OJJDP FY 17 National Amber Alert Training and Technical Assistant Program | OJJDP 2017 10941

Opportunity Information: Apply for OJJDP 2017 10941

The OJJDP FY 17 National AMBER Alert Training and Technical Assistance Program is a U.S. Department of Justice (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention) discretionary funding opportunity designed to strengthen the national response to endangered missing and abducted children. It centers on the AMBER Alert program, which functions as a coordinated partnership among law enforcement, broadcasters and other media, transportation and emergency management agencies, telecommunications and call centers, additional public safety partners, and child protection organizations and professionals. The core idea behind the grant is that rapid, well-coordinated alerts and well-trained responders can improve the speed and effectiveness of child recovery efforts, especially in the critical early hours of an abduction or high-risk missing child case.

The grant supports a National AMBER Alert Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) effort, meaning the funded entity is expected to provide training, guidance, tools, and hands-on assistance to jurisdictions and partners involved in AMBER Alert and related child recovery systems. The overarching goal is to increase the nation’s capacity to respond effectively to incidents involving missing, endangered, and abducted children by improving coordination, readiness, and operational practice across agencies and disciplines. This includes enhancing the national AMBER Alert network itself, improving law enforcement response and investigative capacity in these cases, and ultimately increasing the recovery rate of abducted children through better procedures, stronger partnerships, and more consistent implementation of best practices.

A notable emphasis of this opportunity is reinforcing child alert systems along the United States’ northern and southern borders. The grant is intended to help strengthen cross-jurisdictional readiness and alerting mechanisms to better protect American children who may be abducted to or through foreign countries. In practice, that focus signals attention to the unique complications of border-region cases, such as rapid cross-border movement, differing legal frameworks, multi-agency coordination requirements, and the need for timely public alerts that are compatible with regional realities.

Beyond immediate abduction response, the program also aims to build broader community capacity to understand and address related issues of child exploitation and abuse. That broader framing reflects how missing-child incidents can intersect with exploitation, trafficking, or ongoing abuse, and it underscores the importance of informed community partners and public-facing systems that can support prevention, reporting, and rapid response. Another stated goal is enhancing public participation in recovery efforts, recognizing that AMBER Alert and similar systems rely on public awareness and actionable tips, which in turn depend on clear messaging, trusted processes, and effective coordination with media and alerting channels.

Legally, this program is authorized under Section 405 of the Missing Children’s Act, which is part of Title IV of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5771 et seq.). The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which typically indicates the federal agency expects substantial involvement during the project period (for example, active coordination, shared planning, and ongoing collaboration rather than a hands-off grant relationship). The opportunity is listed under CFDA 16.543 and falls within the Law, Justice and Legal Services activity category.

Key logistics and award information include an opportunity number of OJJDP 2017 10941, an initial posting/creation date of December 5, 2016, and an original application closing date of February 6, 2017. The award ceiling is $2,400,000, and OJJDP expected to make one award, indicating this was intended as a single national-level TTA provider rather than multiple regional awards. Eligible applicants were broad and included public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (both with and without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (including small businesses), and other eligible entities as clarified in the solicitation’s additional eligibility information. Overall, the opportunity is structured to fund one national program that can deliver scalable training and technical assistance, reinforce the AMBER Alert network, and improve outcomes in endangered missing and child abduction cases nationwide, with special attention to border-related vulnerabilities and stronger public engagement.

• 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 17 National Amber Alert Training and Technical Assistant Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.543.
• This funding opportunity was created on Dec 05, 2016.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 06, 2017. (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 $2,400,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, 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, Small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for OJJDP 2017 10941

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