Grants
DOJ offers several grant programs that support hate crimes programs of law enforcement agencies, researchers, community organizations, and service providers. Many grants are offered annually and accept applications for a certain number of weeks each year. Learn more about our different grant programs, which programs are accepting applications now, and how to apply. You can also find examples of programs offered by current awardees.
Currently Accepting Applications
Law Enforcement Agencies | Deadline to Apply: May 21, 2024
Who May Apply:
- State, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies.
Why Apply:
- The Community Policing Development (CPD) Microgrants Program provides funding to local, state, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies to implement demonstration or pilot projects that offer creative ideas to advance crime fighting, community engagement, problem solving, or organizational changes in support of community policing. One of the six subcategories is Hate Crimes and Domestic Extremism. The COPS Office will provide funding to develop or enhance programs that aid in the prevention of and response to hate crimes and domestic extremism. Agencies are encouraged to partner with institutions of higher education, community groups, other criminal justice stakeholders, and the general public on project activities.
Maximum per Award:
- Up to $175,000
Examples of strategies/activities that can be funded:
- Hate Crimes and Domestic Extremism
- Community Violence Intervention
- Officer Recruitment, Retention, and Workforce Diversification
- Underserved Populations
- Building Trust and Legitimacy with the Community
- Open Topic Area
Where to get more information about this opportunity:
Visit https://cops.usdoj.gov/cpdmicrogrants for more information about the program and https://cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/2024ProgramDocs/cpdmicrogrants/Pre_Award_Fact_Sheet.pdf for full funding information
Law Enforcement Agencies | Deadline to Apply: June 4, 2024
Who May Apply:
- State, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies, including prosecutors’ offices
Why Apply:
- Receive funding to support activities and expenses associated with the investigation and prosecution of cold case murders involving civil rights violations, as authorized by the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Reauthorization Act of 2016; address hate crimes; and enhance the rule of law through the resolution of unsolved homicides.
Maximum per Award:
- Up to $750,000
Examples of strategies/activities that can be funded:
- Initiate or enhance the capacity of state, local, and tribal law enforcement and prosecutors to identify, investigate, and prosecute cold cases.
- Engage in case reviews and resolution for civil rights cold case murders, even when prosecution may not be possible.
- Facilitate healing, resolution, and support for families and communities impacted by these murders.
- Partner with organizations to facilitate public outreach, awareness, and education about relevant cases.
Where to get more information about this opportunity:
Visit https://bja.ojp.gov/program/emmett-till-cold-case-investigations-and-prosecution-program/overview for more information about the program and https://bja.ojp.gov/funding/O-BJA-2024-172013.pdf for full funding information.
Community-Based Organizations, National Civil Rights Organizations, and Nonprofits | Deadline to Apply: June 11, 2024
Who May Apply:
- Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments)
- 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
- Public- and state-controlled institutions of higher education
- Private institutions of higher education
- Other community-based organizations and civil rights organizations that are tribal, non-profit, and academic.
Why Apply:
- BJA seeks to support comprehensive community-based approaches to addressing hate crimes that promote community awareness and preparedness, increase victim reporting, and improve responses to hate crimes. The program is also designed to develop community-informed models for preventing and responding to hate speech and incidents, as well as facilitating reconciliation and community healing.
Maximum per Award:
- Up to $2,000,000
Examples of strategies/activities that can be funded:
- Invest in community-led initiatives that prevent hate crimes through conflict resolution, community empowerment, and education.
- Support programs that result in increased reporting of hate crimes to law enforcement or other trusted community institutions.
- Establish and disseminate a catalogue of various initiatives, efforts, and activities that have been implemented by communities to address hate crimes to promote replication.
- Develop pathways for more grassroots organizations to access federal grant funds to prevent and address hate crimes.
- Create a variety of ways to elevate the work and voices of community leaders and organizations that have implemented these programs (at conferences, in written materials, through social media or other media content, etc.).
Webinar
- BJA will be hosting a webinar to provide details about this opportunity and offer a chance for participants to ask questions. Registration details will be included here when available.
