Public Safety Funding Available to Federally-Recognized Tribes and Tribal Consortia

The Department of Justice today announced the opening of the grant solicitation period for comprehensive funding to American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments and tribal consortia to support public safety, victim services and crime prevention.  The department’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS) posts today at https://www.justice.gov/tribal/open-solicitations.

“The CTAS program is a cornerstone of the Justice Department’s partnership with sovereign tribal nations,” said Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch.  “By providing tribes and villages with critical funding for everything from law enforcement equipment to programs for native youth and victims of crime, the CTAS program gives tribes the resources they need to address the particular challenges they face.  I encourage tribes and villages to take advantage of this program, and I look forward to continuing our work with our tribal partners to build stronger and safer communities for all.”

The Department of Justice launched CTAS in FY 2010 in direct response to concerns raised by tribal leaders about the department’s grant process that did not provide the flexibility tribes needed to address their criminal justice and public safety needs.  The department designed this comprehensive approach to save time and resources and allow tribes and the department to gain a better understanding of the tribes’ overall public safety needs.

The department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) and the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), specifically OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) all award funding under CTAS. The funding can be used to enhance law enforcement, bolster adult and juvenile justice systems, prevent and control juvenile delinquency, serve native victims of crime and support other efforts to combat crime.

Grantees submit applications for CTAS online through DOJ’s Grants Management System (GMS).  Applicants must register with GMS at https://grants.ojp.usdoj.gov/gmsexternal/

prior to submitting an application.  The application deadline is 9:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST), Feb. 28, 2017.  Applicants are strongly urged to apply in advance of the deadline.

For the FY 2017 CTAS, a tribe or tribal consortium will submit a single application and select from any or all of the nine competitive grant programs referred to as “purpose areas.”  This approach allows the department’s grant-making components to consider the totality of a tribal nation’s overall public safety needs. 

The nine purpose areas (PA) are:

    PA1 - Public Safety and Community Policing (COPS)

    PA2 - Comprehensive Tribal Justice Systems Strategic Planning (BJA)

    PA3 - Justice Systems and Alcohol and Substance Abuse (BJA)

    PA4 - Corrections and Correctional Alternatives (BJA)

    PA5 - Violence Against Women Tribal Governments Program (OVW)

    PA6 - Victims of Crime: Children’s Justice Act Partnerships for Indian Communities (OVC)

    PA7 - Victims of Crime: Comprehensive Victim Assistance (OVC)

    PA8 - Juvenile Healing to Wellness Courts (OJJDP)

    PA9 - Tribal Youth Program (OJJDP)

Tribes or tribal consortia may also be eligible for non-tribal specific federal grant programs and are encouraged to explore these other funding opportunities.  Additional funding information may be found at the department’s Tribal Justice and Safety website at www.justice.gov/tribal or the www.grants.gov.

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