Deadline: 18/07/24
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is seeking applications for the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Program.
OJP is committed to advancing work that promotes civil rights and equity, increases access to justice, supports crime victims and individuals impacted by the justice system, strengthens community safety, protects the public from crime and evolving threats, and builds trust between law enforcement and the community.
With this solicitation, BJA seeks to support efforts by state, local, and tribal law enforcement and prosecution agencies and their partners in conducting outreach, educating practitioners and the public, enhancing victim reporting tools, and investigating and prosecuting 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.
The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Program at BJA (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.
In response to the increase in hate crimes over the last several years, BJA is seeking applications that employ a comprehensive approach to prevent and address hate crimes, including outreach and education efforts for the victims, the communities most impacted by hate incidents and hate crimes, and the public. Applications may also include education and training for law enforcement, prosecutors’ offices, and their partners in responding to, investigating, and prosecuting hate crimes. Funding can also be used to address serial violent hate crime offenses by the same person(s).
This funding is designed to assist jurisdictions in addressing hate crimes and to assist victims and communities that are facing an increase in hate crimes. The Shepard-Byrd Hate Crimes Program explores opportunities to support and encourage the establishment of partnerships between law enforcement and prosecution agencies and community-based organizations to prevent discrimination, bullying, harassment, and hate crimes. It also seeks to improve victim reporting of hate incidents and crimes and law enforcement reporting of hate crimes. Finally, this program may be used to address the unique needs of schools, colleges, and universities in preventing and addressing hate crimes and incidents.
Goals
- The goals of this program are:
- Support state, local, and tribal law enforcement and prosecution agencies in their efforts to increase reporting of hate crimes and identification of hate crimes and to increase agency capacity to investigate and prosecute hate crimes.
- Establish a more advanced level of preparedness at state, local, and tribal law enforcement and prosecution agencies for addressing hate crimes.
Objectives
- The objectives of this program include:
- Support comprehensive efforts to prevent and respond to hate crimes that incorporate relevant community stakeholders.
- Increase the number of agencies with strategic plans for addressing hate crimes.
- Increase the capacity of agencies to identify, report, investigate, and prosecute hate crimes.
- Expand the tools available to justice agencies to improve case outcomes for victims and communities impacted by hate crimes.
- Increase and enhance partnerships between justice agencies, impacted communities, and culturally responsive service organizations.
Funding Categories
- Category One: City or County Demonstration Projects
- Category one is designed to support hate crimes prevention, intervention, investigation, and prosecution initiatives focused on serving one jurisdiction for a maximum of $100,000 per year. Agencies that serve only one jurisdiction are eligible for an additional $325,000 for demonstration programs that include a heavy emphasis on increasing victim reporting and/or on ensuring accurate reporting of data to the FBI’s National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS). Category one applications that include the demonstration program focuses are eligible for a maximum award of $725,000.
- Category Two: State or Regional Initiatives
- Category two is designed to support hate crimes prevention, intervention, investigation, and prosecution initiatives that includes coordination among multiple jurisdictions. Category two includes applications from single agencies (including county agencies) that serve multiple municipalities. Applications under this program are eligible $100,000 per year per jurisdiction served for a maximum award amount of $2,000,000.
- Category Three: Strategic and Resiliency Planning
- Category three is designed to support jurisdictions in strategic and resiliency planning to address hate crimes. This category can help facilitate the development of a coordinated approach to preventing and investigating hate crimes across federal, state, local, education, and community partners.
Priority Areas
- In order to further OJP’s mission, OJP will provide priority consideration when making award decisions to the following:
- Applicants that demonstrate that their capabilities and competencies for implementing their proposed project(s) are enhanced because they (or at least one proposed subrecipient that will receive at least 40 percent of the requested award funding, as demonstrated in the Budget web-based form) are a population specific organization that serves communities that have been historically underserved, marginalized, adversely affected by inequality, and disproportionately impacted by crime, violence, and victimization.
- For purposes of this solicitation, population specific organizations are nonprofit, nongovernmental, or Tribal organizations that primarily serve members of a specific underserved population, and have demonstrated experience and expertise providing targeted services to members of that specific underserved population.
- To receive this additional priority consideration, applicants must describe how being a population specific organization (or funding the population specific subrecipient organization(s)) will enhance their ability to implement the proposed project(s), and should also specify which historically underserved populations are intended or expected to be served or have their needs addressed under the proposed project(s).
- BJA will offer priority consideration to programs that propose funded partnerships with community stakeholder organizations to include community-based organizations, civil rights organizations, and/or K–12 schools.
- BJA will offer priority consideration to programs that actively seek to address hate incidents on college and university campuses. Priority will be given to applicants that include Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs), letters of support, and/or funded partnerships with local colleges and universities.
- Applicants that demonstrate that their capabilities and competencies for implementing their proposed project(s) are enhanced because they (or at least one proposed subrecipient that will receive at least 40 percent of the requested award funding, as demonstrated in the Budget web-based form) are a population specific organization that serves communities that have been historically underserved, marginalized, adversely affected by inequality, and disproportionately impacted by crime, violence, and victimization.
- Note: Addressing these priority areas is one of many factors that OJP considers in making funding decisions. Receiving priority consideration for one or more priority areas does not guarantee an award.
Funding Information
- Anticipated Total Amount to Be Awarded Under This Solicitation: $11,100,000
- Anticipated Maximum Dollar Amount per Award: Up to $2,000,000
- Category 1 anticipated maximum amount: Up to $725,000
- Category 2 anticipated maximum amount: Up to $2,000,000
- Category 3 anticipated maximum amount: Up to $150,000
- Period of Performance Start Date: October 1, 2024
- Period of Performance Duration (Months): 48 (24 for Category 3)
- Anticipated Number of Awards: 15
- Category 1: 9
- Category 2: 2
- Category 3: 4
Deliverables
- BJA will deliver the following:
- Resources, guides, and lessons learned from jurisdictions that actively work to address hate crimes.
- Tailored support for grantees to establish interagency working groups to establish strategic plans for addressing hate crimes.
- Written and multimedia reports increasing awareness of hate crimes and highlighting grantee success
Eligibility Criteria
- Other: State, local, and tribal law enforcement and prosecution agencies. Tribal law enforcement and prosecution agencies must be from Federally recognized Indian tribal governments that perform law enforcement functions (as determined by the Secretary of the Interior).
For more information, visit Grants.gov.