Preventative Funding Build on Fourth Straight Year of Double-Digit Shooting Declines in Manhattan
Photo of D.A. Bragg, Councilmember Carlina Rivera, Assemblymember Grace Lee, Councilmember Christopher Marte and State Senator Brian Kavanagh with 2024 Gun Violence Prevention Initiative Recipients
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., today announced that the Office will award a total of $295,000 to eleven different community-based organizations to fund youth gun violence prevention initiatives this summer. Two joint initiatives will receive $60,000 each, and seven solo entities will receive $25,000 each. For the fourth consecutive summer, the Office’s funding will provide community-based organizations the ability to compensate young New Yorkers for engaging in meaningful programs intended to address the root causes of youth gun violence – including career readiness, self-expression, and community activation.
The recipients include:
Emergent Works, Getting Out and Staying Out, Goddard Riverside Community Center (in partnership with Positive Influence), Grand Street Settlement, Maysles Documentary Center, New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, Not Another Child, Police Athletic League (in partnership with CitizenRacecar), and Street Corner Resources.
For the first time since the start of the Office’s initiative, two of the community-based organizations have partnered with additional organizations in joint initiatives designed to foster collaboration and innovative partnerships, while expanding the program’s reach.
Organizations receiving the award will provide hyperlocal services to young people living in Washington Heights/Inwood, Harlem/East Harlem, the Lower East Side, and in or around NYCHA developments including Douglas, Amsterdam, and Wise Towers.
Programming will kick off on July 1st and run through the summer, ending on August 29th.
“Our comprehensive strategy of prevention, collaboration and enforcement has led to a 45% decline in shootings in Manhattan during my tenure,” said District Attorney Bragg. “Today’s awards underscore our commitment to a vital part of that strategy: prevention. I am grateful for the dedicated organizations who have demonstrated their commitment to showing our young people that they matter and are worthy of a promising future free from gun violence. Our youth gun violence prevention initiative continues to foster collaboration within the community and keep our Manhattan streets safer.”
“As a community, we must invest in our youth and create opportunities for them to thrive while addressing the root causes of gun violence. Today’s announcement by District Attorney Bragg underscores our commitment to supporting local organizations that engage young New Yorkers in meaningful activities, enhancing both their personal development and the safety of our neighborhoods,” said Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine. “By empowering those with lived experiences and focusing on hyperlocal solutions, we can work together to build a safer and more vibrant future for all residents of Manhattan.”
Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal said: “District Attorney Bragg has been a leader in the fight to get guns off the streets of Manhattan. I’m so grateful that his office is dedicating almost $300,000 to youth gun violence prevention organizations throughout Manhattan, including the gun violence prevention programming at Goddard Riverside Community Center, in my district, which I was also able to allocate $25,000 towards. The community organizations receiving this funding focus on addressing the systemic issues that lead young people to seek out firearms, before it’s too late. Their work, combined with the legislation D.A. Bragg, Assemblymember Rosenthal and I are pushing for in Albany to make it harder for bad actors to access 3D printed guns and gun parts (S.227A), will make a significant difference in our efforts to keep New Yorkers safe.”
“Gun violence is the leading cause of death of young children and adults,” said Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal (D/WF-Manhattan), Chair of the Assembly Committee on Housing. “We have a responsibility on the West Side, throughout the city and across the state, especially with the absence of any action by the federal government, to protect communities from the infiltration of illegal guns. That’s why I am proud to support District Attorney Bragg’s transformative youth gun violence prevention funding initiative. We cannot stop there – I am also working this legislative session to pass my bill banning the manufacture of 3D guns in New York. We must aggressively pursue all avenues to ensure that no child’s life, or that of their families, is affected by gun violence.”
The Manhattan D.A.’s Office is providing these awards through its Criminal Justice Investment Initiative (“CJII”), which was created using millions seized in the Office’s investigations against major banks.
The Award Recipients
Emergent Works (Harlem)
Focused on community activation and culminating in a concert, this program will engage participants in creative activities like music production and digital literacy to explore and understand the drivers of gun violence.
“At Emergent Works, we believe that creativity, technology, and lived experience are powerful tools for building brighter futures. This summer, through our program T.RAP (Technology, Rhythm and Passion) in partnership with DANY, participants from Harlem will engage in participatory action research, therapeutic songwriting, and digital storytelling. They won’t just examine the root causes of gun violence, they’ll transform that knowledge into original music, a website that highlights their findings and music, and performances that speak truth to power. By fusing lived experience with creative expression, this initiative empowers young people to reclaim their narratives and reimagine what’s possible for themselves and their communities.” – Army Armstead, Executive Director of Emergent Works.
Getting Out and Staying Out “GOSO” (East Harlem)
Youth participants will undergo weeks of career readiness training, collaborate with Career Services Specialists, secure internships with over 50 potential employers across New York City, and have access to life skills development and therapy.
