WASHINGTON–U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Thursday, December 11th sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi objecting to the Department of Justice’s changes to grant conditions for Community-Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative (CVIPI) program funding, which will exclude some community-based organizations from receiving federal funding.

In 2022, Senator Murphy led a bipartisan group of lawmakers to pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) – historic gun violence prevention legislation that provided funds specifically for these life-saving organizations.

In the letter, Murphy made clear that Congress intentionally appropriated funding for CVI groups: “Congress stated that CVIPI was intended to ‘[support] communities in developing comprehensive, evidence-based violence intervention and prevention programs, including efforts to address gang and gun violence, based on partnerships between community residents, law enforcement, local government agencies, and other community stakeholders.’ Since the inception of CVIPI, hundreds of millions of dollars have been allocated to community-based organizations (‘CBOs’) leading community violence intervention and prevention work, as well as state, county, and city governments.”

He detailed how DOJ’s new grant conditions fail to address the reality on the ground: “Rather than center community-led efforts to utilize evidence-based approaches to prevent violence and interrupt cycles of violence in the communities that experience the highest rates of gun violence, the FY25 NOFO instead centers law enforcement priorities. While law enforcement is an important part of the public safety ecosystem, so too are community-based organizations who are able to work directly with individuals at highest risk of participating in or being victimized by gun violence and engage them in non-punitive ways; the work of these community-based organizations complements and enhances law enforcement’s efforts to reduce crime.”

The Senator warned AG Bondi that changing grant conditions for CVIPI programs jeopardizes historic progress made in crime reduction since the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act: “The DOJ has taken serious actions to hinder efforts and initiatives that led to historic reductions in gun violence and violent crime since January 20th, 2025. In 2023, most cities across the country began experiencing historic reductions in violent crime, reversing the trend seen during the first several years of the COVID-19 pandemic…These declines did not happen by chance; they are the result of an intentional, coordinated, comprehensive effort to reduce gun violence involving multiple federal agencies. Rather than continue the strategies proven to be effective, this Administration decided to dismantle the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention and terminate $811 million in BSCA grants—approximately $150 million of which was allocated for CVIPI.”

Murphy concluded by calling on the Department of Justice to fully restore CVIPI grant conditions to align with congressional intent and ensure community organizations working to reduce gun violence across the country can access funds and continue saving lives.

Full text of the letter can be found here and below.

Dear Attorney General Bondi:

As one of the lead negotiators for the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), I write to object to the changed grant conditions for the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) Community Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative (CVIPI) program as advertised through the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) released on September 17, 2025. As you know, BSCA authorized 1.4 billion in funding for violence prevention and intervention programs over five years (from 2022 to 2026), including 250 million for the CVIPI.

On April 22, 2025, the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) announced the termination of certain CVIPI grants, impacting dozens of local organizations working to address violence through a public health framework. Specifically, Community Based Organizations (CBOs) received abrupt notice that their multiyear awards were no longer aligned with OJP’s mission and priorities, although state and local government awardees were not impacted. The additional conditions proposed on the FY25 NOFO represent a significant change in approach to addressing community violence and gun violence, starting with the exclusion of community-based organizations from funding eligibility, which is clearly not what Congress intended. Rather than center community-led efforts to utilize evidence-based approaches to prevent violence and interrupt cycles of violence in the communities that experience the highest rates of gun violence, the FY25 NOFO instead centers law enforcement priorities. While law enforcement is an important part of the public safety ecosystem, so too are community-based organizations who are able to work directly with individuals at highest risk of participating in or being victimized by gun violence and engage them in non-punitive ways; the work of these community-based organizations complements and enhances law enforcement’s efforts to reduce crime.

Launched in 2022 as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, the CVIPI was initially funded with $50 million in Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22). In the report accompanying the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022, Congress stated that CVIPI was intended to “[support] communities in developing comprehensive, evidence-based violence intervention and prevention programs, including efforts to address gang and gun violence, based on partnerships between community residents, law enforcement, local government agencies, and other community stakeholders.” Since the inception of CVIPI, hundreds of millions of dollars have been allocated to CBOs leading community violence intervention and prevention work, as well as state, county, and city governments.

The DOJ has taken serious actions to hinder efforts and initiatives that led to historic reductions in gun violence and violent crime since January 20th, 2025. In 2023, most cities across the country began experiencing historic reductions in violent crime, reversing the trend seen during the first several years of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Reporting data indicated a 3 percent decline in violent crime and a nearly 12 percent decline in murder from 2022 to 2023. In the following year, from 2023 to 2024, violent crime decreased by 10.3 percent and murder decreased almost 23 percent. These declines did not happen by chance; they are the result of an intentional, coordinated, comprehensive effort to reduce gun violence involving multiple federal agencies. Rather than continue the strategies proven to be effective, this Administration decided to dismantle the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention and terminate $811 million in BSCA grants—approximately $150 million of which was allocated for CVIPI.

The DOJ should immediately restore CVIPI grant conditions to align with congressional intent by ensuring CBOs can access these life-saving funds, directing funding for jurisdictions with the highest rates of gun violence, prioritizing applicants that intend to work with the populations at highest risk of committing or being victimized by gun violence, and reopening grant applications in light of the change and lapse in appropriations. Please respond to this letter within 30 days.