- You can also review information BJA provided for the FY23 Grant Solicitation at the links below:
- Watch the webinar recording
- Watch the excerpt of guest speaker Michael Munson
- Access the presentation slides
- Read the transcript
Where to get more information about this opportunity:
Visit https://bja.ojp.gov/funding/opportunities/o-bja-2024-172028 for more information and https://bja.ojp.gov/funding/O-BJA-2024-172028.pdf for full funding information.
This fact sheet provides information on OJP initiatives that address hate crimes.
A look at BJA's grant funding programs that combat hate crimes.
This fact sheet provides information on the COPS FY 2024 Microgrants Program.
The Department of Justice, and its grant-making component, The Office of Justice Programs, recognize the urgency of addressing the past and present impact of hate crimes. OJP grant funds support a range of efforts related to fighting hate crimes.
This article discusses how the Westchester NY district attorney’s office used a BJA grant to hire a hate crimes analyst and mentor future hate crimes investigators through their student internship program.
The Department of Justice awarded the state of California over a million dollars to expand community awareness of a statewide non-emergency hotline for victims of hate incidents and crimes launched in May 2023. The Department also funded hotlines in two more states. Why are hotlines necessary? How do they help people targeted for hate?
The Maryland OAG engaged in a multi-year initiative to address the increasing number of hate crimes and bias incidents across the state. A critical part of this initiative was realized through funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Collaborative Approaches toward Preventing and Addressing Hate Crime – Demonstration Projects grant program.
Closed Grant Solicitations
State Agencies
Last Available: May 6, 2024
Who May Apply:
- State governments
- Special district governments
- City or township governments
- Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
- County governments
- Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
- Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
- Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
- 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
- Private institutions of higher education
- For-profit organizations other than small businesses
- Small businesses
- Independent school districts
- Units of local government
Maximum per Award:
- Up to $2,500,000
Examples of strategies/activities that can be funded:
- Evaluations of federal, state, or locally funded efforts to combat hate crimes.
- Research that informs strategies to prevent hate crimes.
- Research and evaluations of strategies to improve the reporting, identification, and response to hate crimes.
- Research and evaluations of strategies to improve outcomes for survivors and their communities.
Past Webinar
- On February 13, 2024, from 3-4pm ET, NIJ hosted a webinar to discuss this solicitation along with the separate solicitation "NIJ FY24 Research on School-Based Hate Crimes."
- Access a transcript and slides
Where to get more information about this opportunity:
Visit https://nij.ojp.gov/funding/opportunities/o-nij-2024-171949 for more information and https://nij.ojp.gov/funding/O-NIJ-2024-171949.pdf for full funding information.
Last Available: April 4, 2023
Who May Apply:
OVC seeks applications from state agencies to implement the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act State-Run Hate Crime Reporting Hotlines program; and seeks applications from technical assistance providers to support award recipients under this program.
Awardees:
- Attorney General Nevada Office;
- Information and Referral Federation of Los Angeles County
FY 2022
- Illinois Hate Crime and Bias Incident Hotline
- The California vs. Hate Resource Line and Network
Maximum per Award:
- Purpose 1: up to 3 awards of up to $1,165,000
- Purpose 2: one award up to $1,000,000
Examples of strategies/activities that can be funded:
- Purpose 1: The hotlines funded under this program are intended to support victims who might be reluctant to report hate crimes to law enforcement.
- Purpose 2: The successful applicant will develop and deliver training and technical assistance designed to assist OVC grantees and other stakeholders under this program to ensure successful implementation of state-run hate crimes hotlines.
Where to get more information about this opportunity:
Visit https://ovc.ojp.gov/funding/opportunities/o-ovc-2023-171708 for full funding information.
Last Available: May 19, 2022
Who May Apply:
- This program seeks to enhance states’ use of technology for the purpose of providing improved service to crime victims (under Purpose Area 1) and to support Jabara-Heyer No HATE Act state-run hate crime reporting hotlines (under Purpose Area 2).
- Purpose 1: OVC is seeking applications from Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Formula Assistance and Compensation Program State Administering Agencies (SAA) to implement statewide technology programs to enhance victims’ access to services, foster innovation and efficiency in the provision of services, improve the quality of services, and improve the accessibility and responsiveness of victim service organizations;
- Purpose 2: OVC is seeking applications under 34 U.S.C. 30507(e), to establish state-run hate crime hotlines to assist victims who might otherwise be reluctant to report these crimes.
