Colorado is making grants of up to $100,000 available to non-profit groups in education, health care and tribal organizations for programs that emphasize the prevention of gun deaths and violence.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention are providing the grants for organizations to “conduct community-based gun violence initiatives focused on interrupting cycles of gun violence, trauma, and retaliation,” according to a news release.
The total funding period is July 1, 2024- June 30, 2026, with another year of renewal potential through 2027, according to the news release.
In deciding what groups get the grants, the Office of Gun Violence Prevention will focus on programs that emphasize the safe storage of firearms and counseling to reduce access to methods for suicide.
Other programs that look to reach youth affected by gun violence and to interrupt plans for retaliation will also be considered, according to the Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
Applicants who focus on projects educating the public on Extreme Risk Protection Orders will also be given priority.
Extreme Risk Protection Orders is a legal form of temporary out-of-home gun storage that restricts access to guns for individuals who have demonstrated they are at risk of harming themselves or others, according to the Office of Gun Violence Protection.
The office is encouraging applications from organizations that advocate or serve the priority communities most impacted by firearm homicides and suicides – Black, Latino, Indigenous, People of Color; LGBTQIA+ communities, youth and young adults; veterans; middle-aged men; and isolated rural communities, the OGVP states.
As many as 10 grants may be available, ranging between $50-$100,000 per awardee.
A grant review committee will pick the top prospects before June 30, 2025.
For more information go to: OGVP Grant Program RFA # 22358264 | Department of Public Health & Environment (colorado.gov).