Justice Department Announces Funding Opportunities to Support Public Safety in Tribal Communities

WASHINGTON ― The U.S. Department of Justice today announced the opening of the FY 2022 Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation period. Also known as CTAS, the funding under this initiative is available to assist American Indian and Alaska Native communities in the areas of crime prevention, victim services and coordinated community responses to violence against native women.

The solicitation, at https://www.justice.gov/tribal/open-solicitations, contains details about available grants and describes how federally-recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments and tribal consortia can apply for funding. CTAS is administered by the department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) and Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office).

The funding from OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and Office for Victims of Crime, and the department’s COPS Office, can be used for a variety of public safety and justice-related projects and services. Funds can be used to support tribal law enforcement; bolster adult and juvenile justice systems; support youth; serve native victims of child abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence and elder abuse; and support other efforts to combat crime.

“Supporting public safety efforts in Indian country is a solemn responsibility and a top priority of the Department of Justice, and it is a duty that we are working hard to fulfill,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Amy L. Solomon of OJP. “We have heard from tribal leaders about their biggest challenges and have responded by improving access to federal resources and ensuring that our investments are responsive to the needs of their communities and the people they serve.”

“The COPS Office is excited to once again partner in this extremely important initiative to help our colleagues in Indian country,” said Acting Director Robert Chapman of the COPS Office. “Any opportunity we have to provide officers, equipment, training and other tools to these communities is an opportunity we are excited to offer and we look forward to eligible applicants taking advantage of this funding.”

Last year, the Department of Justice made 137 awards, totaling almost $74 million, to 85 tribes. The department has incorporated feedback from tribal meetings, listening sessions, consultations, assessments and other methods into this year’s solicitation and as a result has streamlined the solicitation as well as the application process to reduce the burden on applicants.

For information about how to apply, including details about the seven CTAS purpose areas and an overview of changes from last year’s solicitation, please view the FY 2022 Fact Sheet: https://www.justice.gov/tribal/open-solicitations. The Grants.gov application deadline for CTAS is 8:59 p.m. EST, on March 10, 2022, and the JustGrants deadline is 8:59 p.m. EST, on March 15, 2022.*

Fact sheets detailing each of the individual purpose areas can be found online at: https://www.justice.gov/tribal/open-solicitations. The department will also facilitate a series of webinars to guide applicants through the application process. Details, including how to register for these webinars, will be made available online in coming weeks at https://www.justice.gov/tribal/open-solicitations.

Tribes and tribal consortia may also be eligible for non-tribal specific federal grant programs and are encouraged to explore other funding opportunities, which may be found at the department’s Tribal Justice and Safety website: https://www.justice.gov/tribal/open-solicitations or the http://www.grants.gov website.

Today’s announcement is part of the Justice Department’s ongoing initiative to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in tribal communities.

The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, advance racial equity in the administration of justice, assist victims and enhance the rule of law. More information about OJP and its components can be found at http://www.ojp.gov.

The COPS Office is the federal component of the Department of Justice responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. The only Department of Justice agency with policing in its name, the COPS Office was established in 1994 and has been the cornerstone of the nation’s crime fighting strategy with grants, a variety of knowledge resource products, and training and technical assistance. Through the years, the COPS Office has become the go-to organization for law enforcement agencies across the country and continues to listen to the field and provide the resources that are needed to reduce crime and build trust between law enforcement and the communities served. The COPS Office has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of more than 135,000 officers.