SUBMITTING A COMPETITIVE 

HUMAN TRAFFICKING GRANT PROPOSAL 

Selecting a Grant to Pursue 

Federal grants through the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) provide opportunities for organizations to 

expand capacity to serve victims of all forms of human trafficking. Each year, OVC releases a number 

of different solicitations to develop, expand, or strengthen victim service programs for victims of 

human trafficking. Being selective about which grant(s) to pursue and preparing required materials 

prior to beginning the application process may increase an organization’s ability to submit complete 

and timely proposals. A proposal is an opportunity to convey to the funding agency the value of an 

organization’s work, staff, vision, and long-term sustainability. 

Drafting a Complete Proposal 

There are several steps an organization can take to make sure their proposal is both focused on the 

requirements of a particular solicitation and comprehensive in its approach to addressing the 

problem. 

• Review the solicitation to ensure the organization is eligible. 

• Include only project ideas that are within the scope of the solicitation, which is typically defined 

by the program-specific information, program purpose area(s) and/or the program goals, 

objectives, and deliverables. 

• Adhere to all solicitation requirements, like word count, file type, attachments, and deadlines. 

• Consider partnering with other organizations to offer a more comprehensive response, to 

address all solicitation requirements, and to position your organization to be as competitive as 

possible. Some solicitations require formal interagency partnerships to meet the objectives of 

the grant program. 

Office for Victims of Crime – Human Trafficking Capacity Building Center 
SUBMITTING A COMPETITIVE HUMAN TRAFFICKING GRANT PROPOSAL 

• Determine if a subgrant award or contract(s) should be included in the proposal to round out 

the strengths of the program design. 

• Demonstrate a trauma-informed, victim-centered approach in the proposal and outline work 

that is both victim-centered and trauma-informed. 

• Demonstrate the qualifications of staff involved in the project and include staff bios that match 

the skills and backgrounds required for the work in the solicitation. 

• Illustrate knowledge of the community to be served by using demographic data of the 

population, available data documenting the nature of the problem of human trafficking within 

the target area, and relevant data to highlight the areas of unmet needs in identifying and 

serving victims of both labor and sex trafficking in the proposed project area. 

• Showcase experience by demonstrating a strategy and organizational history of serving each 

type of victim of human trafficking identified in the solicitation and explain the progression of 

prior grant experience to illustrate capacity to manage funding. 

• Include program staff and project partners, if applicable, in the process by involving the team in 

writing the grant proposal content so expectations, deliverables, and outcomes described in 

the proposal are attainable. 

• Present a proposal that is uniquely developed in response to the solicitation under which it is to 

be submitted; incorporate feedback on previously submitted applications, if applicable; do not 

resubmit an application developed in response to a prior year solicitation unless invited to do 

so by the funding agency. 

To learn more about how to apply, visit the OVC website. 

The Importance of Community Knowledge and Partnerships 

Demonstrating a strong understanding of the community to be served in a proposal through the use of 

data, presenting relevant staff experience, and information about historical service delivery is critical 

in submitting a strong proposal. Connecting the victim services proposed to the demographics of the 

community to be served is a critical opportunity to illustrate understanding of local human trafficking 

activity. This requires identifying data sources beyond national hotline data to demonstrate an 

understanding of the areas of need and then connecting that data to a strategy—illustrating how your 

Office for Victims of Crime – Human Trafficking Capacity Building Center 
SUBMITTING A COMPETITIVE HUMAN TRAFFICKING GRANT PROPOSAL 

organization will address the needs identified. Local arrest and prosecution data, statewide reports, 

community demographics, and data from and about the industries historically more vulnerable to 

trafficking can provide a local perspective. 

In addition, identifying and building partnerships to address gaps in service can help an organization 

offer a more comprehensive proposal and meet all the solicitation’s requirements. Be creative with 

establishing partnerships to support the work in the proposed project; think outside traditional/typical 

partners. Innovative partnership ideas may include, for example, health service providers, educational 

institutions, and other aligned professionals who interact with the population to be served. 

Using partners is also an opportunity to ensure cultural competency is demonstrated in a proposal. 

Look for partners who complement, not compete with, the services of the organization submitting the 

proposal. Finally, set up all partnerships identified in the proposal prior to submitting the proposal and 

include the memoranda of understanding or other partnership agreement documentation. 

Lastly, relevant community organizations who are not formal project partners can still support an 

organization’s grant submission through a letter of support. A letter or support can come from another 

community organization, a local government official, or an elected official and be submitted with an 

organization’s grant application.

Office for Victims of Crime – Human Trafficking Capacity Building Center