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Grants / Justice and legal services

BJA FY 2026 Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Act Program

Bureau of Justice Assistance, Department of Justice

Deadline
November 13, 2026in 24 days
Award size
Up to $645,000
Matching funds
Not required
Fit for small groups
Better for larger organizations

In plain language

This grant helps pay for investigations and prosecutions of old civil rights crimes that led to deaths. It is meant for law enforcement and prosecutors in states, local areas, and tribes.

The money can pay for

  • Investigating civil rights crimes
  • Prosecuting civil rights crimes
  • Supporting law enforcement agencies
  • Supporting prosecutors

Who can apply

State, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies, as well as local and state prosecutors can apply.

Is it a fit for a small group?

Better for larger organizations. This grant is for law enforcement and prosecutors, not for small community nonprofits like food pantries or arts groups.

Before you apply

  • Eligible applicants are limited to law enforcement and prosecutors
  • Only crimes that happened before 1980 are eligible
  • The grant is for investigations and prosecutions, not for community services
  • Federal applicants need an active registration at SAM.gov and a Grants.gov account. Registration can take several weeks, so start early.

This summary was written by GrantGather with AI, based on the official listing. It can contain mistakes. Check the official listing on Grants.gov before you apply.

From the official listing

This is a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for the BJA FY 2026 Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Act Program. This opportunity supports state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies, including prosecution agencies, in investigating and prosecuting criminal offenses involving civil rights that occurred no later than December 31,1979, and resulted in a death.

Opportunity number
O-BJA-2026-172773
Posted
September 29, 2026
Eligible applicants
Others (see eligibility details)
Eligibility details
State Law Enforcement; Local Law Enforcement; Tribal Law Enforcement; Local Prosecutors; State: For the purposes of this NOFO, “state” means any state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Local: For the purposes of this NOFO, “local” includes towns, boroughs, parishes, villages, or other general purpose political subdivisions of a state.
Assistance listing
16.031 Emmett Till Cold Case Investigations Program
Agency contact
Bureau of Justice Assistance
OJP.ResponseCenter@usdoj.gov
202-514-9354
Open the official listing on Grants.govAgency’s full announcement

Nonprofits are eligible here through the “Others” category. Read the eligibility details carefully.