PENNSYLVANIA — The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) last week announced the availability of $3.5 million in federal grant funding for local governments aimed at addressing gun violence and improving responses to behavioral health crises.
The funding has been made available through the Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program (SCIP), authorized by the federal Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA). The BSCA was signed into law by President Biden after the Buffalo and Uvalde mass shootings.
Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, who serves as PCCD chair, stressed the importance of this federal grant. “These funds will support evidence-based, community-focused efforts to reduce gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer,” he said. “The epidemic of gun violence is a uniquely American problem, but it’s one we can do something about. I encourage local leaders working on innovative solutions to this epidemic to reach out to PCCD for more information and apply for a grant.”
The competitive grant program is designed to support projects and programs that fulfill at least one of three priority areas outlined in PCCD’s approved FY2022-23 Byrne SCIP Funding Plan. These include improving crisis intervention services across behavioral health, civil legal, and other settings, with a focus on communities experiencing gun violence; enhancing coordination of services and responses to gun violence victimization; and addressing the intersections of domestic violence and intimate partner violence with gun violence.
“Keeping Pennsylvanians safe and healthy is a top priority of the Shapiro-Davis Administration,” said PCCD Executive Director Mike Pennington. “Gun violence impacts all communities across our Commonwealth—from large cities to small towns. By investing in local programs and initiatives, this grant program will help communities improve their capacity to respond to this crisis.”
Local units of government, such as counties, cities, townships, or towns, have until December 20, 2023, to submit their grant applications. Each application could propose a project that could receive up to $200,000 in grant funding over a two-year period. Queries regarding this solicitation and the application process should be emailed to RA-PCCD-OCJSI@pa.gov by close of business on Wednesday, December 13, 2023.
In addition to this, a virtual webinar will take place on November 14 at 2 PM to provide an overview of the FY 22-23 Byrne SCIP Local Solicitation and PCCD’s application process. This webinar aims to answer technical questions from potential applicants and provide a comprehensive understanding of the solicitation process.
Applicants can find more information on funding requirements and how to apply on PCCD’s active funding announcements webpage.
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