Governor DeWine Announces Support for Community-Based Interventions to Prevent Violent Crime

(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Governor Mike DeWine today announced that support is now available for non-profits and governmental agencies to establish or enhance community-based interventions to prevent violence and connect crime victims to recovery services. 

A total of $20 million in grant funding is now available as part of Governor DeWine’s new Community Violence Prevention Grant Program, which is administered by the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Office of Criminal Justice Services (OCJS). The grant program is aimed at supporting community-based nonprofits, law enforcement agencies, and state and local government entities that have implemented or would like to implement collaborative approaches toward reducing community violence.

“There are many great collaborations all over the state that are working to help victims of violent crime and prevent future violence,” said Governor DeWine. “The goal of this new grant program is to help these entities enhance their work and make an even bigger impact.” 

Examples of eligible projects include: 

  • Wrap-around services for child victims of violence and their families.
  • Peer and community support programs that target immediate violence reduction and provide resources for those most likely to be involved in violence.
  • Civilian-based crisis response teams that support individuals undergoing behavioral crises.
  • Focused-deterrence programs that discourage specific high-risk offenders from committing crimes while also offering resources and support.
  • Hospital-based violence intervention programs that focus on reducing retaliatory violence and preventing re-injury by engaging injured victims of violent crime while they are recovering in the hospital. 
  • Trauma recovery programs that address the needs of underserved crime survivors. 

The Community Violence Prevention Grant Program is funded as part of the $250 million in ARPA funds that Governor DeWine and the Ohio General Assembly dedicated to first responders in December to counter various pressing issues exacerbated by the pandemic, including increased crime rates.

The program is one of several new grant programs developed by Governor DeWine since taking office in 2019. Other programs developed to prevent violent crime and support the work of first responders include the Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center, Ohio School Safety Center, Ohio Office of Law Enforcement RecruitmentOhio Office of First Responder WellnessOhio Prisoner Extradition Reimbursement ProgramOhio Body-Worn Camera Grant Program, Ohio Violent Crime Reduction Grant Program, Ohio Ballistics Testing Initiative, Ohio Crime Lab Efficiency Program,  Ohio First Responder Recruitment, Retention, and Resilience ProgramOhio Court Backlog Reduction Program, and the new eWarrant database


Additional Grant Information


The grant application is available via the OCJS grant solicitation website, and all applications are due by November 1, 2022, at 5 p.m. Applicants may apply for up to 24 months of funding, which can be back-dated to September 1, 2022.

Applicants can register for a voluntary bidder’s conference training webinar for the American Rescue Plan Act Funding on October 6, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. The training will provide information helpful for both the application preparation and review process. 

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