§ 7A-354.1.  Human Trafficking Commission Competitive Grant Program.

(a) Established. - The Human Trafficking Commission shall develop and implement the Human Trafficking Commission Competitive Grant Program.

(b) Criteria. - The following criteria shall apply to the Grant Program:

(1) Grant applicants shall satisfy all of the following:

a. Be a nonprofit corporation.

b. Provide direct services to victims of human trafficking, which may include case management, client safety, client well-being, and other services, including health, transportation, housing, education, and employment assistance.

c. Be ineligible for a grant under the provisions of G.S. 50B-9 and G.S. 143B-394.21.

d. Submit a detailed proposal of its human trafficking service program which shall, at a minimum, include each of the following:

1. A description of the geographic area the organization serves and the needs of victims of human trafficking in that area.

2. A plan to address the needs of victims, including the goals and objectives of each proposed initiative.

3. The timeline for implementing each proposed initiative to achieve the desired objective and the names of any partners with whom the organization will be working and the role of those partners in the proposed initiative.

4. A list of the specific services each proposed initiative will deliver, which may include case management, client safety, client well-being, and other services, including health, transportation, housing, education, and employment assistance.

5. The anticipated planning and administrative costs for each proposed initiative, sorted by type, including staffing, fixed costs, contracts, and information technology.

6. A description of the organization's capacity to implement its plan to address the needs of victims, including the organization's staffing level, systems, partnerships, existing funding, and existing programs.

7. Any additional information deemed appropriate by the Commission.

(2) The Commission shall coordinate outreach efforts with the North Carolina Council for Women and Youth Involvement (Council), State agencies, and local partners to make information regarding the grant funds available to eligible organizations within two weeks after this section becomes law.

(3) The Commission shall, upon receipt of all applications by the deadlines set by the Commission, expeditiously award and disburse grant funds.

(4) Grant recipients shall comply with all reporting requirements in G.S. 143C-6-23 and the contract between the recipient and the Commission.

(c) Grant Maximum. - The Commission shall set the maximum amount of each grant based upon the availability of funds, provided that no grantee shall receive more than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) in grant funds in each State fiscal year.

(d) Grantee Reporting. - No later than February 1 of each year following a year in which a grantee received funds pursuant to the Grant Program created under this section, each grantee shall submit a report to the Commission that includes all of the following:

(1) Progress on the development and implementation of each of its program initiatives.

(2) Progress on meeting goals and objectives for each program initiative.

(3) The number of human trafficking victims assisted through each program initiative.

(4) A description and explanation of any delays in implementation of program initiatives.

(5) A description and explanation of any changes in the proposal submitted pursuant to sub-subdivision d. of subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of this section.

(6) Planning and administrative costs to date for each program initiative, sorted by type, including staffing, fixed costs, contracts, and information technology.

(7) Any additional information required by the Commission.

The Commission shall post on its website the reports required by this subsection.

(e) Commission Reporting. - No later than April 1 of each year, the Commission shall submit a report on the grants awarded in the previous year to the Senate Appropriations Committee on Justice and Public Safety, the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee on Justice and Public Safety, the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety, and the Fiscal Research Division. The report shall contain all of the following:

(1) The number of applications received.

(2) The number of grants awarded.

(3) The names and locations of the grant recipients.

(4) The amount of each grant awarded.

(5) A description of the human trafficking initiatives funded by each grant awarded under this section, including the geographic area in which services were provided.

(6) The total number of victims of human trafficking that were served, to date, by each recipient receiving a grant under this section. (2023-134, s. 16.23(a).)