Awardees:
- Idaho Department of Health and Welfare;
- Puerto Rico Department of Justice;
- Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission;
- Office of the Attorney General (Guam)
Maximum per Award:
- Purpose Area 1: 4 awards of up to $500,000 each for up to a 36-month period of performance, to begin on October 1, 2022;
- Purpose Area 2: 2 awards of up to $1.12 million each for up to a 36-month period of performance, to begin on October 1, 2022.
Examples of strategies/activities that can be funded:
- The implementation of a comprehensive system to manage the application, reimbursement, and budget management functions of ICDVVA grant awards;
- Improve the efficiency of ICDVVA staff and subrecipient agencies across the state;
- Digitalizing the files of subgrantee projects and establishing a mechanized grant management system;
- Implement statewide technology that strengthens the current system by updating its website and combining an online platform, web-based system with the capacity to interface in an effort to increase victims’ access to services, increase efficiency in the provision of services and improve the quality of service offered to victims of crime
Where to get more information about this opportunity:
Visit https://ovc.ojp.gov/funding/awards/15povc-22-gk-04373-nonf for full funding information.
Law Enforcement and Prosecutors
Who May Apply:
- Local, State, Tribal, and Territorial Law Enforcement Agencies
Awardees:
- The COPS office will fund projects in the following subcategories: community violence intervention; officer recruitment, retention and workforce diversification; hate crimes and domestic extremism; underserved populations; building trust and legitimacy with the community
Maximum per Award:
- $5,880,000 split between multiple awardees
Examples of strategies/activities that can be funded:
- This program's funds are used to develop law enforcement’s capacity to implement community policing strategies by providing funding to local, state, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies. When properly applied, community policing improves the identification and prioritization of community problems; builds trust and relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve; and enables an agency to build a culture toward accountability, transparency, open communication, and mutual trust.
Where to get more information about this opportunity:
Visit https://cops.usdoj.gov/cpdmicrogrants for full funding information.
Last Available: March 6, 2023
Who May Apply:
Through this opportunity, the Bureau of Justice Assistance will provide funding to state, local, and tribal law enforcement and prosecution agencies and their partners to conduct outreach, educate practitioners and the public, enhance victim reporting tools, and investigate and prosecute hate crimes committed on the basis of a victim’s perceived or actual race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability.
Awardees:
- Anne Arundel County Hate Crime Prevention, Maryland;
- BJA FY 23 Mather Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Program;
- CCSAO Against Hate- Education and Outreach Program;
- Clackamas County DA's Enhanced Bias Crime Prevention, Response, and Prosecution Initiative; Community Expansion to Combat and Curb Hate Crimes in Suffolk County, NY;
- Chicago PD's Shepard-Byrd Hate Crime Prevention;
- City of Minneapolis plan to support City Council's directive to review and evaluate Hate Crime Response;
- New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety Hate Crimes Program;
- City of Memphis Tennessee Hate Crimes Program;
- Delaware Department of Justice Hate Crimes Social Worker and Public Outreach; Miami-Dade County Police Department Hate Crimes Prevention and Prosecution Program;
- Orange County DA's Hate Crimes Program;
- New Orleans's Parish DA's SVU Transparency and Accountability of Crimes of Hate;
- City of Phoenix Police Department; Mount Clemens Michigan;
- Flaggers County Sheriffs Office, Bunnell Florida: Targeted Violence Prevention, Monitoring, and Reporting
FY 2022
- Portland, OR Multnomah County Hate Crimes Reporting and Response Initiative;
- State of IL AG's Hate Crimes Law Enforcement and Prosecutors Training;
- Nassau County DA Hate Crime Response and Reporting Enhancement Program;
- City of NY Police Department;
- Rhode Island AG's Hate Crime Prosecution and Reporting Initiative;
- City of Houston
Maximum per Award:
- 16 awards totaling $12,682,462
Examples of strategies/activities that can be funded:
- Two solicitation categories: state or regional applications and single agency application
Where to get more information about this opportunity:
Visit https://bja.ojp.gov/funding/opportunities/o-bja-2023-171642 for full funding information.
