ONE Lexington Grant Program Expands Support for Local Nonprofits Focused on Gun Violence Prevention

LEXINGTON, Ky. — In a bid to curb the increasing wave of gun violence, ONE Lexington has announced the opening of applications for its third year of Youth Gun Violence Prevention Grants. This endeavor is in partnership with the Community Action Council and is designed to empower local nonprofits and groups on the frontlines of this fight.

Application Process Begins March 1

Starting from March 1, nonprofits dedicated to the prevention of gun violence can start applying for these grants through ONE Lexington. The deadline for the application is set for April 5 at 5 p.m.

Available Funding

Special funding is being allocated to eligible nonprofits and groups with a fiscal agent from the city’s Gun Violence Reduction Grant program. Kenneth Payne, who works in outreach with ONE Lexington, stated that almost $100,000 will be allocated to the city’s budget for the fiscal year 2025. Once approved by the Urban County Council, each chosen organization will be awarded a sum of up to $7,500.

Selection Criteria

The Community Action Council will be in charge of selecting the groups that will receive funding. They will base their selection on critical initiatives that include intervention, mindfulness, community engagement, and gun violence reduction programming. Kenneth Payne explained that the grantees would potentially use the funds for initiatives such as “gun violence messaging, or hosting block parties“, among other things.

The Impact of Grant Program

The programming funded by these grants in the previous fiscal year helped nearly 1,200 young individuals. The primary aim of ONE Lexington is to alleviate burdens for groups that are keen on being part of bringing peace to their communities. The city of Lexington continually making progress in reducing gun violence reflects the impacts of these grants. There was a significant drop in the number of homicides last year, down to 24 from 44 in 2022, while 2023 marked the first time in five years that the city saw fewer than 100 shootings.

Support to Community Efforts

This grant can potentially serve as an extension of the work by ONE Lexington without trying to reinvent the wheel. The ultimate goal is to foster and build the capacity of community organizations and strengthen the work that they are doing, explained Payne. The grant recipients will be announced at the end of April.