D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Director of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention Linda Harllee Harper announced $750,000 will be available for community grants to individuals and local organizations to address gun violence. 

The announcement was part of the mayor’s press event Tuesday highlighting her budget’s broader $59 million investment in what the administration describes as a comprehensive public health approach to reducing gun violence. Much of that will be through Building Blocks D.C., a cross-departmental D.C. government initiative aimed at addressing gun violence where it is concentrated in the city.

The Office of Gun Violence Prevention is partnering with the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services and Progressive Life Center to distribute the grants, which fall into two categories.

Smaller “mini-grants” of up to $5,000 will be geared toward individuals looking to create activities promoting public safety in their community.

“The application is specifically designed for residents who assist the community everyday, and I’ve been struck by the number of residents who come out of their pockets everyday providing for their communities,” Harllee Harper said. “These grants are for you.”

Larger grants of up to $50,000 will be available for small organizations seeking to create programs to reduce gun violence. To be eligible, the city says programs should include skill-building opportunities, neighborhood beautification, restorative justice support, family connectivity and empowerment, arts activities or community engagement.

Harllee Harper said the city will use a simplified application process for both grants, one that doesn’t require the help of professional grant writers.  

“So many people have come to me with these amazing ideas that they believe can work, that they know can work, people who are in the communities everyday,” said Harllee Harper. “And this is an opportunity to get support for those ideas.” 

Applications open June 14 for these grants, which are for fiscal year 2021, and applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the funding runs out. There will be an announcement for fiscal year 2022 funding when that becomes available. Harllee Harper noted the city is promoting the grants on social media and through flyers, and is also asking for the community’s help to spread the word about this funding opportunity. 

Bowser emphasized that the grants should be seen as a small part of her administration’s larger goal to build infrastructure across D.C. government addressing gun violence. 

“If you take out of this meeting just the discussion of mini-grants, you’ve missed the point,” Bowser said. “What we’re here to talk about is $59 million, not just $750,000” in grants.

The $59 million Building Blocks D.C. initiative in the mayor’s proposed budget includes $11.4 million for support to returning citizens, $7.8 million for violence interrupters, and $5.6 million to create 110 jobs at D.C.’s Department of Public Works for people at risk of gun violence.

The city and the mayor are under pressure to address the spike in gun violence across the District. As of June 7, homicides are up 21% in 2021 as compared to 2020, according to data from the Metropolitan Police Department.

At the press conference, Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White thanked the mayor for her leadership and said funding was long overdue to address gun violence in the community. 

“We are in crisis mode,” White said. “And the same amount of time, energy and resource we put into the pandemic, we need to put into ending gun violence right here in Washington, D.C.” 

Building Blocks focuses on the 151 District blocks most prone to gun violence, starting with areas of historic Anacostia as pilot blocks. Harllee Harper said her office has done an assessment of need in that area and has created a neighborhood action plan, which they’re now reviewing with community stakeholders. The next areas Building Blocks will focus on are Mayfair and Kenilworth. 

When announcing the creation of Building Blocks in February, Bowser indicated D.C. would create a dashboard to track the effectiveness of the program. That still hasn’t been created.

To learn more about the Building Blocks grant initiative and how to apply, residents can visit the District’s web page.