2026 Combating Hate Crimes Grant Program

The Combating Hate Crimes Grant Program is administered by the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, a state agency responsible for supporting public safety initiatives, criminal justice policy, and funding programs that enhance community safety across the Commonwealth. This program is designed to provide targeted funding to reduce and prevent hate crimes, which are defined under Virginia law as criminal acts motivated by bias against protected characteristics such as race, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or national origin. The funding opportunity reflects the state’s commitment to addressing bias motivated violence and supporting communities that are at heightened risk. The primary purpose of the program is to support local governments in partnership with nonprofit organizations and institutions that have been targets of hate crimes or are at risk of such incidents. The program emphasizes proactive prevention by funding initiatives that strengthen security, improve preparedness, and reduce vulnerabilities to bias motivated violence. Eligible projects must demonstrate a clear connection to hate crime prevention and must prioritize organizations identified as at risk through threat assessments or similar evaluations conducted in coordination with local crime prevention officers. Funding is available through a state budget appropriation, with approximately one point three million dollars remaining for distribution during the current cycle. Individual localities may request up to two hundred thousand dollars, and awards are made on a competitive basis. The grant period is twelve months, running from July one to June thirty of the following year, with awards finalized after review and retroactively applied to the start of the grant period. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement associated with this program, which lowers barriers to participation for eligible applicants. Allowable uses of funds include equipment such as security systems, monitoring technologies, and infrastructure improvements designed to harden facilities against potential attacks. Funding may also support contractual security services, training for staff and volunteers on incident response and terrorism awareness, and limited personnel costs for part time staff conducting security assessments. However, the program imposes strict restrictions, prohibiting expenditures on weapons, construction, land acquisition, lobbying, bonuses, food, or vehicles. All expenditures must occur within the defined grant period and align directly with the program’s hate crime prevention objectives. Eligibility is limited to local governments within Virginia, which must serve as the primary applicant and fiscal agent. These localities are required to partner with nonprofit organizations or institutions within their jurisdiction. Only one application per locality is permitted, although multiple nonprofit partners may be included within a single submission. The application process is conducted exclusively through the Online Grants Management System, and applicants must complete required forms including general information, budget, project narrative, and detailed goals and objectives. Applications must be submitted by the stated deadline, and late submissions are not accepted under any circumstances. Applications are evaluated through a structured review process conducted by agency staff using a compliance and scoring framework. Recommendations are forwarded to the Criminal Justice Services Board, which makes final funding decisions. Applicants are required to provide detailed narratives describing need, project design, target populations, and sustainability plans, as well as measurable goals and implementation activities. Successful applicants must comply with reporting requirements, including quarterly financial and status reports, and may be required to provide additional data for statewide reporting. The application deadline for the current cycle is July thirty, twenty twenty five, with awards reviewed in August and implemented retroactively from July one. While the program does not explicitly state recurrence, it is tied to state budget appropriations, suggesting potential future funding cycles subject to legislative approval. Applicants may contact designated program staff via email or telephone for guidance during the application process, and technical assistance is available for the online submission system.

Applicants are advised to register for OGMS early to avoid technical difficulties.