2026 Combating Hate Crimes Grant Program Funding Opportunity

The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) is pleased to announce the availability of grant funds to assist organizations in combating hate crimes. DCJS is soliciting applications to make competitive grants to local governments that have established partnerships with eligible non-profit, 501(c)3 institutions, and organizations that have been targets, or are at risk of being targets, of hate crimes. 

Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis for a 12-month period beginning July 1, 2025, and ending on June 30, 2026.  Applications will be reviewed in August 2025 and be retroactively awarded to begin July 1, 2025. All applications must be submitted using the Online Grants Management System (OGMS), found at http://ogms.dcjs.virginia.gov/index.do. Instructions for registering for a new account and for applying for funding can be found on the OGMS Training & Resources page, found at https://www.dcjs.virginia.gov/grants/ogms-training-resources. The Funding Opportunity for this program in OGMS is “2026 Combating Hate Crimes Grant Program Funding Opportunity” number 555018.

Eligible Applicants

This funding is open to local governments within the Commonwealth that have established partnerships with non-profit organizations or institutions within their jurisdiction. 

Purpose

The goal of this program is to minimize bias-motivated incidents by providing funding that supports institutions and/or nonprofit organizations within a locality that may be at risk for targeted, bias-motivated violence based on race, religious conviction, color, gender, disability, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, or national origin.

A live webinar for prospective applicants will be offered on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. Please Note: This webinar will be hosted on our Benchmark Learning Management System. To register, create your account, or log in, click here. After logging in, search for “Combating Hate Crimes Grant Program Informational Webinar”. Or, after logging in, click the following link to be taken directly to the registration page. For more information or help, please refer to this user guide. 

The webinar will focus on the Hate Crimes Grant Program's goals, and staff will be available to answer questions about eligibility and project ideas.  

For technical assistance with OGMS, email ogmssupport@dcjs.virginia.gov and include the grant program in the subject line. This support email should be used for general system questions and not grant application-specific inquiries. 

Should you have any questions or concerns about this grant program, please contact Beth Polak at elizabeth.polak@dcjs.virginia.gov or (804) 659-6487.