The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is currently accepting applications for the FY25 Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Program, which supports state, local, and tribal law enforcement and prosecution agencies, and their partners, in identifying, investigating, prosecuting, and preventing hate crimes.

Funding Agency

U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)

Solicitation Title

FY25 Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Program

Funding Opportunity Number

O-BJA-2025-172491

Assistance Listing Number

16.040 – Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Education, Investigation, and Prosecution Program

Application Deadlines

• Grants.gov (SF‑424): April 20, 2026, by 11:59 p.m. ET
• JustGrants Full Application: April 27, 2026, by 8:59 p.m. ET

Total Funding Available

Up to $13,000,000 is available nationally under this solicitation, with an anticipated award ceiling of up to $3,000,000 per award. The anticipated period of performance is 36 months, depending on the project category.

Program Summary

This program provides funding to support efforts to prevent and respond to hate crimes motivated by a victim’s perceived or actual race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability. Funds may be used to provide technical, forensic, prosecutorial, or other assistance in the investigation and prosecution of hate crimes, as well as to address serial or violent hate crime activity and improve reporting and data collection.

Program Categories

This solicitation includes multiple project categories, including:

• City or County Demonstration Projects
• State or Regional Initiatives
• Strategic and Resiliency Planning Projects

Award amounts and periods of performance vary by category.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants include:

• State law enforcement agencies
• Local law enforcement agencies
• Tribal law enforcement agencies
• State, local, and tribal prosecution agencies

Tribal applicants must be from federally recognized tribal governments that perform law enforcement functions.

Key Focus Areas

Funded activities may include:

• Hate crime prevention, identification, investigation, and prosecution
• Training for law enforcement officers and prosecutors
• Community engagement and public education initiatives
• Improvements to hate crime reporting and data collection systems
• Support for multidisciplinary partnerships to address hate crimes and related incidents

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov and JustGrants by the deadlines listed above. Applicants should review the NOFO carefully for category‑specific requirements, allowable costs, and application review criteria.

Links

• Full NOFO (PDF): https://www.ojp.gov/funding/docs/bja-2025-172491.pdf
• BJA Opportunity Page: https://bja.ojp.gov/funding/opportunities/o-bja-2025-172491