The U.S. Department of Education invites local educational agencies or consortia of LEAs to apply for the Project Prevent Grant Program, which will award more than $6 million to support school safety.
Through the grants, the department will provide schools with resources to combat community violence and ensure a safe learning environment for students, families and educators. Following the signing of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the department will be announcing additional resources for schools.
Project Prevent grants will expand the capacity of LEAs to implement community- and school-based strategies to help prevent community violence and mitigate its impact. With these funds, LEAs can increase their capacity to identify, assess and serve students exposed to community violence, helping LEAs to increase student access to mental health services, support conflict management programs and implement other community- and school-based strategies to prevent and address the negative effects of violence.
“When our students are exposed to community violence and experience trauma, their learning, their mental health, and their overall wellbeing are affected. We must do everything in our power to prevent and address community violence and wrap our children in the supports and services that can help them overcome any barriers to their success,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “The availability of these new federal dollars will be transformative for our children and our communities. Together, we can give every student — especially students who need the greatest supports — what they need to learn, grow, heal, and thrive.”
The fiscal year 2022 Project Prevent Grant Program has a focus on partnerships with community-based organizations to mitigate the impact of community violence on students and families implementing community and school-based strategies. The department is especially interested in programs that support children and youth from low-income backgrounds.