The grant is designed for organizations seeking to enhance their ability to address a bleeding emergency through training and the installation of public safety infrastructure. Applications are  open to eligible U.S. based organizations who currently have or have applied for a STOP THE BLEED® Educational License. Organizations can apply for a grant at this page. 

The STOP THE BLEED® Training Kit grant is designed to provide training equipment to organizations conducting approved STOP THE BLEED® training courses or that are planning to do so. These kits are valued at $1,250 and include a best-in-class set of training tools for in person training. Applications are open to eligible U.S. based organizations (government entities, schools, non-profit organizations, civic groups and faith-based organizations). 

The STOP THE BLEED® Grant program is part of the STOP THE BLEED® Project and is one of a number of programs the Project has developed to support the STOP THE BLEED® campaign. Other programs include STOP THE BLEED® Month (May 2026) and Day (May 21, 2026), the 2025 STOP THE BLEED® Trainathon, the STOP THE BLEED® Ambassador Program and more. 

The STOP THE BLEED® Project is designed to heighten public awareness of the STOP THE BLEED® campaign by making it easy for individuals and organizations to learn about and get involved in the campaign.

STOP THE BLEED® is an official program of the U.S. Department of Defense. It is designed to train and equip the public to be able to treat traumatic injuries involving severe bleeding until first responders arrive. It is based on lessons learned by DoD during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on how best to control severe bleeding.  Visit DoDStoptheBleed.org to learn more.

To learn more about the STOP THE BLEED® Grant Program please contact theteam@stopthebleedproject.org.

Facebook; STOP THE BLEED® Project

Twitter; STOP THE BLEED® Project 

Instagram; STOP THE BLEED® Project

Media Contact:

Kayla O’Neill, Marketing Manager

kayla@ampyourgood.com

The grant is designed for organizations seeking to enhance their ability to address a bleeding emergency through training and the installation of public safety infrastructure. Applications are now open to eligible U.S. based organizations who currently have or have applied for a STOP THE BLEED® Educational License. Organizations can apply for a grant at this page.

The grant program is open to eligible U.S.-based schools, government entities, nonprofit organizations, civic groups, and faith-based organizations that currently have or have applied for a STOP THE BLEED® Educational License. This initiative is part of the broader STOP THE BLEED® Project, a public-private collaboration dedicated to raising awareness and expanding access to bleeding control education. By equipping organizations with these essential training tools, the program aims to make bleeding control education more accessible and effective nationwide.

In addition to the grant program, the STOP THE BLEED® Project supports several other initiatives, including STOP THE BLEED® Month (May 2026), STOP THE BLEED® Day (May 21, 2026), the STOP THE BLEED® Trainathon, and the STOP THE BLEED® Ambassador Program. These programs work together to increase public awareness and encourage individuals to take action in their communities. If your organization is committed to providing STOP THE BLEED® training, now is the time to apply for a grant and ensure more people have the knowledge and tools to save lives. Applications are now open! Learn more and apply today.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The STOP THE BLEED® campaign today announced the theme and programming for the ninth annual STOP THE BLEED® Day, scheduled for Thursday, May 21, 2026, during National EMS Week. The entire month of May 2026 has been designated STOP THE BLEED® Month, featuring a robust lineup of activities for individuals, communities, and organizations nationwide.

Theme: Minutes Matter

This year’s theme, “Minutes Matter,” reflects a powerful truth at the heart of the STOP THE BLEED® mission: while the campaign celebrates nearly a decade of progress — millions trained, communities equipped, and lives saved — in a bleeding emergency, the clock resets. The actions taken in the first minutes can mean the difference between life and death.

“As we mark nine years of the STOP THE BLEED® movement, we are reminded that our mission remains urgent and unchanged,” the campaign noted. “Minutes, not years, determine the outcome when someone is bleeding severely. Every person we train is a potential lifesaver.”

2026 STOP THE BLEED® Project Program Highlights

This year’s STOP THE BLEED® Month features several opportunities for STOP THE BLEED® Instructors, Licensed Organizations, and members of the public including:

•  The second annual STOP THE BLEED® Trainathon, powered by the STOP THE BLEED® Training Management System

• The annual STOP THE BLEED® Grant Program that provides Licensed Organizations the opportunity to receive training kit grants

•  The “Raise Your Hand” and “Would You Know” social media awareness programs

•  A STOP THE BLEED® Quiz to test and expand public knowledge of bleeding control

•  Resources for individuals and organizations to help expand campaign awareness

STOP THE BLEED® Day falls during National EMS Week, recognizing the EMS professional community as one of the campaign’s strongest and most dedicated partners.

