EVERYTOWN COMMUNITY SAFETY FUND ANNOUNCES $2.67 MILLION IN GRANTS TO 44 COMMUNITY-BASED VIOLENCE INTERVENTION PROGRAMS

Amid DOJ Cuts, Community-Led Programs Are Helping Drive Reductions in Gun Violence in Cities Across the Country; Mayors Across the Nation Are Citing CVI Organizations As Critical to Reductions in Violence in Their Cities

NEW YORK — Today, the Everytown Community Safety Fund, a program of Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, announced a new investment of $2.67 million in grants to sustain and expand community-based violence intervention (CVI) programs across the country. 

The announcement comes following the Department of Justice slashing public safety and CVI funding earlier this year, challenging police departments, nonprofits, and CVI organizations to sustain their lifesaving efforts with declining support, despite research showing that many cities with sustained CVI investments are seeing declines in gun violence.

“As Washington turns its back on communities, Everytown is helping to ensure that life-saving community violence intervention organizations can continue their work,” said Michael-Sean Spence, managing director of Community Safety Initiatives at Everytown and creator of the Community Safety Fund. “Cities that have invested in these trusted, proven strategies are seeing gun violence decline – but shortsighted federal cuts are threatening that progress. We will not allow politics to come before people – or dismantle what works.”

Since its launch in 2019, the Everytown Community Safety Fund has invested more than $15.7 million in grants to 142 CVI organizations across 72 U.S. cities, in addition to technical support and capacity building resources. These programs use proven, research-backed strategies, including street outreach, hospital-based interventions, and youth mentorship, to interrupt cycles of violence, provide wraparound services, and support survivors. Research shows that community-level violence prevention programs can contribute to drops in crime.

“At a moment when the Department of Justice has pulled back desperately needed public safety funding, Everytown’s Community Safety Fund is stepping in to sustain what works: community-led violence intervention,” said Congressman Steven Horsford (NV-04). “These programs are proven to reduce homicide and save lives. They deserve to be scaled, not slashed. Cities across the country are safer today because of CVI, and Congress must follow Everytown’s lead in making long-term investments that meet this moment.”

“In Baltimore, we’ve seen firsthand that investment in community violence intervention saves lives and breaks cycles of violence,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott, Co-Chair of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. “That’s why the federal retreat from CVI investment is so dangerous: it undermines strategies that are making communities safer across the country. We’re grateful for Everytown’s continued investment in Living Classrooms.”

This year’s 14 support grantees include organizations from Madison, Denver, Omaha, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Austin, Miami, Charleston, Oakland, and Los Angeles, among others. Together, they represent a diverse network of trusted, community-led initiatives committed to breaking cycles of violence and creating lasting safety. This year’s awards include:

• $1.4 million in support grants for 14 new grantees (disbursed as $100,000 over two years, $700,000 this year);
• $750,000 in continued funding for last year’s cohort of 15 grantees (second-year disbursements of $50,000 each); and
• $520,000 in sustainer grants for 13 long-standing partners from 2023 ($40,000 each).

In total, the Community Safety Fund will support 44 CVI organizations in 2025, the largest national initiative solely dedicated to fueling the life-saving work of community-based violence intervention organizations.

In addition to these grants, over the past five years, Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund’s advocacy efforts, alongside Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers, have helped unlock at least four billion in federal, state, and local funds for CVI programs. This year alone, Everytown helped unlock more than $565 million in seven states, including over two million in Texas and nearly half a million in Montana.More about the Everytown Community Safety fund and their grantees can be found here.