Grants / Department of Justice / Bureau of Justice Assistance

O-BJA-2022-171088: BJA FY 22 Emmett Till Cold Case Investigations and Prosecution Program

Closed Closed June 1, 2022 Opportunity O-BJA-2022-171088 ☆ Save

This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: BJA FY 2026 Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Act Program (O-BJA-2026-172773). Status: Closes November 13, 2026 (6 days left). It is in our archive of Bureau of Justice Assistance notices from 2022.

• Award ceiling$500,000
• Total funding$2.0 million
• Expected awards4
• Cost sharingNot required
• Funding typeGrant

Key dates

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to the applicants described in the notice.

• Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

State, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies, including prosecutors’ offices. Tribal law enforcement must be from federally recognized Indian tribal governments that perform law enforcement functions (as determined by the Secretary of the Interior). Applicants can partner with other agencies and nonprofit organizations with expertise to support the investigation of these cold cases and/or expertise to leverage historical documents to inform investigations. For purposes of this solicitation, “state” means any state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. To advance Executive Order 13929 Safe Policing for Safe Communities, the Attorney General determined that all state, local, and university or college law enforcement agencies must be certified by an approved independent credentialing body or have started the certification process, to be eligible for FY 2022 DOJ discretionary grant funding. To become certified, the law enforcement agency must meet two mandatory conditions: (1) the agency’s use-of-force policies adhere to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and (2) the agency’s use-of-force policies prohibit chokeholds except in situations where use of deadly force is allowed by law. The certification requirement also applies to law enforcement agencies receiving DOJ discretionary grant funding through a subaward. For detailed information on this certification requirement, please visit https://cops.usdoj.gov/SafePolicingEO to access the Standards for Certification on Safe Policing for Safe Communities, the Implementation Fact Sheet, and the List of Designated Independent Credentialing Bodies. All recipients and subrecipients (including any for-profit organization) must forgo any profit or management fee.

Is this a realistic fit?

• Past Emmett Till Cold Case Investigations Program awards averaged $912,676; this notice allows up to $500,000 per award.
• Most of the program's money (68% over five years) went to state and local governments.
• No cost sharing or match is required.

What the grant funds

OJP is committed to advancing work that promotes civil rights and racial equity, increases access to justice, supports crime victims and individuals impacted by the justice system, strengthens community safety and protects the public from crime and evolving threats, and builds trust between law enforcement and the community. The Emmett Till Cold Case Investigations and Prosecution Program supports state, local, and tribal law enforcement and prosecution agencies, working with their partners, to investigate and prosecute unsolved cold case homicides suspected to have been racially motivated or otherwise associated with civil rights violations. This includes support for victims' families and stakeholders impacted by these cases. Funds are limited to address incidents that resulted in death that occurred no later than December 31, 1979.

Category: Law, Justice and Legal Services.

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, O-BJA-2026-172773, which is open now.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.