Reducing Human Trafficking Through Forensics in Central America | INLEA INLCN 17 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for INLEA INLCN 17 001

The grant opportunity titled "Reducing Human Trafficking Through Forensics in Central America" (Funding Opportunity Number INLEA INLCN 17 001) is a discretionary grant from the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). It is designed to support efforts that reduce human trafficking within Central America and trafficking from the region by strengthening forensic tools, specifically through the creation or improvement of a DNA database that can help identify missing or abducted children and connect them with biological relatives. The core idea is to use reliable forensic identification to support investigations, disrupt trafficking networks, and help families locate children who have been taken or gone missing.

At the center of the program is the establishment or enhancement of a DNA database composed of known reference samples taken from parents or other family members of missing or abducted children in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. In practical terms, this means setting up a system that can securely collect family reference DNA, process it using accepted forensic methods, store resulting DNA profiles in a database, and make the information usable for lawful comparison purposes. The opportunity recognizes that some capacity may already exist in the region, so applicants can propose either building a new database service or strengthening and expanding an existing one, as long as it can meet the trafficking-focused identification need across the three countries.

A major requirement is that projects work through collaboration rather than operating in isolation. Applicants are expected to partner with local law enforcement entities, civil society organizations, and academic institutions, which can include universities or forensic training centers. The program also encourages leveraging private sector investments where possible, which could involve equipment support, technology services, laboratory infrastructure assistance, or other forms of co-investment that improve sustainability and long-term performance. Overall, the grant is meant to build on forensic DNA capacity already being developed and implemented in Central America, not replace it, and to strengthen the systems that make that capacity operational for anti-trafficking outcomes.

Another major emphasis of the opportunity is solving the non-technical barriers that often prevent DNA tools from being used effectively. The project scope explicitly includes identifying and addressing legal, procedural, and functional obstacles related to collecting, maintaining, and sharing DNA samples and DNA database information for counter-trafficking purposes. This can include helping draft and support the passage of legislation that authorizes and governs DNA sample collection, testing, data protection, and cross-institutional information sharing. It can also include developing standard operating procedures (SOPs) for how samples are collected, transported, tested, stored, safeguarded, and shared, including protocols that protect sensitive personal data and ensure chain-of-custody and quality assurance. In addition, projects may include technical capacity-building so local partners can properly collect and analyze DNA samples, manage database information, and use results appropriately within investigative and judicial processes.

Public outreach is also part of the envisioned approach, reflecting the reality that a family-reference DNA database only works if families know it exists and trust the process enough to participate. The grant allows for outreach and engagement activities to encourage potential family members to provide DNA samples, which may include public information campaigns, collaboration with victim support groups, community-based organizations, and mechanisms that lower practical barriers to participation. While the opportunity description does not provide a full victim-services framework, it clearly anticipates that participation must be organized in a way that is safe, credible, and accessible to families affected by disappearance and trafficking.

Geographically, the grant is structured with a specific allocation of effort across the three target countries. Proposals must be weighted so that 50 percent of the effort is in Guatemala, and 25 percent of the effort is in El Salvador and 25 percent in Honduras. The implementer must be capable of running activities in all three countries at the same time, meaning applicants need operational reach, staff coverage, partner networks, and management systems that can support parallel implementation. The program also stresses sustainability, requiring projects to develop capacity in each country that can continue after the grant ends. This includes train-the-trainer models and other approaches that build local expertise, institutional ownership, and ongoing operational ability rather than short-term external support.

In terms of eligibility, the opportunity is open to U.S.-based or overseas-based nonprofit organizations, including civil society groups, NGOs, and educational institutions, as long as they have experience operating in a Latin American context and have appropriate forensic expertise and capacity. The eligible applicant categories listed include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (as applicable under U.S. rules), and other eligible entities as defined in the notice. The grant’s activity category is listed under law, justice, and legal services (and other), reflecting its focus on strengthening investigative and judicial capabilities through forensic systems that support anti-trafficking objectives.

The award ceiling is listed as $4,000,000, with the original closing date shown as March 27, 2017, and the opportunity creation date as January 27, 2017. While the notice does not specify the number of expected awards in the provided text, the overall structure signals a sizable, multi-country implementation effort focused on combining technical DNA forensic improvements with the legal frameworks, procedures, partnerships, and public engagement needed to make a trafficking-related DNA identification system functional and sustainable in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.

• The Bureau of International Narcotics-Law Enforcement in the law, justice and legal services, other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Reducing Human Trafficking Through Forensics in Central America" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.704.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-01-27.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-03-27. (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 $4,000,000.00 in funding.
• 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, Others.

Apply for INLEA INLCN 17 001

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: