OJJDP FY 2021 Post-Secondary Education Opportunities for Child Protection Professionals | O OJJDP 2021 15001

Opportunity Information: Apply for O OJJDP 2021 15001

The OJJDP FY 2021 Post-Secondary Education Opportunities for Child Protection Professionals grant is a discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), designed to strengthen the pipeline and ongoing preparation of people who protect children from abuse and neglect. The overall aim aligns with DOJ priorities such as promoting civil rights, expanding access to justice, supporting crime victims, protecting the public from crime and evolving threats, and improving trust between the community and the justice system. In practical terms, the program focuses on improving education and training for both future mandated reporters and current child protection professionals, helping ensure they are better equipped to identify, report, investigate, and respond to child maltreatment in ways that are effective, coordinated, and trauma-informed.

Funding is provided through cooperative agreements, which typically means recipients should expect an active partnership with the federal agency rather than a hands-off pass-through award. The solicitation emphasizes training and education efforts that can be implemented through post-secondary institutions and professional training systems, and it specifically calls out the broad range of professionals who play direct roles in child protection. This includes law enforcement officers, social workers, mental health and medical professionals, and prosecutors, reflecting an understanding that child protection is multidisciplinary and depends on consistent standards and shared practices across agencies and professions. The intent is to support efforts that prepare new professionals entering these fields while also strengthening the skills of practitioners already working in child protection roles across the country.

The opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number O-OJJDP-2021-15001) falls under the Law, Justice and Legal Services activity category and is associated with CFDA 16.758. The maximum award amount listed is $450,000, and OJJDP anticipated making two awards, indicating a relatively competitive program with a limited number of funded projects. Key dates included a creation/posting date of May 17, 2021, and an original application closing date of July 2, 2021.

Eligibility is broad and includes multiple levels of government and a wide range of organizational types. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and other applicants as described in the solicitation’s additional eligibility information. This wide eligibility suggests OJJDP was looking for strong training and education proposals from universities, training academies, professional associations, government agencies, tribal entities, and other organizations capable of building or expanding post-secondary and professional development programming tied to child protection.

In short, this solicitation supports projects that improve how child protection professionals and mandated reporters are trained, with the expectation that stronger, more consistent education and skill-building will lead to better identification of child abuse and neglect, improved professional responses, and better outcomes for children and families. It is positioned as a capacity-building investment in the child protection workforce, encouraging coordinated training approaches across disciplines that regularly intersect when a child is at risk.

• The Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "OJJDP FY 2021 Post-Secondary Education Opportunities for Child Protection Professionals" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.758.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 17, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 02, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $450,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for O OJJDP 2021 15001

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: