The Trump administration has altered a federal grant programme designed to reduce gun violence in underserved communities, disqualifying the very non-profits the initiative was built to support. The Community Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative (CVIPI), created in 2022, previously allowed community-based organisations, non-profits, and local governments to apply. Now, only city, county, and tribal governments are eligible, and the programme's stated goal has shifted from comprehensive community-based prevention to supporting law enforcement efforts to reduce violent crime and improve police-community relations.
The CVIPI was established under the Biden administration, recognising community-centred programmes as among the most effective tools for combating gun violence. Since 2022, over $300 million has been awarded to more than 120 non-profits, governments, and research institutions. However, in April, the Department of Justice cut more than $800 million in grants managed by its Office of Justice Programs, including CVIPI funds, affecting organisations that prevent gun violence, support foster youth, and provide re-entry services. Over $150 million was taken from programmes primarily staffed by people from high-crime neighbourhoods.
Leonard Dungee, executive director of Hope Hustlers, an Atlanta-area violence prevention organisation, said his group lost a $3 million grant, forcing 10 full-time street outreach workers to part-time roles. He worries that services like hospital bedside visits for shooting victims will now be handled by police or not at all. “Now, the messengers are gonna be police,” Dungee said. “And they aren’t going to be seen as credible in the community.”
Amber Goodwin, co-founder of the Community Violence Legal Network, described the Biden-era funding as “a lifeline” for groups struggling to fill gaps left by philanthropy and government. Democracy Forward filed a lawsuit in May on behalf of five non-profits that lost millions. An Obama-appointed judge dismissed the case, calling the cuts “shameful” but ruling he lacked authority to issue an injunction. The plaintiffs have appealed.
The changes at CVIPI are part of a broader shift by the Trump administration away from Biden-era gun violence prevention policies. Trump dismantled the White House office of gun violence prevention and removed a former surgeon general’s advisory on gun violence as a public health issue. The Department of Justice did not respond to a request for comment.