Last Available: March 6, 2023
Who May Apply:
Through this opportunity, the Bureau of Justice Assistance seeks applications for funding state, local, and tribal law enforcement and prosecution agencies to support activities and expenses associated with the investigation and prosecution of cold case murders involving civil rights violations, as authorized by the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Reauthorization Act of 2016. This program supports state and local efforts to address hate crimes and to enhance the investigative skills of law enforcement and prosecution, as well as enhance the rule of law through the resolution of unsolved homicides.
Awardees:
- Washington State Emmitt Till Indigenous Archives and Cold Case Project
FY 2022
- City of Tulsa Emmett Till Cold Case Investigations and Prosecution Program;
- Fulton County, Office of the District Attorney, home of the civil rights movement investigates cold cases
Maximum per Award:
- 1 award: $1,500,000
Examples of strategies/activities that can be funded:
- The Washington State Attorney General’s Office (AGO) proposes to use grant funding in collaboration with Washington State tribes to research, identify and create an inventory of cold cases involving Indigenous victims with civil rights violations prior to 1980.
Where to get more information about this opportunity:
Visit https://bja.ojp.gov/funding/opportunities/o-bja-2023-171639 for full funding information.
Last Available: May 14, 2021
Who May Apply:
- This program provides funding to develop comprehensive approaches to address precipitous increases in hate crimes through demonstration programs that conduct outreach and offer training on hate crimes, as well as investigate and prosecute hate crimes.
Awardees:
- N/A
Maximum per Award:
- N/A
Examples of strategies/activities that can be funded:
- This approach must include conducting outreach, educating practitioners and the public, enhancing victim reporting strategies, and investigating and prosecuting hate crimes committed on the basis of the victim’s perceived or actual race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability. With the precipitous increase in hate crimes, partnerships with local and state-level nonprofit organizations are highly encouraged.
Where to get more information about this opportunity:
Visit https://bja.ojp.gov/funding/opportunities/o-bja-2021-111001 for full funding information.
Community-Based Organizations
Last Available: March 6, 2023
Who May Apply:
Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments); 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; Private institutions of higher education; Public and state controlled institutions of higher education; Other (This includes community-based organizations and civil rights organizations that are tribal, nonprofit, and academic)
Awardees:
- A Community-Based Early Warning and Early Response Mechanism to Prevent and Address Hate in Boston;
- Anti-Hate Prevention and Response;
- Broward County Youth Hate Crime Education and Prevention Program;
- Bystander Intervention to Prevent and De-Escalate Hate-Based Violence Against LGBTQ+ Community Members in Texas;
- Community Based Approaches to Preventing and Addressing Hate Crimes Against AAPI and LGBTQ Communities in San Diego County California;
- Community-Based Approaches to Prevent and Address Hate Crimes;
- Community-Based Approaches to Prevent and Address Hate Crimes in South, Central and East Los Angeles;
- Defending Against Hate Targeted toward Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers in Michigan;
- Making Maine a Place Without Hate;
- PRCC Puerto Rico's Community-Based Approaches to Prevent and Address Hate Crimes;
- Resilient Communities: Street Vendors Project; Stamping Out Hate in South Carolina's Lowcountry, A Collaborative Approach in Educating, Responding, and Documenting Hate Crime in the Lowcountry and Beyond;
- Stop Anti-Asian Hate Campaign; Stop the Hate Nevada;
- Addressing hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people and the communities to which we belong;
- Teen and Police Service Academy: Youth and Police TAPPING OUT of Hate Crime;
- TRUST USA: A Community-Based Early Warning and Early Response Mechanism Prevent and Address Hate in USA;
- Underreported Under Threat: Addressing Hate Crimes Targeting Arab Americans;
- United Against Hate: Building a Comprehensive Response to Hate Crimes
FY 2022
- Committee of 100 INC.;
- Voices Unidas for Justice;
- New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project Inc.;
- F.O.R.G.E. INC.;
- The Working Group (Oakland, CA);
- International Center for the Study of Violent Extremism;
- South Asian Network INC. (Stope the Hate Project);
- Special Service for Groups INC. (Los Angeles, CA)
Maximum per Award:
- $8,247,183 split in varying amounts between 18 awardees
Examples of strategies/activities that can be funded:
- The Bureau of Justice Assistance will provide funding to support comprehensive community-based approaches to addressing hate crimes that promote community awareness and preparedness, increase victim reporting, and improve responses to hate crimes. This program is also designed to develop community-informed models for responding to hate speech and incidents, as well as facilitating reconciliation and community healing.
