St. Paul City Council announces community-first public safety grant program

The St. Paul City Council announced Thursday the creation of a community-first public safety grant program.

According to a news release from the city of St. Paul, the grant program is targeted at community-based organizations serving historically under-resourced areas of the city, or those disproportionately impacted by gun violence.

“For years, countless grassroots people and organizations have been working in community, doing the proactive work necessary to reduce neighborhood violence through engagement and healing. This program aims to invest directly in that work and help keep our community safe,” said Councilmember Mitra Jalali.

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The grant program will build on the existing $1.4 million that the city has invested in community-first public safety in the 2020 budget. Existing community-first projects include Community Ambassadors, Cure Violence, the Healing Streets Project, targeted youth employment and after-school parks & recreation programming.

“Everyone on this council has a strong, shared commitment for investing in community-first public safety,” said Council President Amy Brendmoen. “We were proud to invest significant funding into new strategies last year and continue to make progress in partnership with the Mayor’s Office and all of our community partners.”

The initial round of funding consists of $100,000 with maximums in place to ensure that multiple organizations are supported. Applications need to be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Feb. 10 and will undergo a review process.

More information can be found on the city website linked here.