2026 Enhanced Collaborative Human Trafficking Grant

The purpose of the Enhanced Collaborative Model (ECM) Task Force to Combat Human Trafficking Program is to develop, expand, or strengthen a multidisciplinary approach to fight human trafficking. This collaborative approach must include victim and social service providers, law enforcement and prosecution personnel (local, state, and federal), survivors, and a range of other governmental and non-governmental partners that work together to provide a diverse set of appropriate services for trafficking victims. ECM task forces also train law enforcement and other stakeholders in how to identify victims of trafficking in persons and related offenses, and conduct victim-centered and trauma-informed investigations to prosecute traffickers. This program expects a co-leadership model approach, with shared decision making by both the lead law enforcement and the lead victim service provider applicants. The OVC ECM program defines a proactive approach as those strategies that go beyond traditional online and vice-style operations and involve more advanced investigative methods and criminal intelligence gathering and analysis. Proactive victim identification, investigative, and prosecution approaches involve in-depth pre-planning and active collaboration from victim service providers, prosecutors, and key multidisciplinary partners. Some examples of activities that would be considered proactive include leveraging existing data sources and criminal intelligence gathering and analysis to target investigative strategies based on the type of human trafficking crime; conducting concurrent financial investigations; reaching out to vulnerable populations; engaging in community oriented and awareness activities; and conducting assessments of data on labor industries in the community, such as prior safety or labor/wage violations or visa abuses. To ensure effectiveness in achieving grant activities and deliverables, grantees will work closely with OVC and OVC’s competitively selected TTA partners to participate in information sharing sessions, engage in peer-to-peer learning exchanges about promising and effective practices, and receive subject matter expertise that is relevant to investigating and prosecuting human trafficking cases as part of a high-functioning, multidisciplinary task force. These TTA activities will support task force grantees in improving their capacities by addressing the objectives and mandatory activities of effective task force operations and completing quality deliverables in a timely manner. OJP anticipates that the multidisciplinary task forces and related law enforcement and prosecution personnel will leverage TTA resources from a variety of federal agencies.