FTA to provide $4M in funding to fight human trafficking

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is making $4 million available to help fight human trafficking and other crimes on public transit, the agency announced today.

As part of the FTA's new Human Trafficking Awareness and Public Safety Initiative, the agency is issuing two "notices of funding opportunity" (NOFOs) for $2 million each to prevent human trafficking and other crimes from occurring on public transit, including rail.

Human trafficking is a modern form of slavery and affects victims worldwide, including in the United States, FTA officials said in a press release. Traffickers often use public transit to conduct their activities.

The goal of the "Innovations in Transit Public Safety" NOFO is to develop projects that help transit agencies with identifying and adopting specific measures to address public safety in transit systems, including crime prevention, human trafficking and operator assault.

Eligible applicants for awards are limited to state and local governments, public transportation providers, nonprofit organizations or a consortium of entities, including a public transportation provider that will share the costs, risks, and rewards of early deployment and demonstration of innovation.

The second NOFO, "Crime Prevention and Public Safety Awareness," has the goal of developing and disseminating materials that support public safety awareness campaigns for transit systems. The awareness campaigns would address crime prevention, human trafficking and operator assault.

National nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply for those funds.

Organizations must have crime prevention experience, the capacity to provide public transportation-related technical assistance, and the ability to deliver a national public awareness campaign.

The application deadline for the funds under both NOFOs is May 28.

The FTA Human Trafficking Awareness and Public Safety Initiative builds on the U.S. Department of Transportation's work across all transportation modes to prevent human trafficking, said FTA Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams.