Michael A Bennett, Gun Violence Prevention, Kentucky 2024

Gunfire echoes too often in the hollows and hollers of western Kentucky. Now, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is throwing down $489,571 in federal funding aimed straight at the heart of the region’s violent crime surge — with a laser focus on stopping gun violence before it starts.

Michael A. Bennett, United States Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky, announced today that grant applications are open under the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative. The program, the Justice Department’s signature anti-violence effort, is targeting the district’s 53 counties with money meant to bridge law enforcement and communities in a coordinated crackdown on armed crime.

“Project Safe Neighborhoods is the Department’s flagship program designed to effectively reduce violent crime and gun violence,” said U.S. Attorney Bennett. “PSN’s core principles of fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results, bring together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to decrease violent crime.”

The Western District’s PSN Team will prioritize funding for youth-serving groups running violence prevention programs, mental health providers aiding at-risk populations, and law enforcement units involved in gang task forces. Grants will also cover de-escalation training, community outreach, and tech or equipment upgrades for agencies on the front lines of daily street violence.

All applications must be submitted through Kentucky’s Intelligrants 10.0 (IGX) electronic grants system, managed by the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet. The hard deadline is Friday, February 24, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. ET. Technical help is available, but the clock is ticking — and the streets won’t wait.

Community organizations and law enforcement agencies ready to act can access the full solicitation here: PSN Grant Application. In a region where bullets fly too freely, this funding could mean the difference between life, death, and a second chance.

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