Skip to content

Everytown Support Fund Launches GovGrant Navigator, New Online Clearinghouse for Federal Gun Violence Prevention Grants, in Partnership With Community Justice Action Fund

2.7.2022

Nonprofits, State and Local Governments, Hospitals, School Districts, and More Can Use GovGrant Navigator to Identify Applicable Federal Gun Violence Prevention Grants

Biden-Harris Administration Has Made Historic Levels of Grant Funding Eligible for Supporting Violence Intervention Work

NEW YORK — Today, Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, in partnership with the Community Justice Action Fund, announced the launch of GovGrant Navigator, a new website designed to help nonprofits, state and local governments, hospitals, school districts, researchers, and more navigate the complex federal grant landscape. With a few clicks, potential applicants can easily identify and learn more about a broad range of federal grants that they are eligible to apply for. 

“Funding community-based violence intervention programs is a critical component of fighting gun violence and with the GovGrant Navigator, we’re helping cities and organizations on the frontlines of reducing gun violence access the funding they need to continue their life-saving work,” said Michael-Sean Spence, Senior Director of Community Safety Initiatives at Everytown for Gun Safety. “The Biden-Harris Administration has made more funds available for community violence intervention than ever, and as gun violence continues to plague communities across the country, these programs have never been more important.”

“Community-based violence intervention programs have a proven track record of saving lives and uplifting communities,” said Greg Jackson, Executive Director, Community Justice Action Fund. “The GovGrant Navigator will connect organizations fighting gun violence in our communities with the resources they need. By making funding easier to access, the gun violence prevention movement can reach deeper into more communities and prevent more gun violence.”

“As cities across the country—including here in Philadelphia—continue to do everything possible to address the epidemic of gun violence that is devastating communities, the organizations and institutions working to fight back against it deserve every resource they can get,” said Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney. “While we’re doing what we can at the local level, investing heavily in anti-violence initiatives that both address the immediate crisis and tackle the systemic, root causes of violence, this new resource will help get even more funding from the federal level on down into the hands of organizations that need it to save lives.”

In April, during a landmark Rose Garden address while citing Everytown Support Fund’s Economic Cost of Gun Violence report, President Joe Biden announced historic investments in community violence intervention (CVI) programs to combat the gun violence epidemic. As part of the announcement, ​​five agencies made changes to existing federal funding streams across 26 programs to direct vital support to CVI programs as quickly as possible. The Administration has made increasing available funding for violence intervention programs one of its top priorities, repeatedly issuing guidance allowing state and local entities to use American Rescue Plan and other federal dollars for violence intervention programs and convening the White House Community Violence Intervention Collaborative, a cohort of 16 jurisdictions committed to using American Rescue Plan funding or other public funding to scale and strengthen their CVI infrastructure. The Administration continues to advocate for additional, dedicated funding, including supporting $5 billion in funding for community violence intervention in the Build Back Better Act. Additionally, during his visit to New York City this past week, the President called on Congress to reach an agreement on Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations that includes $200 million in dedicated grant funding for community-based violence intervention programs, further underscoring his commitment to local violence prevention and intervention strategies. GovGrant Navigator is designed to make these grants more accessible to organizations across the country.

Federal grant programs can fund life-saving community-based violence intervention programs. These can include street outreach programs, hospital-based violence intervention programs, group violence intervention programs, crime prevention through environmental design, safe passage programs, and cognitive behavioral therapy programs. Federal grant programs can also fund intensive case management and social services provided by many community-based violence intervention programs.

Gun violence has continued to devastate communities across the United States. More than 110 people in the U.S. are killed with guns every day, and in 2020, every 12 minutes, a life was taken by gun violence. The overall rate of gun violence, including gun homicides and suicides, shootings by police, and unintentional shootings, increased by 15% from 2019 to 2020 – the latest year that CDC data is available for. The gun violence increase in 2020 did not affect communities equally – while the rate of gun deaths increased 5 percent for whites relative to 2019, it increased 21 percent for Latinxs, 33 percent for Native Americans, and 35 percent for Black Americans. Gun violence increased in 45 states and the District of Columbia in 2020 compared to 2019, and for 32 of these states plus D.C., the 2020 rate was the highest in the last two decades, underscoring the urgency of funding lifesaving violence intervention programs.