Dear friend–

Our hard work is paying off! After months of engagement with leaders about the urgency for resources to address gun violence, President Biden released his FY23 budget proposal, which is the first step in the process of funding the federal government. The budget proposal includes $500 million dollars to fund Community Violence Intervention (CVI) Initiatives! This is a $300 million increase from the White House’s FY22 budget amount for CVI initiatives and 10x what was enacted in FY22. The $500 million for CVI will be split evenly between DOJ & CDC.

Here’s a quick snapshot of the life saving resources proposed in the 2023 budget:

$500 million to fund a Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative
$1 billion for programs funded through the Office on Violence Against Women
$129 million for school safety, including Project Prevent, the U.S. Department of Education’s primary school-based community violence intervention program
$75 million to create a new National Youth Employment Program
$60 million for federally funded research on gun violence
$56.3 million for behavioral health services for those returning from incarceration
$50 million for the Victim Advocate program, to support victims of gun violence
$1.7 billion for Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) Agency to enforce gun laws

To view more on Biden’s proposed budget, click here.

This proposed budget underscores the importance of community, health, and education solutions to end gun violence, but it will take a lot to get this all passed through Congress.

That’s why we plan to grow our legislative affairs team at Community Justice to push for these life saving funds. Will you consider donating $50.00 to support advancing this effort?