Protecting and Rehabilitating Sexually Exploited Women and Girls Through Long-Term Safe Homes

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) Office on Women's Health (OWH) announces the anticipated availability of funds for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 grants under the authority of section 229 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act (42 U.S.C. § 237a) and section 1703(a) of the PHS Act (42 U.S.C. § 300u-2(a)). Those grants are funded through the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026.This notice solicits applications for initiatives that seek to address sexual violence by providing safe homes for sexually exploited and/or abused women or girls. These safe homes must provide longer-term housing for months or years–sufficient to serve the rehabilitative needs of the populations served–as opposed to emergency shelter, along with comprehensive multidisciplinary care that addresses the physical, psychological, emotional, social, and educational needs of the girls and/or women they serve. Grantees are expected to strengthen partnerships between state- and/or community-level providers which may include healthcare systems, domestic or sexual violence organizations, law enforcement, behavioral health providers, substance use disorder treatment providers, or education providers. By partnering with these and other statewide organizations, these safe homes would improve healthcare providers' ability to help victims of violence and improve prevention of further violence and re-traumatization by providing female victims of sexual exploitation and/or abuse with the comprehensive, therapeutic, and around-the-clock staffed care that they need.

Nonprofit organizations may be required to provide evidence of tax-exempt status. When projects involve the collaborative efforts of more than one organization or require the use of services or facilities not under the direct control of the applicant, written assurances of specific support or agreements may be required from the affected parties.