U.S. Department of Education: Project Prevent Grant Program

]The Project Prevent grant program provides grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to increase their capacity to help schools in communities with pervasive violence to better address the needs of affected students and to break the cycle of violence in those communities. Children’s exposure to violence, whether as victims or witnesses, is often associated with longterm physical, psychological, and emotional harms. These harms include, among others, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic disorders; failing or having difficulty in school; and delinquency or criminal behavior, including violent acts.

Project Prevent grants will enable LEAs to increase their capacity to identify, assess, and serve students exposed to pervasive violence, helping LEAS to offer affected students mental health services for trauma or anxiety; support conflict resolution programs; and implement other school–based violence prevention strategies in order to reduce the likelihood that these students will later commit violent acts.

This competition includes one absolute priority and two competitive preference priorities:

• Absolute Priority: Expanding the Capacity of LEAs to Assist Schools in Communities With Pervasive Violence to Break the Cycle of Violence by Better Meeting the Needs of Affected Students. Under this priority, funding is provided for projects to expand the capacity of LEAs to more effectively assist impacted schools in communities with pervasive violence to better meet the needs of students directly or indirectly exposed to pervasive violence. Applicants must address each of the following four subparts of this absolute priority. Projects must offer students: (1) Access to school-based counseling services, or referrals to community-based counseling services, for assistance in coping with trauma or anxiety; (2) school-based social emotional and behavioral supports for students to help address the effects of violence; (3) conflict resolution and other school-based strategies to prevent future violence; and (4) activities designed to promote a safer and improved school environment, which may include activities designed to decrease the incidence of harassment, bullying, fighting, gang participation, sexual assault, and substance abuse.
• Competitive Preference Priorities: Competitive Preference Priority 1— Collaboration With a Local Mental Health Agency. An application that includes a memorandum of agreement (MOA) or memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the authorized representative of a local mental health agency that agrees to collaborate with the applicant on the proposed project and provide resources and/or administer services that are likely to substantially contribute to positive outcomes for the proposed project. Competitive Preference Priority 2— Fostering Knowledge and Promoting the Development of Skills That Prepare Students To Be Informed, Thoughtful, and Productive Individuals and Citizens. Supporting projects likely to improve student academic performance and better prepare students for employment, responsible citizenship, and fulfilling lives, including by preparing children or students to do one or more of the following: (i) Develop positive personal relationships with others; (ii) Develop determination, perseverance, and the ability to overcome obstacles; (iii) Develop self-esteem through perseverance and earned success; (iv) Develop problem-solving skills; (v) Develop self-regulation in order to work toward long-term goals.

Amount: Approximately $10,000,000 is available to make up to 20 awards ranging from $250,000-$1,000,000 and averaging $500,000 for a project period of up to 60 months.

Eligibility: LEAs, including charter schools that are considered LEAs under State law.

Link: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=316611

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