TLDR
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), a component of the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs, awards approximately $400 million annually to states, tribes, local governments, and nonprofits to prevent and respond to juvenile delinquency, child victimization, and missing children. Nonprofit-eligible programs include the National Mentoring Programs, the Multi-State Mentoring Program, Tribal Youth Program partnerships, the Children's Advocacy Center program, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Missing and Exploited Children's program, and various direct service and capacity-building grants. OJJDP awards are governed by 2 CFR Part 200 (Uniform Guidance), the DOJ Grants Financial Guide, and OJJDP-specific terms. Applicants apply through Grants.gov; post-award management happens in JustGrants. The most common compliance challenges involve the DOJ Confidentiality regulations at 28 CFR Part 22, conflict-of-interest documentation, and OJJDP's specific performance measure data submission requirements through the Data Collection and Technical Assistance Tool (DCTAT) or Performance Measurement Tool (PMT).
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is one of the most active grantmakers in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs portfolio. For nonprofits operating youth mentoring programs, child advocacy centers, runaway and homeless youth services intersecting with the juvenile justice system, tribal youth services, juvenile reentry programs, or technical assistance to the juvenile justice field, OJJDP is a regular and substantial source of federal funding. The compliance environment combines the universal Uniform Guidance baseline with DOJ-specific layers - the DOJ Grants Financial Guide, 28 CFR Part 22 confidentiality regulations, and program-specific performance measurement requirements through OJJDP’s PMT or DCTAT systems.
What OJJDP funds
OJJDP funding falls into formula and discretionary categories.
Formula funding under the JJDPA. Title II of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act funds State Advisory Groups in each state to prevent and respond to juvenile delinquency. Title II funds flow first to states, then to local subgrantees including nonprofits. The Juvenile Accountability Block Grant (JABG) historically flowed similarly. State formula passthrough is the largest single OJJDP funding stream that reaches nonprofits.
Discretionary mentoring. The National Mentoring Programs cooperative agreement funds large national mentoring intermediaries (Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, MENTOR, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and similar organizations) to support local mentoring delivery. The Multi-State Mentoring Initiative funds regional and statewide mentoring intermediaries. Direct mentoring service grants fund local mentoring nonprofits at smaller scale.
Children’s Advocacy Centers. OJJDP funds the National Children’s Alliance to support accreditation, training, and technical assistance for Children’s Advocacy Centers nationwide, plus four Regional Children’s Advocacy Centers. Local CACs receive subawards through the National Children’s Alliance and through state chapters.
Tribal youth. The Tribal Youth Program supports tribal nonprofits and tribal governments to develop tribal-specific juvenile justice and prevention programming.
Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC). OJJDP funds the National ICAC Task Force, which includes 61 task forces and more than 5,000 federal, state, local, and nonprofit partners.
Missing and exploited children. OJJDP provides ongoing support to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children plus discretionary grants for state missing-children clearinghouses and AMBER Alert coordination.
Juvenile justice reform and reentry. Second Chance Act juvenile reentry grants, the Smart on Juvenile Justice initiative, and trauma-informed care programs fund both governments and nonprofits.
Capacity building and training and technical assistance. OJJDP funds national training and technical assistance providers across virtually every program area.
Application requirements
OJJDP discretionary awards are submitted through Grants.gov (with the application content typically specified in the OJJDP solicitation).
Prerequisites. Active SAM.gov registration with valid UEI; Grants.gov Workspace account; current indirect cost rate documentation (NICRA or 10% de minimis election); and JustGrants user accounts for the Authorized Representative, Application Submitter, and Entity Administrator.
Application package. Standard forms include SF-424, project narrative (page-limit varies by solicitation), budget detail and narrative submitted in the OJP-specific Budget Detail Worksheet template, organizational capacity narrative, project abstract, time task plan, performance measurement plan, and program-specific attachments. OJJDP solicitations are generally specific about the performance measures the project must commit to and how those will be reported through PMT or DCTAT.
Financial management capacity. DOJ requires a strong financial management system. First-time DOJ applicants and applicants designated as high-risk based on prior experience may be required to complete a Financial Capability Questionnaire and to submit additional supporting documentation.
Post-award setup. Awards are issued through JustGrants. Drawdowns flow through the Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP) operated by Treasury. Set up your JustGrants user roles and your ASAP account immediately upon award.
Compliance specifics
OJJDP awards are governed by 2 CFR Part 200, the DOJ Grants Financial Guide, OJJDP-specific solicitation terms, and any applicable program-specific authorizing statute and regulations.
Cost principles. The five Uniform Guidance criteria apply - necessary, reasonable, allocable, conformant, consistent, documented. The DOJ Grants Financial Guide adds DOJ-specific guidance and clarifications. Areas of particular DOJ scrutiny include consultant rates (DOJ caps consultant rates at $650 per day or $81.25 per hour without prior approval), conference and food-and-beverage costs (subject to specific DOJ approval thresholds and documentation requirements), and pre-award costs (allowable only with prior approval).