Where to get more information about this opportunity:
Visit https://bja.ojp.gov/funding/opportunities/o-bja-2023-171643 for full funding information.
Who May Apply:
- N/A
Awardees:
In FY 21, the following The Community IMPACT sites received the 12- to 18-month grants:
- The California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative in Oakland, California, which will partner with Black Women for Wellness to develop healing programming and strengthen solidarity among Vietnamese & Black women survivors of hate crimes.
- Voices Unidas for Justice in Colorado Springs, which will develop a grassroots-informed social media outreach and education campaign, train and coach individuals to answer a dedicated statewide helpline, equip peer supporters to accompany victims while making incident reports, and produce an informational pocket card for police departments and judicial districts.
- In the Streets in Washington, D.C., which will extend holistic health, wellness, and workforce development services and supports to disrupt transgenerational trauma rooted in or intersecting with hate crimes.
- New England Arab American Organization in Maine, which will enhance systemic responses for Arab American victims of hate crimes by building awareness, promoting healing, and providing avenues for reconciliation.
- Michigan Organization on Adolescent Sexual Health, which will institute statewide, integrated youth-driven services and training to promote awareness of and healing from hate crimes targeting Michigan youth of color.
- Reviving Roots Therapy and Wellness in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which will identify and provide ongoing services for individuals who experienced racial trauma and need mental health wellness services.
- King Urban Life Center, Inc. in Buffalo, New York, which will extend social justice resources and healing programing to those in the Buffalo community most impacted by the hate-fueled Tops grocery store shooting.
- Substantial Media LLC in Eastern North Carolina, which will produce an in-depth living history series of interviews with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) victims of hate crimes, create a traditional and digital media awareness campaign, and develop online tools for healing and resource mapping.
- Forge, in Milkwaukee, WI, creates and disseminates educational content that addresses the myths and realities of hate crimes affecting the trans community; KAN-WIN, Chicago, Illinois, Recruit arts-based healing and educational program cohort.
- Cia Siab, Inc. in La Crosse, Wisconsin, which will educate the Hmoob (Hmong) community about hate crimes and enhance responses through accessible reporting tools, trainings for service providers, and improved coordination with health and legal services.
- Eastern Panhandle Empowerment Center in Martinsburg, West Virginia, which will use advocacy and hyperlocal empathy and awareness-building initiatives to create sustainable, systemic change.
Maximum per Award:
- N/A
Examples of strategies/activities that can be funded:
- N/A
Where to get more information about this opportunity:
Visit https://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/1-million-new-grants-will-help-organizations-11-states-support-victims-hate-crimes-strengthen-communities/ for full funding information.
Community-Based Organizations | Schools
Last Available: May 14, 2021
Who May Apply:
The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Program (Shepard/Byrd Hate Crimes Program) supports state, local, and tribal law enforcement and prosecution agencies in their outreach to and education of the public, victims, and their staff and partners on hate crimes. It also funds extraordinary expenses associated with the investigation and prosecution of hate crimes. Applicants should have a demonstrated expertise in assisting communities to develop and implement hate crime investigations, as well as conducting educational outreach and training on hate crimes.
Awardees:
- N/A
Maximum per Award:
- N/A
Examples of strategies/activities that can be funded:
- N/A
Where to get more information about this opportunity:
Visit https://bja.ojp.gov/funding/opportunities/o-bja-2021-111003 for more information.
Community-Based Organizations | Schools | Tribal Institutions
Last Available: May 4, 2021
Who May Apply:
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) is seeking applications for funding for the FY 2021 Services to Support Victims of Hate Crime and Strengthen Communities Program. This program furthers the Department’s mission by supporting the development of program models to strengthen the capacity of the victim services field to better serve and support victims of hate crime.
Awardees:
- N/A
Maximum per Award:
- N/A
Examples of strategies/activities that can be funded:
- N/A
Where to get more information about this opportunity:
Visit https://ovc.ojp.gov/funding/opportunities/o-ovc-2021-02001 for more information.