ATLANTA, GA - The Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC), on behalf of the Safe Harbor Commission, released a solicitation today for applications for the Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Children Grant Program. During the 2021 legislative session, Governor Brian Kemp recommended, and lawmakers approved, a $300,000 supplemental appropriation to the Safe Harbor Commission for the development, enhancement, and coordination of programs and activities purposed to strengthen the state of Georgia’s response against the sexual exploitation of youth. This grant program aims to increase awareness, improve coordination and multidisciplinary collaboration, and support services for sexually exploited children in the State of Georgia.

This program is designed to grant funds on a competitive basis to increase awareness, improve coordination and multidisciplinary collaboration, and support services for sexually exploited children in the state of Georgia.

“Georgia is making great strides in not only the effort to fight human trafficking, but also in supporting victims,” said Division of Family and Children Services Division Director and Safe Harbor Commission Chair Tom Rawlings. “We are optimistic this grant opportunity will bring innovative ideas and interest for others to join in that effort.”

As a Safe Harbor Commission member, CJCC Executive Director Jay Neal expressed his support for the Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Children Grant Program, stating, “The Safe Harbor Commission has made it a priority to build Georgia’s capacity to improve the coordinated response to child sex trafficking victims and to provide specialized victim service providers with the resources they need to better serve Georgia’s most vulnerable child victims, and we at CJCC are pleased to be a part of this effort.”

Eligible applicants interested in applying can view the Safe Harbor Sexually Exploited Children Grant Program solicitation at https://cjcc.georgia.gov/grants/funding-opportunities/current-grant-opportunities. Applications are due to CJCC by April 30, 2021, at 5:00 pm.

For more information regarding the solicitation, contact Erica Mortonson at [email protected] or 404-387-0459.

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About the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC)

Created by the Georgia General Assembly in 1981 as an Executive Branch agency, the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) represents the culmination of many efforts to establish a statewide body that would build consensus and unity among the state's diverse and interdependent criminal justice system components. For more information, visit the CJCC website: https://cjcc.georgia.gov/.

CJCC Contact:

Dannielle Lewis, Communications and External Affairs 

[email protected]

404-783-2163