Improving the Investigation and Prosecution of Child Abuse and the Regional and Local Children's Advocacy Centers
Active
- Assistance listing
- 16.758
- Agency
-
Office of Justice Programs
Department of Justice
- Grant awards
- 85 $413,154,396 in federal obligations
Program facts
- Also known as
- VOA
- Assistance type
-
- Cooperative Agreement
- 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 Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention funds training, technical assistance, and direct services that improve criminal investigation and prosecution of child abuse cases and support regional and local children's advocacy centers through multidisciplinary team coordination, with the most recent grant award dated October 1, 2025 (CFDA 16.758).
The program funds a network of activities centered on children's advocacy centers—multidisciplinary facilities where law enforcement, child welfare, prosecutors, medical professionals, mental health providers, and victim advocates coordinate to investigate abuse, deliver treatment services, and support prosecutions. Recent awards support training and technical assistance delivery to multidisciplinary teams and CACs across geographic regions (Native Child Advocacy Resource Center serving tribal communities, Southern Regional CAC spanning 17 states, Western Regional CAC across 13 western states, Northeast Regional CAC in nine northeastern states, and Midwest Regional CAC in 12 midwest states); national accreditation and membership functions for children's advocacy centers; specialized training in forensic interviewing, trauma-informed prosecution, and evidence-based mental health interventions for child victims; curriculum development for mandated reporters and child protection professionals in undergraduate and graduate programs; and subgrant programs that fund individual CACs to develop new centers or expand services in rural, tribal, and underserved areas.
All 85 awards in the portfolio are Cooperative Agreements, the exclusive assistance type. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention dominates funding, awarding 53 agreements worth $289.9 million (70 percent of federal dollars obligated), with the broader Office of Justice Programs awarding 31 agreements worth $118 million, and the Department of Justice awarding one agreement worth $5.2 million. Combined federal dollars obligated total $413.2 million across the portfolio history. Recent awards range from $700 thousand to $52.2 million; the National Children's Alliance cooperative agreement for the CAC National Subgrants Program awarded on October 1, 2024, obligated $52.2 million to distribute subgrants to individual CACs. Smaller awards to regional training centers and university-based curriculum development typically fall in the $700 thousand to $4.7 million range.
Award volume has remained steady in recent years: 2021 through 2025 saw between three and six awards per year. The program has operated continuously since 2010, with the portfolio spanning 15 years of activity.
Multiple opportunities are open now. OJJDP FY 2026 Victims of Child Abuse Act Training and Technical Assistance for Child Abuse Professionals (due October 29, 2026) solicits training and technical assistance for prosecutors, law enforcement, child protective services investigators, and multidisciplinary teams on investigation techniques, court preparation, and interagency coordination. OJJDP FY 2026 Expanding Tribal Children's Advocacy Centers (due October 6, 2026) targets tribal governments and organizations serving American Indian and Alaska Native communities to establish or enhance facility-based multidisciplinary CAC programs. OJJDP FY 2025 Regional Children's Advocacy Centers Program (due October 6, 2025) seeks to fund four regional centers providing coordinated training and technical assistance across designated census regions. OJJDP FY 2025 Children's Advocacy Centers National Subgrants Program (due December 8, 2025) and OJJDP FY 2025 Children's Advocacy Centers Membership and Accreditation Program (due November 25, 2025) support direct subgrant distribution and national accreditation functions. OJJDP FY 2025 Post-Secondary Education Opportunities for Child Protection Professionals (due October 21, 2025) funds development of undergraduate and graduate curricula and continuing education for child protection professionals.
Objective and description
- Objective
Program goal(s) name: Improve justice system and community responses to child abuse. Program goal(s) description: Improve the quality of criminal investigation and prosecution of child abuse cases; improve communities' ability to develop, maintain,
- Description
Improve the investigation and prosecution of child abuse cases and support regional children's advocacy centers (RCACs) to improve the response to child abuse and neglect through strategic coordinated training and assistance to multidisciplinary teams, local CACs, and state chapter organizations.
