DOJ Axes Hundreds of Grants as Organizations Feel Immediate Impact
The Department of Justice (DOJ) canceled hundreds of grants that were used to help victims’ services and criminal justice reform programs.
More than 365 grants, accounting for about $811 million in spending, were canceled.
The canceled grants were administered through the DOJ Office of Justice Programs (OJP), which typically awards about $4 billion in grants annually. However, it’s unclear how much money will actually be rescinded since the grants were initially awarded as far back as 2021.
Groups who saw their funding terminated were sent a memo from the administration, telling them that their continued funding "no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities." They were also locked out of the financial system a few days before reimbursement.
In lieu of these programs, the administration wants to refocus its use of resources to more directly support “certain law enforcement operations, combatting violent crime, protecting American children, and supporting American victims of trafficking and sexual assault.”
And Attorney General Pam Bondi stated on X that more cuts are coming.
Non-Profit, Law Enforcement Organizations Feel Impact
The impact of the grant cuts is immediate on many of the service organizations who were receiving funds.
The Activating Change nonprofit, which helps people with disabilities who were victims of crimes, is already making plans to lay off ten workers. The group’s leader says that 40 percent of her budget disappeared overnight.
“It is a catastrophic blow to our organization,” said Activating Change Executive Director Nancy Smith. “But also to the safety net for people with disabilities and deaf people who’ve experienced violent crime in our country.”
Meanwhile, three grants were cut to the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), including one to study best practices for responding to civil disturbances. The National Policing Institute also lost grant money that provided assistance to rural police departments and to improve relationships between police and communities of color.
Some of the cuts are coming in programs that are intertwined with government functions mandated by federal law. For instance, cuts are hitting Impact Justice, which administers audits required under the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA).
“It’s a collaborative relationship, but we are the ones that execute the work and have the systems and maintain the systems,” said Michela Bowman, vice president of Impact Justice and senior adviser to the PREA Resource Center.
Still others question how the grant cuts will help law enforcement, which is the Trump Administration’s stated goal.
“How does this support law enforcement?” asked Monique Williams, executive director of Cure Violence Global, which lost $4 million in funding. “It’s a real shame.”