Why Stop the Bleed Matters

Uncontrolled bleeding is a leading cause of preventable death in emergency situations. The STOP THE BLEED® campaign is based on battlefield medical advancements that demonstrated how rapid bleeding control techniques save lives.  Someone can bleed out within minutes.  It can take first responders 7 to 10 minutes to arrive at the scene, and sometimes much longer.  In those cases, only people at the scene can help until first responders arrive.  By equipping everyday citizens with the skills and confidence to act in bleeding emergencies, STOP THE BLEED® is making communities safer and more prepared. Through hands-on training and public awareness campaigns, STOP THE BLEED® transforms bystanders into immediate responders.

Join the Movement

STOP THE BLEED® training is a simple yet powerful way to make a difference. Whether you take a class, spread awareness, or encourage your organization to get involved, you can help save lives. 

To learn more about the STOP THE BLEED® campaign, visit DoDStopTheBleed.org . To learn more about STOP THE BLEED® Day and STOP THE BLEED® Month, visit StopTheBleedProject.org.

For a complete list of STOP THE BLEED® Month activities and ways to participate, visit stopthebleedproject.org

Media Contact:

Kayla O’Neill, Marketing Manager

kayla@ampyourgood.com

This year’s STOP THE BLEED® Day is scheduled for Thursday, May 21, 2026, during EMS Week. The EMS professional community is one of the biggest supporters of STOP THE BLEED® and you can. May 2026 is STOP THE BLEED® Month. 

This year, we have a number of activities to engage the public and the growing STOP THE BLEED® community, including the second annual STOP THE BLEED® Trainathon using the STOP THE BLEED® Training Management System. Other activities include the popular Raise Your Hand and Would You Know social media programs, a STOP THE BLEED® Quiz, STOP THE BLEED® videos and ways everyone can help to create more awareness of the campaign.  

Visit this page for a complete list.

This year’s STOP THE BLEED® Day and Month Theme: Minutes Matter

As we celebrate our 9th annual STOP THE BLEED® Day, we mark 9 years of celebrating the STOP THE BLEED® movement, a movement that has trained millions, equipped communities, and strengthened emergency preparedness across the world.

That time represents dedication, progress, and lives saved.

But in an emergency, the clock resets.

When someone is bleeding, minutes, not years, determine the outcome.

As we mark nearly a decade of action, we’re reminded that the mission remains the same:
Minutes Matter. 

The continued success and expansion of STOP THE BLEED® Day and Month is due to the fundamental premise of STOP THE BLEED® – that regular people can learn what to do in a bleeding emergency and act to save someone’s life.  It’s also due to the passionate people and organizations that continue to create more awareness and engagement.  STOP THE BLEED® Day and STOP THE BLEED® Month are both great times to do that.  

We hope you will participate in one (or more) of the many activities we’ve set up and engage those you know to do the same.    

We’ll be announcing all the ways that people can participate on STOP THE BLEED® Day as well as during STOP THE BLEED® Month (May 2026).  There is literally something for everyone – training opportunities, how to help us create more awareness of STOP THE BLEED®, among other things.

Stay tuned for our upcoming announcements in the weeks ahead so you have plenty of time to pick and choose how to be part of this important day.

From bustling cities to small towns, from classrooms to trauma centers, individuals and organizations united to say: “I’m ready to save a life.”

This year’s campaign featured the first STOP THE BLEED® Trainathon using the STOP THE BLEED® Training Management System, a call to action that inspired tens of thousands to:

• Take a STOP THE BLEED® class
  
• Watch an official training video
  
• Complete the STOP THE BLEED® Quiz 

This campaign is only possible because of the incredible network of partners, advocates, and volunteers who give their time, voices, and expertise to advance this mission.

So, a big thanks to:

• Licensed STOP THE BLEED® Instructors literally teaching people around the world!
  
• Schools, workplaces, and civic groups that hosted community training events
  
• Media outlets, influencers, and public health leaders who helped amplify our message
  
  
• And especially, our dedicated STOP THE BLEED® Ambassadors, whose leadership and advocacy helped us reach new audiences in their communities.

And a special thanks to Shaquille O’Neal, who shared the STOP THE BLEED® message with his 31 million Instagram followers on STOP THE BLEED® Day. His voice helped bring attention to the importance of learning how to stop life-threatening bleeding — showing that lifesaving readiness is for everyone.

While  STOP THE BLEED® Day has passed, STOP THE BLEED® Month continues.  Check out all the things you can do here.  And mark your calendar for STOP THE BLEED® Day 2026, May 21, 2026! 

Read the article below or visit Stripes.com

STOP THE BLEED® Day & STOP THE BLEED® Month 2025: Empowering People to Save Lives When US Army Combat Medic Marcelo Bini transitioned out of military service to law enforcement in 2016, he was determined to keep serving his community in a meaningful way. A licensed STOP THE BLEED® Instructor through the Stop The Bleed Coalition, Marcelo saw the program as a natural extension of his passion for teaching and his mission to protect and empower others. “I wanted to continue engaging the community around me by teaching how lives can be saved using the STOP THE BLEED® program,” he said. In 2018, that mission took him beyond his home in Texas—to Brazil—where he began teaching STOP THE BLEED® to police officers, school teachers, and students.

