BIG NEWS UPDATE!

Community Justice commends the Senate Appropriations Committee for approving their Fiscal Year 2026 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) appropriations legislation and including $55 million in funding for the Community Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative (CVIPI). CVIPI is the only federal grant program solely dedicated to funding CVI.

This critical investment—supported on a bipartisan basis—demonstrates a growing recognition that community-based solutions are essential to breaking cycles of violence and building safer, healthier neighborhoods.

“We are encouraged to see lawmakers from both sides of the aisle come together to support proven, community-led approaches to reducing gun violence, especially after the DOJ abruptly terminated previously-approved CVI awards a few months ago,” said José Alfaro, Executive Director of Community Justice.

“The $55 million allocated for CVIPI in the Senate’s CJS bill is not just a financial commitment—it is a moral commitment to the communities most impacted by violence and to the organizations working every day to prevent it.”

In addition to providing $55 million for CVIPI—a $5 million increase above FY24 appropriated funding—the Senate Appropriations Committee also recommended a number of Congressional Directed Spending, or “Earmark,” requests that would support CVI programs.

Over the last several years, nearly $70 million has gone to the CVI field through the congressional earmark process.

Community violence intervention programs save lives, and it’s vital that we continue working together to invest in public safety strategies that are rooted in community, prevention, and healing.