that may be required, and other elements, as specified in the program announcement. For specific application instructions see applicable program announcement.
- Criteria for selecting proposals
Criteria for selecting proposals is determined as part of the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO).
- Award procedure
All final award decisions will be made by the Assistant Attorney General, unless a statute explicitly authorizes award decisions by another official or there is written delegation of authority to another official. For successful applicants, JustGrants will send a system-generated email to the Application Submitter, Authorized Representative, and Entity Administrator with information on accessing their official award package in JustGrants. The award package will include key information (such as funding amount and period of performance) as well as award conditions that must be followed. The Authorized Representative for the entity should accept or decline the award within 45 days of the notification.
- Time to approval or disapproval
The review procedure for applications is specified in the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) and generally includes eligibility and responsiveness, merit, programmatic, budget, and risk reviews.
- Renewals
See applicable program announcement.
- Appeals
Applicable rights to appeal are provided in the notice of denial of funding.
Grant opportunities
Show 40 more
Latest 50 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Grant awards
Latest 10 of 836 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Top recipients by federal obligations
| Rank | Recipient | Federal obligations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The National Center For Missing And Exploited Children | $620,936,321 | 42% |
| 2 | Fox Valley Technical College | $159,149,836 | 11% |
| 3 | Pacific Institute For Research & Evaluation | $16,001,550 | 1% |
| 4 | City Of LOS Angeles | $12,629,734 | 1% |
| 5 | Nw3C, Inc. | $12,454,756 | 1% |
| 6 | West Virginia State Police | $12,099,984 | 1% |
| 7 | Department Of State Police Michigan | $12,058,028 | 1% |
| 8 | Georgia Bureau Of Investigation | $11,675,090 | 1% |
| 9 | Search Group, Incorporated | $11,452,011 | 1% |
| 10 | Attorney General Of Texas | $11,408,709 | 1% |
10 of 171 recipients listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Federal obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Federal obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2026 | $77,330,423 |
| FY2025 | $33,184,393 |
| FY2024 | $57,805,263 |
| FY2023 | $130,567,255 |
| FY2022 | $141,273,980 |
| FY2021 | $35,065,878 |
| FY2020 | $78,662,450 |
| FY2019 | $88,642,005 |
| FY2018 | $72,633,895 |
| FY2017 | $69,656,504 |
| FY2016 | $79,115,437 |
| FY2015 | $83,655,586 |
| FY2014 | $62,724,190 |
| FY2013 | $61,361,335 |
| FY2012 | $65,188,371 |
| FY2011 | $85,447,979 |
| FY2010 | $71,654,226 |
| FY2009 | $57,349,152 |
| FY2008 | $41,162,964 |
| FY2007 | $54,953,061 |
| FY2006 | $12,686,436 |
| FY2005 | $8,615,399 |
| FY2004 | $5,676,933 |
| FY2003 | $9,801,424 |
| FY2002 | $14,690,494 |
| FY2001 | $25,858,948 |
Show all 26
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 16.543?
Assistance Listing 16.543 is Missing Children's Assistance, a federal grant program run by Office of Justice Programs (Department of Justice).
What is the CFDA number for Missing Children's Assistance?
Its CFDA number is 16.543: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
How much funding has Assistance Listing 16.543 awarded?
836 grant awards under 16.543 have obligated $1,480,944,728 in federal funds to 171 recipients.
Who receives the most funding from 16.543?
The recipients obligated the most under Missing Children's Assistance are The National Center For Missing And Exploited Children ($620,936,321), Fox Valley Technical College ($159,149,836) and Pacific Institute For Research & Evaluation ($16,001,550).
How much did 16.543 obligate in fiscal year 2025?
Grants under 16.543 obligated $33,184,393 in federal funds in fiscal year 2025.
Are there open grant opportunities under 16.543?
4 of the latest 50 opportunities under 16.543 are open or forecasted. The latest, OJJDP FY 2026 Internet Crimes Against Children On-Line Child Protection System (ICACCOPS), was posted on October 8, 2026.
On GovTribe
See this program's full record
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