Recently, Mayor Kenney and City Council announced a $22 million investment in the new Anti-Violence Community Expansion Grant Program. This is a major piece of the historic $155.7 million investment in a wide array of violence prevention programming and services that contribute to the City’s violence prevention and reduction goals.
To achieve and sustain a reduction in gun violence and improve the quality of life in communities most affected by gun violence, the City is investing in organizations with proven track records of delivering quality anti-violence interventions to help them expand and strengthen their efforts. A key step in this effort is the launch of the new Anti-Violence Community Expansion Grants.
About the Anti-Violence Community Expansion Grant Program
The Anti-Violence Community Expansion Grant Program will directly fund and support organizations that are focused on reducing violence through trauma-informed healing and restorative practices and safe havens and mentorship.
The City will provide grants ranging from $100,000 to $1,000,000 to community-based organizations that have annual operating budgets below $15,000,000 and a proven track record working in neighborhoods vulnerable to gun violence. By targeting funding towards proven community-based organizations, the City is putting this money in the hands of organizations with a proven track record of delivering quality, culturally relevant services while making sure those applying already have the infrastructure in place to be successful.
The focus of the Community Expansion Grants is to provide direct trauma-informed healing and restorative practices or safe havens and mentorship programs. Funded projects supporting those focus areas must take place between fall 2021 and summer 2022.
In addition to providing grants, the funds will be used to help selected organizations with capacity-building and scaling up their programs so that they can expand and enhance the impact of their important work.
How to apply for the Anti-Violence Community Expansion Grant Program
The application will close on September 17, 2021.
Because there is an urgency to get these applications vetted and to provide resources to organizations as swiftly as possible, applications will be considered on a rolling basis beginning on August 20, 2021.
The application timeline is as follows:
| Community Expansion Grant application opens | Friday, August 6, 2021 |
| Community Expansion Grant informational sessions (Attendance at these informational sessions is optional.) |
Recordings from these informational sessions can be found at the top of our Application FAQ. |
| Community Expansion Grant application review begins (selection on a rolling basis) | Friday, August 20, 2021 |
| Community Expansion Grant application deadline | Friday, September 17, 2021 |
| Release of Community Expansion Grant funding begins | September 2021 |
Violence Prevention and Opportunity Monitoring Group
The Violence Prevention and Opportunity Monitoring Group will promote grant opportunities to their respective networks and they will provide guidance to the implementation of the program once grantees are selected.
Council President Clarke announced the following appointments from Council to the Violence Prevention and Opportunity Monitoring Group:
- Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr. (4th District), chair of Council’s Public Safety Committee
- Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson (2nd District), chair of Council’s Special Committee on Gun Violence Prevention
- Councilmember Cherelle Parker (9th District), Council’s Majority Leader
- Councilmember Jamie Gauthier (3rd District)
- Councilmember Cindy Bass (8th District)
The Kenney administration will staff the Monitoring Group with appointments from the following City departments:
- Managing Director’s Office
- Office of Policy and Strategic Initiatives for Criminal Justice and Public Safety
- Department of Public Health
- Department of Commerce
- Office of Children and Families
- Department of Human Services
- Department of Behavioral Health & Intellectual disAbility Services
