The U.S. Department of Justice is offering up to $1 million in research funding to investigate potential associations between gender dysphoria, its treatment, and violent crime, as federal officials seek more evidence to help law enforcement understand factors linked to violent behavior.

The department’s National Institute of Justice announced the funding opportunity on October 9, calling for researchers to analyze existing data on gender dysphoria and violence. The initiative comes amid public scrutiny of several high-profile criminal cases involving transgender-identifying suspects, though those cases do not establish that transgender people or people with gender dysphoria are more likely to commit violent crimes.

“Available empirical evidence regarding this topic is limited, particularly in regard to underlying causal mechanisms,” the Justice Department stated in its funding announcement.

The agency is seeking retrospective studies using existing records rather than new data collected directly from research participants. Researchers are expected to examine the prevalence of violent behavior among people with gender dysphoria, including demographic characteristics and the types of offenses involved.

The proposed studies may also explore whether diagnoses of gender dysphoria or related treatments are associated with violent behavior. Researchers could examine the potential influence of substance use disorders and other mental health conditions to determine whether those factors help explain any observed relationships.

“Proposals should focus on violent crime and behavior and can include formally diagnosed and/or self-identified gender dysphoria,” the announcement states.

The Justice Department also wants researchers to examine the overlap between victims and offenders, along with post-conviction records involving incarcerated individuals. The department is encouraging applicants to identify shortcomings in existing datasets and account for limitations that could affect their findings.

The funding opportunity follows several criminal cases that have drawn attention to transgender-identifying suspects. The Washington Examiner cited a February school shooting in Canada that killed eight people, a federal case involving a Washington state resident accused of assisting the teenage perpetrator, and separate September cases involving transgender defendants accused of firearms offenses and threatening communications.

The newspaper also pointed to criminal proceedings involving members of the Zizian group, some of whose associates have faced murder charges and other criminal allegations. These cases have contributed to public debate, but individual criminal proceedings cannot establish broader patterns of offending across a population.

The Justice Department’s proposed research is intended to address the lack of comprehensive evidence rather than assume a connection between gender dysphoria and violence. Establishing whether any association exists would require researchers to account for other relevant factors and distinguish correlation from causation.

Universities, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and private research institutions are eligible to apply. Initial applications are due November 23, with full applications due November 30. The department expects to award grants by January 1, and funded projects could run for as long as three years.

The Justice Department says the goal is to produce actionable findings for law enforcement agencies, policymakers, and other criminal justice professionals. The results could help clarify what existing evidence shows, where major research gaps remain, and whether particular risk factors warrant further investigation.