Frequently Asked Questions

The Human Trafficking Capacity Building Center (known as The Center) assists organizations and tribes with starting, sustaining, or growing their anti-trafficking work. As a coaching and development hub, the Center helps organizations and tribes: (1) build their capacity to aid all victims of human trafficking, (2) navigate the broad range of resources available to support their missions, and (3) strengthen their human trafficking service network.

The Center partners with organizations in a thought-provoking and creative process to assist them in maximizing their potential. Coaching is a collaborative process where Center staff and/or subject matter experts (SME) support the program throughout the process and tailor assistance to each organization or tribe’s needs.

The Center offers a variety of services including, but not limited to, developing staff training and building organizational capacity to identify and serve all victims of human trafficking, developing a partnership plan, creating outreach materials, assisting with strategic planning, identifying and applying for federal grant funding, and guidance on data collection.

The Center’s sustainment services help organizations pursue grant opportunities, engage in strategic financial planning, and identify paths towards long-term sustainability. Open office hours, one-on-one coaching, and cohort sessions with subject-matter experts provide personalized settings to support the specific needs of each organization or tribe.

The Center also hosts Ask an Expert and Talking Circles webinars. These conversations convene skilled practitioners with registered participants to discuss topics related to human trafficking. The format is a moderator-run, question and answer session with a panel of experts.  

The Center works with U.S-based organizations, federally recognized tribes, and tribal programs. They do not need to be an anti-trafficking organization, rather simply an organization or tribe interested in starting, sustaining, or growing their anti-trafficking work. This includes victim service providers, nonprofit organizations, health clinics, shelters, law enforcement, and state and county government organizations. The Center works with American Indian and Alaska Native communities and victim service organizations, both on and off the tribal lands.

The time commitment depends on the unique needs of each organization and tribe and can range from a one-time assistance up to a 90-day comprehensive engagement. Follow-up sustainment services are also offered after engaging with the Center to ensure long-term support is available.

No – all services are free of charge. The Center is funded by the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC).

Yes. The Center partners with tribes on the issue of human trafficking however they
need, and at whatever level they deem appropriate, based on their readiness. The
Center’s assistance can be as simple, such as sharing anti-trafficking resources to build
awareness of the issue. Tribes or tribal programs may also be ready to partner with the
Center on bringing together a multi-disciplinary team of peer sites, consultants, Center
staff, and information to address a specific need. Each partnership is personal, hands-
on, and specific to the needs and requests of the tribe.

Yes. The Center partners with tribes and tribal organizations on addressing human
trafficking as it relates and intersects with several issue areas, including MMIP. For
example, the Center can partner with tribe on collecting data specific to MMIP and
human trafficking or developing outreach materials to raise awareness about the
intersection of MMIP and human trafficking.

OVC posts current funding opportunities through their office to the OVC website along with resources from other federal agencies including the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office on Violence Against Women, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration of Children and Families. This Federal Funding Resource guide lists federal human trafficking funding resources in a one-page document. Additionally, use a keyword search such as “human trafficking” on Grants.gov and filter for both current and forecasted opportunities to find federal funding.

The Center cannot write grant applications. The Center provides several resources to assist organizations and tribes in the grant writing process. The Center developed a document on the Process for Applying for a Grant to outline the steps. A Grant Proposal Tips document provides best practices on submitting a competitive federal grant proposal. The Ask an Expert: Applying for Your First Federal Grant is an introductory conversation on federal grants. Center staff also discuss best practices in monthly office hours and 90-minute one-to-one coaching sessions to support organizations and tribes navigating the grant writing process. OVC offers Grants 101 , a step-by-step tutorial on the grants process and shares links and tips for grant applicants.

Yes. The Center produced Federal Match Requirements and Documenting an In-Kind Match resources. Other documents on Meeting Federal Match in a Remote Environment and In-Kind Match Perspectives from the Field are available in the Center's Resource Library. It is important to read about, and adhere to, match requirements in posted solicitations. If you receive a federal grant award, consult with your assigned federal grant manager to ensure any match plan complies with the specific grant program.

