On September 6, 2022, PCCD announced the availability of $85.5 million in state and federal funding over a 29-month period to support FY 2022-23 Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) Competitive Grants.

The purpose of VIP funding is to provide grants and technical assistance to address community violence throughout the Commonwealth. For purposes of this funding announcement, ‘community violence’ is defined as intentional interpersonal violence (e.g., gun violence, group violence) in areas of Pennsylvania with high rates of violent crime using Uniform Crime Report offense data or similar local crime statistics.

Community-based organizations, institutions of higher education, municipalities, district attorneys, and counties were eligible to apply. The maximum project amounts were based on the size of the organization and ranged between $25,000 and $2.5 million to support project activities.

Under this solicitation, PCCD utilized a two-phased application process. In the initial funding request phase, PCCD reviewed 352 request forms received via SurveyMonkey as of the Oct. 12, 2022 deadline. PCCD conducted an initial review to verify applicant eligibility and gauge alignment of proposed activities with funding criteria. 185 applicants were invited to submit a formal application in PCCD’s Egrants System by December 8, 2022, and 162 applications were received. Formal scoring and review of the applications occurred during December, with reconciliation meetings and a VIP Workgroup meeting conducted in January.

Staff and the VIP Workgroup are recommending approval of 122 applications not to exceed $88,499,324 in state VIP funding, pending the resolution of any outstanding programmatic or fiscal concerns.

Below are the awarded grant amounts for the 9th Senatorial District (Delaware/Chester Counties):

Chester Education Foundation

Delaware County (Chester City)

Amount: $415,123

 

Making a Change Group (MACG)

Delaware County (Chester City)

Amount: $219,502

 

Temple University of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education

Delaware and Philadelphia Counties

(Philadelphia Chester City)

Amount: $2,400,072

 

Urban Affairs Coalition (Chester Community Coalition)

Delaware County (Chester City; Darby; Upland; Chester Township; Boothwyn; Trainer; Marcus Hook; Brookhaven)

Amount: $259,000

 

Youth Sentencing & Reentry Project

(Delaware, Montgomery, and

Philadelphia Counties)

Amount: $348,248

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