Veterans like Marcelo are joining members of the public and organizations across the globe to celebrate STOP THE BLEED® Day on May 22, 2025, a day dedicated to raising awareness and providing life-saving training to the public. STOP THE BLEED® is an official program of the U.S. Department of Defense, which recently launched the new DoD STOP THE BLEED® website.  It is designed to train and equip the public to be able to treat traumatic injuries involving severe bleeding until the first responders arrive. It is based on lessons learned by the DoD during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on how best to control severe bleeding.

USN Veteran turned Firefighter and EMT Joshua Chiarini learned those lessons first hand while serving in Iraq. He became a STOP THE BLEED® Instructor because he’d witnessed first hand how fast lives can be lost—and how quickly they can be saved—with just a little knowledge and the right mindset. “As a combat veteran and firefighter, I’ve worked in some of the most high-pressure environments, and what’s clear across every scene is that time matters. Teaching STOP THE BLEED® allows me to give that power to the public—students, teachers, parents, first responders—anyone. It’s not about being perfect; it’s about being prepared. STOP THE BLEED® turns panic into purpose and bystanders into lifesavers.”

The focus of STOP THE BLEED® Day is to increase awareness of the campaign through a wide variety of activities designed to engage both members of the public as well as community organizations. The theme of STOP THE BLEED® Month is to increase the number of people trained. This year will see the first STOP THE BLEED® Trainathon using the new STOP THE BLEED® Training Management System. In addition, applications for the STOP THE BLEED® Grant program will be accepted throughout the month of May.

Why STOP THE BLEED® Matters

Uncontrolled bleeding is a leading cause of preventable death in emergency situations. The STOP THE BLEED® campaign is based on battlefield medical advancements that demonstrated how rapid bleeding control techniques save lives. Someone can bleed out within minutes. It can take first responders up to 7 to 10 minutes to arrive at the scene, and sometimes much longer. In those cases, only people at the scene can help until first responders arrive. By equipping everyday citizens with the skills and confidence to act in bleeding emergencies, STOP THE BLEED® is making communities safer and more prepared. Through hands-on training and public awareness campaigns, STOP THE BLEED® transforms bystanders into immediate responders.

This year marks the 10th year of the campaign, which was launched at a White House ceremony in 2015. Since its start in the United States, the campaign has expanded to 165 countries. Governments, hospitals, schools, communities and humanitarian organizations worldwide have increasingly integrated STOP THE BLEED® training into their emergency preparedness and response strategies. This expansion has been driven by a universal need for rapid bleeding control skills in response to natural disasters, accidents, and acts of violence.

Veterans are driving the campaign’s progress, both in the United States and elsewhere. Since Marcelo became a STOP THE BLEED® Instructor, he and his partners have trained more than 1,000 people in STOP THE BLEED® across Brazil—and counting. “Brazilians are always in need of simple-to-understand, life-saving programs like STOP THE BLEED®,” he shared. “Their access to limited resources for bleeding control makes the program one of a kind.” Marcelo has helped lead the push for legislation in Brazil that mandates bleeding control training using STOP THE BLEED® fundamentals, and the program has been embraced across schools, public sectors, and businesses.

In schools, Marcelo organizes professional development sessions to train School Resource Officers and teachers on STOP THE BLEED®, CRASE (Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events), and ALERRT protocols. For younger students, he developed a kid-friendly approach using “blue blood” materials to teach core concepts without overwhelming them. With ongoing public-private partnerships, his team works to provide bleeding control kits to schools and motivate a growing network of volunteers. “STOP THE BLEED® has become a powerful tool in Brazil, where high homicide rates and limited emergency response make this kind of training essential,” Marcelo said. “Sometimes, these skills are the only recourse citizens have.”

Join the Movement

STOP THE BLEED® training is a simple yet powerful way to make a difference. Whether you take a class, spread awareness, or encourage your organization to get involved, you can help save lives.

To learn more and get involved, visit DoDStopTheBleed.org and StopTheBleedProject.org.

A Month of Action and Awareness

Every May, we celebrate STOP THE BLEED® Month — a time to spotlight the importance of bleeding control training and to invite communities everywhere to get involved.

At the heart of the month is STOP THE BLEED® Day, happening on May 22, 2025. This annual day of action is designed to engage the public, schools, workplaces, and community organizations in spreading awareness and participating in hands-on training.

This year also marks the launch of the first-ever STOP THE BLEED® Trainathon, a national effort to get as many people trained as possible — whether you have two minutes or two hours, there’s a way to participate. It’s powered by our new Training Management System, making it easier than ever to connect instructors and learners.

