Community-based violence intervention program grants

(a) In general The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this title referred to as the Secretary) shall award grants to eligible entities to support, enhance, and replicate coordinated community violence intervention. (b) Eligibility To be eligible to seek a grant under this section, an entity shall be— (1) a community-based, nonprofit organization that— (A) serves the residents served by an eligible unit of local government; and (B) has a track record of providing community-related activities or support program innovation in communities of color; or (2) an eligible unit of local government. (c) Limitation Of the amount made available to carry out this title for a fiscal year, not more than 15 percent of such amount shall be made available to eligible units of local government. (d) Use of funds (1) In general A grant awarded under this section shall be used to implement coordinated community violence intervention initiatives, through coordinated, community-based strategies. (2) Requirements A community violence intervention initiative implemented using grant funds awarded under this section shall— (A) be primarily focused on providing culturally competent, community-based violence intervention services to the portion of a grantee’s community who are, regardless of age, identified as being at high risk of being victimized by, or engaging in, community violence; and (B) use strategies that— (i) are evidence-informed and have demonstrated promise at reducing community violence without contributing to mass incarceration; (ii) utilize trauma-responsive care and interrupt cycles of violence; (iii) expand economic opportunity through new jobs, educational opportunities, or training programs; and (iv) are primarily focused on individuals at high risk of being victimized by, or engaging in, community violence. (3) Community partnerships (A) Eligible units of local government Each eligible unit of local government awarded a grant under this section shall distribute not less than 75 percent of such grant funds to one or more of the following: (i) A community-based organization or nonprofit organization. (ii) A public agency or department that is primarily dedicated to the prevention of violence or to community safety, but is not a law enforcement agency. (B) Hospitals Each hospital awarded a grant under this section in the hospital’s capacity as a community-based, nonprofit organization described in subsection (b)(1) shall distribute not less than 90 percent of such grant funds to one or more of the following: (i) A community-based organization or nonprofit organization that provides direct services to individuals who have been victimized by community violence. (ii) Direct program staff. (iii) Individual subcontractors who provide direct program-related services. (e) Application requirements Each applicant for a grant under this section shall submit a grant proposal, which shall, at a minimum— (1) describe how the applicant proposes to use the grant to implement a coordinated community violence intervention initiative in accordance with this section; (2) describe how the applicant proposes to use the grant to promote or improve coordination between relevant agencies and community organizations in order to minimize duplication of services, complement other community violence intervention efforts, and achieve maximum impact; (3) provide evidence indicating that the proposed community violence intervention initiative would likely reduce community violence or address the trauma and collateral consequences for individuals at high risk of being victimized by, or engaging in, community violence; (4) describe how the applicant plans to ensure the community violence intervention initiative is implemented in a manner that is— (A) evidence-informed; and (B) coordinated with the programs and activities of other entities for addressing community violence; and (5) in the case of a unit of local government applicant, demonstrate strong support from community partners with experience engaging individuals at high risk of being victimized by, or engaging in, community violence, as demonstrated by— (A) the development of a community steering committee that— (i) provides advice and assistance to the locality in administering grants awarded under this section; and (ii) is composed of individuals who substantially reflect local populations impacted by community violence, including survivors of community violence and individuals with expertise in culturally competent and trauma-informed approaches to reducing community violence; and (B) letters of support from individuals, such as— (i) the mayor or chief executive officer of the unit of local government; and (ii) the director of one or more community-based organizations that provide services to individuals at high risk of being victimized by, or engaging in, community violence. (f) Prioritization In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall give preference to applicants whose grant proposals demonstrate the greatest likelihood of reducing community violence in the target area without contributing to mass incarceration. (g) Grant duration A grant awarded under this section shall be for a 4-year period. (h) Grant award The amount awarded to an applicant under this section shall be commensurate with— (1) the scope of the proposal; and (2) the demonstrated need for additional resources to effectively reduce community violence in the applicant’s community. (i) Matching funds required (1) In general Except as provided in paragraphs (2) and (3), the Federal share of each grant awarded under this section shall be 90 percent of the eligible costs incurred by the grant recipient. (2) Exemption from requirement Paragraph (1) shall not apply to a grant awarded to a community-based organization described in subsection (b)(1). (3) Waiver The Federal share of a grant awarded to a unit of local government (that is an eligible entity under subsection (b)(2)) may be up to 100 percent if the Secretary determines there is good cause to waive the Federal share requirement under paragraph (1) of this subsection. (j) Reports Not later than 1 year after the date on which the first 4-year grant period under this section ends, the Secretary shall publish a report identifying best practices for grantees under this section to implement community-based violence intervention initiatives. (k) Rewarding success (1) In general The Secretary may reserve not more than 10 percent of the funds appropriated for a fiscal year to carry out this title for supplemental incentive funds to be distributed to grantees outside the competitive grant process in accordance with paragraph (2). (2) Distribution of additional funds The Secretary may distribute amounts reserved under paragraph (1), in the discretion of the Secretary, to grantees under subsection (a) that have— (A) implemented the grant for not less than 2 years; (B) demonstrated exceptional commitment and progress toward implementing the grantee’s community violence reduction initiative; and (C) shown that the grantee would likely achieve more substantial reductions in community violence with additional Federal funding. (3) Federal share Subsection (i) shall not apply to any amounts distributed to a grantee under this subsection. (4) Explanation of distribution Upon distributing supplemental incentive funds to a grantee, the Secretary shall publish a statement on the website of the Department of Health and Human Services that clearly explains the basis for the decision to award such funds to a particular grantee. (l) Evaluation and intensive site implementation support The Secretary may reserve not more than 8 percent of the funds appropriated for a fiscal year to carry out this title for the purpose of— (1) contracting with or hiring intensive site implementation providers with experience implementing community violence intervention strategies; (2) providing grants to applicants under subsection (a) that provide training and certification to community violence intervention and prevention professionals in order to expand the field and build capacity of frontline workers and other providers; and (3) contracting with independent researchers to evaluate the implementation, performance, and impact of selected initiatives supported by the grants made under this section, which evaluations shall be made publicly available on the website of the Department of Health and Human Services. (m) Supplement, not supplant A grantee receiving a grant under this section shall use the grant to supplement, and not supplant, the amount of funds the grantee would otherwise dedicate to a community violence intervention initiative.