There are many federal funding opportunities. The Department of Justice offers
funding to support MMIP work. Non-competitive funding from the Tribal Victim Service
Set-Aside (TVSSA) Formula Program, administered by the Office for Victims of Crime
(OVC), is offered annually. Federally recognized Indian tribes, tribal designees, or
tribal consortia (consisting of two or more federally recognized tribes) are eligible to
receive TVSSA funds for victim services. Additionally, there are many federal
agencies are funding programs to support victims of human trafficking.

There are many resources to learn more about human trafficking including a publication by the National Congress of American Indians titled Human and Sex Trafficking: Trends and Responses across Indian Country which provides historical context, data, and recommendations. Several documents offering an  overview of the issue as well are available on the Combating Human Trafficking in Native Communities website hosted by the Department of Health and Human Services. In addition, the tribal members who participated on the panel for the Center’s Talking Circle webinar titled “Human Trafficking in Tribal  Communities” and Q&A summary document offer their ideas about where to learn more about human trafficking in tribal communities.

While each human trafficking situation looks different, there are some common human trafficking indicators  when identifying potential victims. There are several screening resource best practices available for your protocols. Use a validated screening tool like the Trafficking Victims Identification Tool, validated for adults and minors 13 years and older. Polaris Project also offers a comprehensive human trafficking assessment tool. Contact the Center to request customized assistance including coaching, developing tools, programs, and policies for starting, sustaining, or growing anti-trafficking work.

There are several ways to get involved in anti-trafficking work such as connecting to human trafficking taskforces or victim service providers in your area. The National Human Trafficking Hotline also maintains a Referral Directory to search for anti-trafficking organizations by city, state, and zip code. If considering or interested in establishing a nonprofit organization, there are additional considerations to contemplate when working on addressing human trafficking such as ensuring the organization is trauma-informed and survivor-centered.

There are several resources on trauma-informed and survivor-centered policies and practices. As a starting point, The Center compiled overview documents on Understanding Trauma, Applying a Trauma-Informed Approach,  and a Resource Guide with links to trauma-informed care resources. Additionally, three national experts share their insights on, Implementing a Victim-centered, Trauma-informed Program for Survivors of Human Trafficking in this Center webinar with an accompanying Q&A summary document. OVC Training and Technical Assistance Center (OVC TTAC) has resources on using a trauma-informed approach and the National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Center (NHTTAC) offers a  Toolkit for Building Survivor-Informed Organizations.

Yes. The Center’s coaching and development approach recognizes the value and importance of peer-to-peer connections. The Center can facilitate connections to other anti-trafficking organizations and victim service providers depending on the subject of a particular request. OVC also maintains a map of OVC-funded human trafficking victim service providers and taskforces. The National Center for Victims of Crime maintains the Tribal Resource Tool where users can search for all victim services available to American Indians and Alaska Natives by location.

Safe and accessible housing is vital but can often be a challenge for survivors of human trafficking. Freedom Network provides training and technical assistance around housing for survivors of human trafficking and has compiled a fact sheet of housing options and many other appropriate resources. In addition, the Center outlined steps to assist organizations in addressing and developing housing programs for survivors.  For a deeper dive into addressing housing challenges for victims of human trafficking, please refer to the Q&A Summary from an Ask an Expert webinar.

Data is an important tool in building an organization’s capacity to serve all victims of human trafficking. Organizations and tribes can use data to support programs, inform decision making, demonstrate impact and increase capacity. The Center created the Collecting Human Trafficking Data and Using Human Trafficking Data overview documents outlining some key considerations. The OVC Action Research toolkit is also a good resource.

First, build your own personal knowledge; learn about human trafficking and what it
might look like in your community. Talk with tribal leaders, social service providers,
Indian Child Welfare Act workers, tribal urban centers, tribal and state law enforcement,
and most importantly tribal communities to create awareness of human trafficking. The
tribal members who participated on the panel for the Center’s Talking Circle webinar
titled “Starting a Conversation about Human Trafficking” and Q&A summary document offer their ideas about starting the human trafficking conversation.

Jurisdiction has a tremendous impact on the response to human trafficking. There are  so many variables related to jurisdictional issues including identifying the victim, the offender, and where the crime occurred. Partnerships between the tribe, tribal law enforcement, BIA law enforcement, sheriffs, child  rotective services, tribal courts, federal courts, state courts, and community-based advocacy people are extremely  important in addressing jurisdictional issues. Being able to bring these partnerships together to focus on the survivor’s needs has a lasting impact on their pathway to healing and justice.