Leadership Center for Attorney General Studies

BOSTON — As part of her ongoing efforts to bolster community-based gun violence prevention work and recognize gun violence as a public health concern, Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell has awarded approximately $1 million to ten organizations through the office’s Public Health Models for Gun Violence Prevention Grant. The grant recipients will use the funding to support evidence-based, culturally competent programs focused on gun violence prevention and education with the goal of expanding the reach of effective gun violence prevention strategies into different communities across the Commonwealth.

“Everyone deserves to live in a safe community free from the horrors of gun violence, and I’m proud to support these ten organizations doing the work to prevent gun violence across our state,” said AG Campbell. “Through these grants, we’re empowering community organizations with the tools and resources they need to address this public health crisis and working towards a future where no family has to feel the pain of losing a loved one to firearms.”

In Massachusetts, 257 individuals die and another 648 are wounded by gun violence on average each year. This crisis disproportionately affects Black individuals, who are 4.1 times more likely than white individuals to die by gun violence and 20 times more likely to die by gun homicide in Massachusetts. Furthermore, from 2019 and 2023, 55% of gun deaths in Massachusetts were suicides. This grant program recognizes the connection between public health and public safety and reflects AG Campbell’s strong commitment to fighting gun violence across the Commonwealth. The grant recipients will take steps to reduce gun violence through community-based public health approaches, and in doing so, make progress towards ensuring that gun violence prevention interventions become mainstream practice in health care settings.

Following a robust review process, the following organizations were selected by the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) to receive funding:

Behavioral Health Network 

The grant funding will be used to develop and provide training on the intersection between gun violence and domestic violence. Behavioral Health Network (BHN) will integrate this trauma informed training into partnerships with a wide range of community-based organizations (CBO) throughout Greater Springfield. BHN will support CBO partners in identifying and responding in emerging situations and directing individuals to appropriate community services.

“The intersection of domestic violence and gun violence is a devastating and increasingly prevalent problem. We are grateful to the Attorney General’s Office for their support of this important work. We look forward to bringing this critical information to our community,” said Steven Winn, President and CEO of Behavioral Health Network.

Berkshire Medical Center 

With these funds, Berkshire Medical Center will create and distribute a comprehensive, evidence-based resource toolkit that frontline healthcare workers, law enforcement officers, and community leaders in Berkshire County can use to communicate about gun suicide and engage with the public around suicide prevention strategies.

Boston Medical Center 

The grant funding will be used to work in partnership with the Massachusetts Medical Society to develop and deploy a statewide online education tool for health care professionals. Boston Medical Center will jointly develop the training to contain several modules that clinicians can engage in at their own pace and will be hosted on the Massachusetts Medical Society website so that all Massachusetts clinicians have access to the content.

“We are beyond excited and immensely grateful for the support of the Attorney General’s Office for our Emergency Risk Protection Order (ERPO) work,” said Lisa Allee, Director of Community Violence Response Team at Boston Medical Center. “Educating clinicians on how to keep their patients and families safe by using ERPO’s is an important step in injury prevention.”

Brockton Public Schools 

With this grant, Brockton Public Schools will partner with the Family Community Resource Center and the Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence to implement a program which uses community data to inform staff workshops, as well as student and family outreach. They will also use the funds to provide on-site mental health professionals for students and staff impacted by trauma related to gun violence. This work is grounded in collaboration with the broader community, including the continued support of the Brockton Police Department and the Mayor’s Office, as they work together to build safer, healthier schools and neighborhoods.

Making Opportunity Count 

Funding will be used to support youth-focused gun violence prevention programming in Fitchburg that includes virtual reality conflict de-escalation training, peer-led digital gun violence prevention content creation, and family/community gun safety workshops.

“This grant is an important investment in our mission to break down barriers and create opportunity for every young person,” said Kevin Reed, Executive Director of Making Opportunity Count. “These funds will expand access to innovative resources, encourage creative expression, and strengthen community-centered support. Our goal is not just preventing violence, but building a safer, more hopeful future where youth can thrive.”

Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence 

The grant will be used to hire an additional staff member to provide gun violence prevention trainings to medical and behavioral health care providers and youth serving organizations on the impacts of gun violence on patients and communities across the state.

“The Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence is grateful to the Attorney General’s Office for their investment in our educational programming, which will allow us to reach providers across the Commonwealth with critical information about the intersection of gun violence, trauma, and public health,” said Ruth Zakarin, CEO of the Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence. “Education about root causes of gun violence and trauma-informed responses is a central part of the Coalition’s mission, and this funding will enable us to significantly scale up this important part of our work.”

Open Sky Community Services 

With the goal of reducing violence and enhancing safety, the grant will be used to fund a comprehensive initiative that aims to improve the identification and support of at-risk individuals, establish a culturally inclusive Employee Resource Group, and enhance Community Violence Interventions for high-risk individuals and communities.

“This grant is a crucial opportunity to address the root causes of violence and expand trauma-informed care for our most vulnerable community members facing severe risk factors,” said Ken Bates, President and CEO of Open Sky Community Services. “We are honored that Open Sky has been selected alongside other dedicated organizations working to improve outcomes for at-risk communities. We are deeply grateful to Attorney General Campbell and her team for this transformational investment in a public health approach to violence prevention.”

Pa’lante Transformative Justice 

The grant will be used to hire a Clinical Director who will provide onsite, culturally affirming therapeutic services to Holyoke youth as part of their gun violence prevention for at-risk youth efforts. The Clinical Director will also run the Mindful Rage program – an alternative to court-assigned youth anger management courses grounded in art and activism, that was designed by and for youth of color.

“We are thrilled to partner with the AG’s office to enhance and deepen Pa’lante’s work to not only prevent violence and help youth ‘get off the streets,’ but also to come together with youth to build power, create joy and fight for the communities and world they deserve,” said Luke Midnight-Woodward, Co-Executive Director of Pa’lante Transformative Justice.

Samaritans 

Through this grant, Samaritans will build on their statewide efforts to prevent suicide by providing the evidence-based Counseling for Access to Lethal Means training to its staff as well as hosting a series of webinars for the public that will focus on prevention of suicide by firearm. Samaritans will also use the funds to support organization staff, volunteers, and providers in the community.

“We are deeply grateful to the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office for supporting this critical initiative,” said Kathleen C. Marchi, Chief Executive Officer and President of Samaritans. “With suicide accounting for more than half of all U.S. firearm deaths, this funding will allow Samaritans to bring together mental health providers, gun safety advocates, and community organizations to save lives.”

We Are Better Together Warren Daniel Hairston Project 

The grant will support the relaunch of Young/Ladies Interested in Putting a Stop To Inner City Killing (Y/LIPSTICK) in Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, Hyde Park, Roslindale and Jamaica Plain. Using a train-the-trainer model, funding will allow trained staff members to focus on educating girls and young women about the prevention of gun trafficking.

“We are so grateful to be a part of the Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell’s initiative to bolster community-based gun violence prevention work through the Public Health Models for Gun Violence Prevention Grant Program and the recognition of Y-LIPSTICK as an effective intervention and education not only for our youth, but for our entire community,” said Ruth Rollins, Executive Director and Founder of We Are Better Together.

The organizations will each receive awards up to $100,000 for a maximum period of 24 months.

This grant program was developed by the office’s Gun Violence Prevention Unit and is managed by Director of Grants Management Nathan Gardner and Grants Program Manager Allison Beaufort.

Click here to read more from AG Campbell.