DOJ offers $1 MILLION federal grant for study on trans crime

The Department of Justice has announced a grant through its National Institute of Justice for research on connections between gender dysphoria and violent crime. The total funding is expected to be $1 million, per a DOJ grant filing.

The filing stated, “This is a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for the NIJ FY 2026 Research on Gender Dysphoria and Violent Crime. This opportunity will support foundational research on gender dysphoria, its treatment, and the perpetration of violence and violent behavior. Available empirical evidence regarding this topic is limited, particularly in regard to underlying causal mechanisms. To address these gaps, NIJ is interested in retrospective, secondary data analyses that explore gender dysphoria, its treatment, and the perpetration of violence and violent behavior.”

The goal of the funding opportunity is stated to be: “Generate foundational research on gender dysphoria, its treatment, and the perpetration of violence and violent behavior.” The funding opportunity has two objectives, the first being to “Conduct secondary data analyses to estimate the prevalence and characteristics of violent crime and behavior among individuals with gender dysphoria, including demographic patterns and offense types, while clearly defining and operationalizing key variables and documenting data limitations.”

The second objective is stated as being: “Analyze the associations between gender dysphoria diagnosis and/or treatment and violent behavior, including the role of comorbid conditions (e.g., substance use and mental health disorders), victim-offender overlap, and other contextual factors.”

The application period closes on November 30, with awards being anticipated by January 1, 2027. More than one grant could be issued under the funding. The filing states that the performance period could be up to 36 months.

In August, the Department of Health and Human Services released a study they commissioned that found individuals who believed in radical gender ideology were more likely to believe that political violence is justified.

Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Brian Christine said of the study at the time, “This study raises important questions about what happens when ideology is given the authority of medicine. The association between sex-rejecting clinical beliefs, authoritarian attitudes, and the justification of political violence warrant serious scientific scrutiny. HHS will continue to pursue rigorous research that examines these relationships and gives the American people the evidence they deserve.”