The US Department of Education (USDOE) has issued a notice inviting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2022 for the Project Prevent grant program. The purpose of the Project Prevent Grant Program is to provide grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) impacted by community violence and to expand the capacity of LEAs to implement community- and school-based strategies to help prevent community violence and mitigate the impacts of exposure to community violence.
Children and youth’s exposure to community violence, whether as victims or witnesses, is often associated with long-term physical, psychological, and emotional harms. Research has demonstrated that community violence is a risk factor for experiencing an adverse childhood experience (ACE), such as abuse, neglect, witnessing violence, or having a family member who is incarcerated, and has an impact on future violence and victimization in a community. ACEs can lead children and youth to experience depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic disorders; have difficulty in, or disconnect from, school and the workforce; and engage in delinquency or violent acts, potentially perpetuating the conditions that contribute to a cycle of community violence.
Programs facilitated in schools by counselors, mental health services providers, school support personnel, and community leaders for students who have been exposed to or are at high risk of involvement in community violence have been shown to help students develop the social and emotional resiliency skills needed to navigate difficult circumstances outside of the classroom and to turn away from violence and reengage in school.
For more information including the full text of the UDSOE’s announcement, dates for transmittal of applications, and eligibility information, please click here. For further assistance, please contact: Nicole White. Telephone: (202) 453-6732. Email: ProjectPrevent@ed.gov.