What Happened?
The U.S. Department of Justice is offering more than $7 million to fund programs that integrate community safety initiatives into neighborhood revitalization efforts. Similarly, the U.S. Department of Education awards nonprofit organizations and institutions of higher education with Promise Neighborhood planning grants to build more effective school systems in at-risk neighborhoods.
Goal: DOJ
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) are offering more than $7 million in new funding to 17 cities and towns looking to fight crime with community safety development strategies. The grants are awarded through the Justice Department’s Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation program and are offered in collaboration with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) – which provides:
- Coaching to grantees
- A national nonprofit community safety model
- Proof of success after working with more than 50 neighborhoods nationwide
The 2014 Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation grant winners include six planning and implementation awards of up to $1 million each designed to turn targeted strategies into successful policies. Another 11 municipalities were awarded $100,000 grants to support the development of new plans at the local level.
The overall goal of the grant program is to fuel the brainstorming and implementation of strategies that address quality of life challenges for residents, and how these obstacles directly connect to criminal activity in poor communities. This means looking beyond just law enforcement to boost community safety and economic sustainability.
Goal: DOE
The U.S. Department of Education offers nonprofit organizations or education institutions with Promise Neighborhoods planning grants to help create cradle-to-career services through effective school systems and student support systems. The one-year grants are designed to boost educational achievement and the healthy development of children, thus improving the quality of life of the community and reducing crime, poverty and blight.
The DOE is offering grants to help at-risk communities across the country. In Los Angeles, the Youth Policy Institute has received $36 million in federal grants that will be used to provide communities with:
- Food
- Prenatal care
- Job training
- Extended education before and after school
- Gang prevention
- Linked learning
- Financial literacy
- Legal support
- Technology programs
- Anti-poverty services at schools
The Youth Policy Institute hopes to transform 19 schools into community centers where both students and families can access resources to improve their socioeconomic situation. The funding will also be used to open six Promise Neighborhood Centers and satellite centers nearby. The institute has generated support from 60 partnering organizations to provide a variety of resources and education opportunities.
The $36 million in federal grants will be matched by $30 million in institute funding, all of which will be directed toward the communities of Hollywood and Pacoima. The institute’s strategy calls for the development and implementation of 65 distinct programs for youth and families in communities with low student performance, high poverty rates and prevalence of gang violence.
Community Safety Funding
Gov1 has followed a variety of federal grants designed to improve law enforcement initiatives and help keep first-time offenders away from a life of crime.