“GOSO is proud to be a recipient of a gun violence prevention grant from Manhattan District Attorney Bragg’s office. Thanks to this support, a group of young people impacted by the legal system will participate in a ten-week career readiness program. Our comprehensive employment, mental health and education programs along with our daily presence in the community, schools, and hospitals have demonstrably reduced gun violence in East Harlem while creating stronger futures for our city’s youth. We are excited to offer more engaging and meaningful opportunities this summer, including these expanded career readiness workshops, and remain committed to making our neighborhood and New York City a safer, more hopeful place for everyone.” – Michelle Pryce-Screen, President and CEO of Getting Out and Staying Out (GOSO)
Goddard Riverside Community Center (Amsterdam Houses, Upper West Side)
Joint Initiative
Partnered with Positive Influence, this joint initiative will concentrate on job and career readiness by providing participants with responsibilities in Positive Influence basketball tournaments and the Goddard and Teen Expansion programs while also gaining professional skills and planning for education or employment.
“As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, ‘True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice.’ DA Bragg’s summer youth gun violence prevention initiative will help us build pathways towards this exact kind of peace through new violence intervention internships, giving youth in Amsterdam Houses and Amsterdam Addition opportunities to make a positive impact on their community. These internships will bolster the Creating Opportunities for Amsterdam (COFA) youth program, which receives generous funding from Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, Councilmember Gale Brewer, and Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal.” – Dr. Roderick L. Jones, President of Goddard Riverside.
Grand Street Settlement (Lower East Side)
Focused on self-expression, this initiative will implement a youth-led anti-gun violence campaign, including workshops in 3D modeling, filmmaking, music production, and other creative fields that will culminate in a local park event.
“Gun violence among youth is a pressing issue in Manhattan. This funding from the District Attorney’s Office supports programs that prevent gun violence and empower young people with vital skills. We are grateful to DA Bragg for his leadership and commitment to protecting and uplifting our youth.” – Robert Cordero, CEO of Grand Street Settlement.
Maysles Documentary Center (East and Central Harlem)
Centered around self-expression, participants will be taught documentary filmmaking and will produce short films delivered through a combination of trauma-healing techniques that will culminate in a showcase.
“After a several-year hiatus, Maysles Documentary Center is proud to renew our partnership with the District Attorney’s Gun Violence Prevention Initiative on this vital public program that directly addresses the urgent challenges facing today’s youth.
We’re continually inspired by this new generation — their awareness, creativity, and resilience shine through, even in the face of growing adversity. Thanks to this initiative with Alvin Bragg’s office, we’re proud to expand our stipend-supported educational programs in film and the arts here at Maysles Cinema—Harlem’s living room.” – Kazembe Balagun, Executive Director of Maysles Documentary Center.
New Yorkers Against Gun Violence (Harlem)
Participants in this community activation initiative, which will culminate in a community project and block party, will explore the intersections of gun violence with race, gender, housing, and economic inequality while learning to organize and advocate for safer communities.
“We are deeply grateful for the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investment in and commitment to ensuring that young people who have been impacted by the justice system are given opportunities to heal and lead,” said Shaina Harrison, Education Director of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence Education Fund. “This funding will allow NYAGV to expand our summer Miller Mentorship program in Harlem to engage youth who are victims of gun violence. Through trauma-informed workshops, peer education, and a youth-led community event, participants will unpack the root causes of violence and gain the tools to organize for change. At NYAGV, we believe youth closest to the problem are closest to the solution, and this investment supports our youth and cultivates community leadership.”
Not Another Child (Jefferson Houses, East Harlem)
This program will engage youth in gun violence intervention and prevention workshops, mentorships, field experiences, and a multi-state community activation initiative.
“NAC would like to thank DA Bragg and his office for its unwavering commitment to creating a more equitable environment for our young people in East Harlem. Through this partnership we have reduced violence and shootings while increasing communication skills and the quality of life for East-siders.” – Justin Napper, Founder of Not Another Child.
Police Athletic League (East and Central Harlem)
Joint Initiative
Partnered with CitizenRacecar, this joint initiative will concentrate on self-expression through creating content reflecting the youth participants’ personal and community experiences with gun violence.
“We are deeply honored to receive this grant for the third consecutive year. The continued investment by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in organizations like ours is a powerful statement of support for our young people and their futures. This critical funding allows us to create safe, supportive spaces where teens can speak openly, build resilience, and become leaders in the fight against gun violence in their own communities. We applaud DANY for its unwavering commitment to community-based solutions.” – Carlos Velazquez, Executive Director of Police Athletic League.
Street Corner Resources (Harlem)
Focused on community activation, this initiative will engage participants in activities that foster supportive relationships between youth and the community through improving public spaces, and projects that enhance civic pride and community health.
“We are more than excited to be a recipient of the GVPI award. This funding allows SCR to make real community change amongst our at-risk youth and young adults. As a result of our community clean-up and critical conversations we will continue to engage youth and stakeholders by having them work together to create a more peaceful environment.” – Dr. Iesha Sekou, Founder and CEO of Street Corner Resources
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