BJA FY 21 Emmett Till Cold Case Investigations and Training and Technical Assistance Program | O BJA 2021 45002

Opportunity Information: Apply for O BJA 2021 45002

The BJA FY 21 Emmett Till Cold Case Investigations and Training and Technical Assistance Program is a discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), designed to help communities pursue justice in unsolved homicide cold cases that are suspected of being racially motivated. The core purpose is to provide resources for investigating and prosecuting these long-unsolved murders, while also recognizing the lasting impact these cases have on victims families and affected communities. In addition to supporting direct casework, the program includes support for a national training and technical assistance effort intended to strengthen the field by improving investigative capacity, coordination, and the use of specialized methods relevant to civil rights era and hate-motivated homicide investigations.

Funding is provided through cooperative agreements, which generally means awardees should expect active involvement, oversight, and collaboration with BJA throughout the project period rather than operating with minimal federal engagement. The opportunity is listed under CFDA 16.031, and the solicitation was created on January 4, 2021, with an original application closing date of May 10, 2021. The listed award ceiling is $500,000. The opportunity number is O-BJA-2021-45002.

The solicitation is organized into two categories that reflect two different kinds of work supported by the program. Category 1 focuses on agencies directly responsible for criminal investigations and prosecutions. Eligible applicants in this category include state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies, including prosecutors offices. For tribal eligibility, the solicitation specifies that tribal law enforcement must come from federally recognized Indian tribal governments that perform law enforcement functions, as determined by the Secretary of the Interior. Category 1 funding is aimed at the practical costs and activities associated with moving cold cases forward, including investigative work and prosecutorial preparation, as well as efforts that address the needs of victims families and other stakeholders connected to these cases.

A notable feature of Category 1 is the explicit encouragement of partnerships. Applicant agencies can partner with other agencies and nonprofit organizations that have relevant expertise, particularly groups that can help leverage historical documentation to support investigative leads. This is important in racially motivated homicide cold cases, where conventional evidence may be decades old and where progress often depends on archival research, historical records, community knowledge, and specialized investigative approaches that account for the passage of time, lost evidence, and changes in witnesses availability.

Category 2 is intended for organizations that can provide broader capacity-building support rather than directly serving as the primary investigative or prosecutorial entity on a specific case. Eligible applicants in this category include for-profit (commercial) organizations, nonprofit organizations (including tribal organizations), faith-based and community organizations, and institutions of higher education (including tribal institutions of higher education). To qualify, applicants must demonstrate expertise in helping communities develop and implement cold case homicide investigations, including investigations of hate crimes and civil rights violations. In practice, this category aligns with the program goal of funding a national training and technical assistance provider (or providers) that can disseminate best practices, develop tools and guidance, deliver training, and provide tailored support to jurisdictions working these sensitive and complex cases.

Overall, the program is structured to both advance specific investigations and strengthen the national ecosystem of support around racially motivated cold case homicide work. It recognizes that solving and prosecuting these cases often requires more than typical cold case resources, including specialized legal and investigative strategies, careful community engagement, trauma-informed communication with families, and the ability to locate, interpret, and operationalize historical records. The eligibility structure and emphasis on partnerships reflect the reality that successful outcomes often depend on multidisciplinary collaboration among law enforcement, prosecutors, historians or archivists, community organizations, and technical experts.

• The Bureau of Justice Assistance in the affordable care act sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BJA FY 21 Emmett Till Cold Case Investigations and Training and Technical Assistance Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.031.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-01-04.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-05-10. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, City or township governments, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Others.

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