Funding Alert: Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS) for Child Advocacy Centers

Many of our friends and colleagues in Indian Country are familiar with the Department of Justice’s Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS), a process that offers a single grant application for accessing funds from multiple different DOJ funding streams. CTAS is one of the primary ways that DOJ supports Tribal justice systems and agencies such as law enforcement, courts, and juvenile justice programs. Less well-known, however, is the fact that CTAS offers funding streams that can be used to develop or enhance Tribal Child Advocacy Centers (CACs).  

CTAS grant programs are identified as individual Purpose Areas within the CTAS application. Two Purpose Areas may be particularly appropriate for Tribal CAC development or enhancement:  

• Purpose Area 4: Tribal Justice System Infrastructure Program. This Purpose Area provides funding that Tribes may use to renovate, expand, or replace existing justice-related facilities or build new prefabricated or permanent modular facilities. These facilities can include buildings or rooms suitable for CAC activities.  

• Purpose Area 6:  Children’s Justice Act Partnerships for Indian Communities. This Purpose Area’s overall goal is to help American Indian and Alaska Native Communities develop, establish, and operate programs designed to improve the investigation, prosecution, and handling of cases of criminal child abuse and neglect (particularly child sexual abuse cases) in a manner which lessens trauma for child victims. This funding is well-suited to develop or enhance Tribal CACs. 

We encourage all of our Tribal partners and stakeholders pursuing CAC development to consider applying for these funds. Applications are due by March 5, 2024. Informational webinars about the overall CTAS process, updates for fiscal year 2024, specific aspects of the application process, and individual purpose areas are running throughout January and February.