Confidentiality under 28 CFR Part 22. OJJDP-funded research and statistical projects involving identifiable private information are subject to 28 CFR Part 22 confidentiality regulations. This includes specific requirements for the protection of personally identifiable information, the prohibition on use of identifiable data for purposes other than research and statistics, and specific privacy certificate requirements. Applicants for research and statistics grants must include a privacy certificate addressing all 28 CFR Part 22 requirements.
Procurement. 2 CFR 200 Subpart D applies. DOJ Grants Financial Guide adds DOJ-specific guidance on sole-source justifications, conference vendor selection, and consultant agreements.
Conflict of interest. DOJ requires written conflict-of-interest policies covering organizational and individual conflicts. OJP routinely requests conflict-of-interest policies and disclosure logs during financial monitoring reviews.
Reporting cadence. SF-425 Federal Financial Reports are quarterly for OJJDP awards (more frequent than many other federal grantmakers), due 30 days after the end of each quarter. Semi-annual programmatic progress reports are required. Performance measurement data is submitted through OJJDP’s Performance Measurement Tool (PMT) or the Data Collection and Technical Assistance Tool (DCTAT) on a semi-annual or annual basis as specified by program. Final reports are due 120 days after the project period ends.
Single Audit. Nonprofits expending $1,000,000 or more in federal awards in a fiscal year must obtain a Single Audit under 2 CFR 200 Subpart F. DOJ Office of the Inspector General reviews findings affecting DOJ programs.
Subrecipient monitoring. OJJDP grantees that subaward portions of their awards become passthrough entities under 2 CFR 200.332.
OJP-specific monitoring. OJP (the parent office for OJJDP) conducts financial monitoring reviews on a risk-based selection. Desk reviews focus on financial controls, allowable costs, time-and-effort documentation, procurement, and indirect cost calculations. On-site reviews include in-depth file inspection, transaction testing, and management interviews.
Deadlines and solicitation cadence
OJJDP solicitations typically post in winter and spring with summer deadlines, but individual solicitations can post throughout the year.
- National Mentoring Programs - three-year project periods; recompetes on three-year cycles.
- Multi-State Mentoring - typically annual solicitations.
- Children’s Advocacy Center program - annual cooperative agreement to the National Children’s Alliance; subawards flow continuously to local CACs.
- Tribal Youth Program - annual solicitations.
- ICAC Task Forces - annual solicitations, plus task force partner subawards.
- Title II formula - flows continuously to State Advisory Groups; state subaward calendars vary.
- Second Chance Act juvenile reentry - annual solicitations.
Subscribe to the OJJDP solicitation alert mailing list to receive solicitation announcements. Many OJJDP solicitations have 60-90 day application windows, which is short for the prescribed application content; pre-NOFO preparation is essential.
Common mistakes
Recurring failure modes for first-time OJJDP recipients:
- Consultant rate cap violations. Charging consultant rates above the DOJ cap without prior approval results in cost disallowance.
- Conference cost documentation gaps. DOJ has specific conference cost approval thresholds and food-and-beverage limitations. Missing documentation surfaces in audits.
- 28 CFR Part 22 lapses. For research and statistics grants, weak privacy protections trigger compliance findings and can suspend the project.
- Quarterly SF-425 missed deadlines. OJJDP’s quarterly reporting cadence is more frequent than many recipients are accustomed to. Two consecutive misses freezes ASAP draws.
- PMT/DCTAT submission gaps. Late or incomplete performance measurement data triggers OJJDP program manager follow-up and can affect continuation funding decisions.
Where to go next
Read the practical guide to 2 CFR Part 200 for the cost principles framework that governs every OJJDP award. Review federal grant reporting requirements before your first SF-425 cycle. The DOJ OVC and VAWA reporting guide covers adjacent DOJ reporting expectations that mirror OJJDP requirements. The allowable costs guide walks through the cost-by-cost analysis that OJP financial monitoring focuses on. The free grant compliance checklist walks through the documentation set OJJDP recipients should maintain through closeout.
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- OJJDP
- The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, a component of the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs. Administers formula and discretionary grants to prevent and respond to juvenile delinquency and child victimization.
DEFINITION
- JustGrants
- The U.S. Department of Justice grants management system at justicegrants.usdoj.gov, used by OJJDP, OJP, OVW, and COPS for post-award management. Awards, federal financial reports, programmatic reports, drawdown approvals, and amendments are processed in JustGrants.
DEFINITION
- DOJ Grants Financial Guide
- DOJ's compliance reference that supplements 2 CFR Part 200 with DOJ-specific cost principles, audit, and financial management guidance. Required reading for any DOJ grant recipient. Updated periodically; the version in effect at award is the operative one.
DEFINITION
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