Why It Matters

Uncontrolled bleeding is a leading cause of preventable death after injury. A person can bleed to death in just minutes — often faster than emergency responders can arrive.

That’s why bystanders play a critical role in saving lives. With the right knowledge and tools, anyone can step in and help before first responders get to the scene.

Based on battlefield medical lessons from Iraq and Afghanistan, STOP THE BLEED® equips everyday citizens to recognize life-threatening bleeding and take immediate action using techniques like applying pressure, packing a wound, or using a tourniquet.

Ways to Get Involved

We’ve created several ways for people and organizations to join in throughout May:

STOP THE BLEED® Trainathon
Join others across the country and around the world in getting trained this month.

Social Media Campaigns
Participate in campaigns like Raise Your Hand, Would You Know, and the new #MySTOPTHEBLEEDStory, where people share how and why they got involved.

Grant Program
Apply for the 2025 STOP THE BLEED® Grant Program — which has already awarded $250,000 in bleeding control kits and equipment to schools, public spaces, and communities in need.

Washington, D.C.,  May 1, 2025 – This May, the U.S. Department of Defense’s STOP THE BLEED® program celebrates a decade of empowering everyday people to save lives. Since its launch at a White House event in 2015, the campaign has grown into a global movement, with millions trained across 169 countries.

May 22, 2025  is STOP THE BLEED® Day, a day of action to raise awareness and encourage life-saving training across communities. It’s designed to engage both members of the public as well as community organizations and is a part of STOP THE BLEED® Month, a nationwide effort to expand training and participation throughout May. This year marks the launch of the first-ever STOP THE BLEED® Trainathon, supported by the new STOP THE BLEED® Training Management System.

Why Stop the Bleed Matters

Uncontrolled bleeding is a leading cause of preventable death in emergency situations. The STOP THE BLEED® campaign is based on battlefield medical advancements that demonstrated how rapid bleeding control techniques save lives.  Someone can bleed out within minutes.  It can take first responders 7 to 10 minutes to arrive at the scene, and sometimes much longer.  In those cases, only people at the scene can help until first responders arrive.  By equipping everyday citizens with the skills and confidence to act in bleeding emergencies, STOP THE BLEED® is making communities safer and more prepared. Through hands-on training and public awareness campaigns, STOP THE BLEED® transforms bystanders into immediate responders.

How You Can Participate

This May, individuals, organizations, and communities are invited to participate in a range of activities including the following:

• STOP THE BLEED® Trainathon: Whether you have two minutes or two hours, the Trainathon offers ways to learn and get involved.
  
• Social Campaigns: There are several easy and fun social media campaigns, including Raise Your Hand and Would You Know and the new #MySTOPTHEBLEEDStory campaign, encouraging people to film videos of themselves and share their story of getting involved with the campaign.
  
• Grant Program: Applications for the 2025 STOP THE BLEED® Grant Program are open throughout the month.The program has awarded $250,000 in STOP THE BLEED® equipment to date. 

For a full list of activities, visit StopTheBleedProject.org.

Join the Movement

STOP THE BLEED® training is a simple yet powerful way to make a difference. Whether you take a class, spread awareness, or encourage your organization to get involved, you can help save lives. 

To learn more about the STOP THE BLEED® campaign, visit DoDStopTheBleed.org . To learn more about STOP THE BLEED® Day and STOP THE BLEED® Month, visit StopTheBleedProject.org.

Media Contact:

Kayla O’Neill

Marketing Manager

STOP THE BLEED® Project

theteam@stopthebleedproject.org

The grant is designed for organizations seeking to enhance their ability to address a bleeding emergency through training and the installation of public safety infrastructure. Applications are now open to eligible U.S. based organizations who currently have or have applied for a STOP THE BLEED® Educational License. Organizations can apply for a grant at this page.

The grant program is open to eligible U.S.-based schools, government entities, nonprofit organizations, civic groups, and faith-based organizations that currently have or have applied for a STOP THE BLEED® Educational License. This initiative is part of the broader STOP THE BLEED® Project, a public-private collaboration dedicated to raising awareness and expanding access to bleeding control education. By equipping organizations with these essential training tools, the program aims to make bleeding control education more accessible and effective nationwide.

In addition to the grant program, the STOP THE BLEED® Project supports several other initiatives, including STOP THE BLEED® Month (May 2025), STOP THE BLEED® Day (May 22, 2025), the STOP THE BLEED® Trainathon, and the STOP THE BLEED® Ambassador Program. These programs work together to increase public awareness and encourage individuals to take action in their communities. If your organization is committed to providing STOP THE BLEED® training, now is the time to apply for a grant and ensure more people have the knowledge and tools to save lives. Applications are now open! Learn more and apply today.