27 Organizations to Receive Financial Support to Help Reduce Community Violence

TRENTON — Governor Phil Murphy and Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin today announced that up to $14.5 million in grant funding will be distributed to twenty-seven (27) organizations to support New Jersey’s Community-Based Violence Intervention (CBVI) Program. Funding for this initiative has been made possible through the State’s Fiscal Year 2025 Budget, primarily from the Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Fund, as well as through federal American Rescue Plan funds. To date, the Department of Law and Public Safety’s (the Department) total commitment to community violence intervention efforts, which includes CBVI, Hospital-based Violence Intervention Programs, and Trauma Recovery Centers, now nears $130 million.

Established in 2021, CBVI’s initial funding was allocated as part of Governor Murphy’s Fiscal Year 2022 budget. As CBVI enters its fourth program year, the Murphy Administration’s nearly $55 million investment allows CBVI to continue supporting the State’s comprehensive public safety strategy. Through a public health approach to violence prevention, these programs put resources in the hands of community-based organizations who employ strategies that disrupt cycles of violence. Together, they are forming a continuum of prevention services from targeted programs for at-risk youth to street intervention initiatives.

“I am thrilled to see the Community-Based Violence Intervention Program enter its fourth year providing lifesaving services in communities across New Jersey,” said Governor Murphy. “As Attorney General Platkin and I highlighted earlier this year, gun violence in 2024 reached historic lows in our state, thanks in part to programs like CBVI. The program has played a role in addressing the root causes of violence through targeted interventions and community partnerships. Our Administration, in collaboration with our community partners, will continue to do what we can to reduce violence in our communities so that our friends and neighbors do not have to worry about their safety.”

“Since I took office, I’ve made it a priority to use all available tools and innovations to combat gun violence. Our transformational approach to public safety is working: the last two years have marked historic reductions in shootings, and the community-led solutions we fund are a critical part of that strategy,” said Attorney General Platkin. “Governor Murphy’s support and the State’s continued investment in community violence intervention programming has established New Jersey as a leader in prevention. The grants announced today will continue an approach of making smart investments in interventions and organizations that do lifesaving work.”

At its core, CBVI strategies help communities reduce shootings, homicides, and other violent acts by supporting and developing healing relationships among communities and individuals. CBVI staff use their relationships and credibility in the community to build trust through regular and consistent community engagement. These programs cover a range of services, from street outreach, group and individual counseling and trauma recovery services, mentoring and career development, to cognitive behavioral interventions, case management, afterschool programming, and referrals to other providers. CBVI grantees serve school age children at risk for violence and older youth from ages 16 to 24, as well as adults who are at high risk for violence or victimization.

New Jersey’s CBVI providers use grant funding to deliver direct impact to communities most affected by violence. In 2024, between January 1st and October 1st, CBVI providers across the state responded to 365 violent incidents, using de-escalation and mediation techniques as well as other services to those impacted by violence. By focusing on these incidents, providers put trained professionals in the locations and with the people at a point critical to preventing further violence and victimization. Other initiatives include leading group work with those impacted by or at risk of violence, using proven strategies – such as grief counseling, mediation, restorative justice approaches, addiction counseling, and trauma recovery services – that build community capacity and resilience. Over the first three quarters of 2024, providers also held 513 violence prevention events, reaching nearly 16,000 community members. Strategic partnerships with schools have served as another key tool: CBVI providers run nearly 100 Safe Passage interventions around schools, focusing on routes to and from school that can give rise to conflict and violence, helping students remain safe and free of violence.

The CBVI program is overseen by the Division of Violence Intervention and Victim Assistance (VIVA), which Attorney General Platkin created through a 2022 directive to support his commitment to elevate and formalize violence prevention and victim services work within the Department. In October 2023, Acting Governor Tahesha Way signed A-4978/S-3086 into law as P.L. 2023, c.167, codifying VIVA within the Department.

“With each year, we strengthen and expand our public safety infrastructure by investing in organizations with deep roots in the communities they serve,” said Patricia Teffenhart, Executive Director of VIVA. “We look forward to continuing working with, and learning from, this dedicated network of colleagues who share our commitment to creating a safer New Jersey.”

As in 2024, the 2025 distribution of CBVI funding prioritized strategies – sometimes called violence intervention or “tertiary” services – that respond to violence by working with individuals who are at a high risk of violence or victimization. Through methods like street outreach, violence interventionists and outreach workers respond to situations in real-time, including in hospitals, outside schools, in parks, on the streets, and at neighborhood functions.

Individuals performing this work have a strong presence in areas with the highest concentrations of street violence and use their credibility in the community to help de-escalate and mediate conflict. These services are recognized as providing the most immediate benefit in reducing and responding to violence and serve as a complement to traditional public safety strategies such as policing.

The maximum grant award for tertiary services—which are recognized as providing the most immediate benefit in reducing and responding to violence—remains $750,000. Organizations that provide primary or secondary prevention services are eligible to receive up to $500,000.

CBVI Background

The CBVI funding reflects a key component of the Murphy Administration’s efforts to tackle the causes of violent crime. Under Attorney General Platkin’s leadership, the CBVI program provides community service providers with funding for the development and implementation of violence intervention and prevention programming for communities impacted by higher than average rates of violence, with a focus on gun violence.

Overall, the FY2025 cycle will support 27 CBVI programs in 13 counties, which include services to New Jersey’s communities most impacted by shooting incidents.

The programs funded through this award are:

* Denotes new CBVI provider in 2025
** Denotes violence intervention/tertiary services program provider

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The Division of Violence Intervention and Victim Assistance (VIVA) serves as Attorney General Platkin’s lead entity for victim assistance and violence intervention and prevention services within the Department. Among its range of responsibilities is creating a statewide infrastructure for victim assistance and violence intervention and prevention services, and supporting the development of new initiatives and strategies in those areas. VIVA provides resources and support to community-based organizations that offer these services and helps develop a statewide strategy for the growth and standardization of programs.

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