Eligibility
- Beneficiary eligibility
contact program office for additional information
- Length and time phasing of assistance
Length and time phasing of assistance vary by project--see applicable program announcement.
How to apply
- Preapplication coordination
The application of E.O.12372 is contingent upon whether the state has designated an entity to coordinate and review proposed federal financial assistance. An applicant may find the names and addresses of State Single Points of Contact (SPOCs) at the following website: http://www.whitehouse.gov
- 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
In some cases, award periods may be extended if specific criteria are met. For details, please review the discussion of no-cost extensions in the Criteria for Award Extension section of the Department of Justice Grants Financial Guide available at https://www.ojp.gov/funding/financialguidedoj/overview
- Appeals
There are no appeal rights for the denial of a discretionary application. For discretionary awards, see generally, 28 C.F.R. Part 18.
Grant opportunities
Show all 38
Grant awards
Latest 10 of 85 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Top recipients by federal obligations
| Rank | Recipient | Federal obligations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Children's Alliance Inc. | $253,268,885 | 61% |
| 2 | The National Center For Missing And Exploited Children | $37,720,596 | 9% |
| 3 | National Children's Advocacy Center, Inc. | $33,275,724 | 8% |
| 4 | Children's Health Care | $22,160,204 | 5% |
| 5 | Philadelphia Childrens Alliance | $17,628,462 | 4% |
| 6 | Rady Children's Hospital San Diego | $13,253,530 | 3% |
| 7 | Zero Abuse Project | $5,974,454 | 1% |
| 8 | National Council Of Juvenile And Family Court Judges | $5,245,900 | 1% |
| 9 | University Of Montana | $4,490,375 | 1% |
| 10 | Children's Advocacy Center For The Pikes Peak Region, Inc. | $3,729,457 | 1% |
10 of 26 recipients listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Federal obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Federal obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2026 | $32,055,296 |
| FY2025 | -$41,364 |
| FY2024 | $40,966,505 |
| FY2023 | $37,936,473 |
| FY2022 | $57,046,619 |
| FY2021 | $15,515,746 |
| FY2020 | $23,850,359 |
| FY2019 | $20,785,750 |
| FY2018 | $19,762,948 |
| FY2017 | $17,487,648 |
| FY2016 | $6,675,000 |
| FY2015 | $25,818,042 |
| FY2014 | $16,793,220 |
| FY2013 | $15,633,090 |
| FY2012 | $15,888,603 |
| FY2011 | $1,058,946 |
| FY2010 | $24,357,524 |
Show all 17
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 16.758?
Assistance Listing 16.758 is Improving the Investigation and Prosecution of Child Abuse and the Regional and Local Children's Advocacy Centers, a federal grant program run by Office of Justice Programs (Department of Justice).
What is the CFDA number for Improving the Investigation and Prosecution of Child Abuse and the Regional and Local Children's Advocacy Centers?
Its CFDA number is 16.758: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
How much funding has Assistance Listing 16.758 awarded?
85 grant awards under 16.758 have obligated $413,154,396 in federal funds to 26 recipients.
Who receives the most funding from 16.758?
The recipients obligated the most under Improving the Investigation and Prosecution of Child Abuse and the Regional and Local Children's Advocacy Centers are National Children's Alliance Inc. ($253,268,885), The National Center For Missing And Exploited Children ($37,720,596) and National Children's Advocacy Center, Inc. ($33,275,724).
How much did 16.758 obligate in fiscal year 2025?
Grants under 16.758 obligated -$41,364 in federal funds in fiscal year 2025.
Are there open grant opportunities under 16.758?
No opportunity listed under 16.758 is open now. The latest, OJJDP FY 2026 Invited to Apply - Expanding Tribal Children's Advocacy Centers, was posted on September 30, 2026.
On GovTribe
See this program's full record
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