The California Violence Intervention and Prevention (CalVIP) Grant Program was established through the Budget Act of 2019 (Assembly Bill 74, Chapter 23, Statutes of 2019) and appropriated $30,000,000 in funding for competitive awards to cities and community-based organizations to support evidence-based violence reduction initiatives. The Budget Act of 2020 (Senate Bill 74, Chapter 6, Statues 2020) included an additional $9,000,000 in funding and all other program requirements remained the same.
On October 11, 2019, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1603 (Chapter 735, Statutes of 2019) – also known as the Break the Cycle of Violence Act – which adds Section 14130 to the California Penal Code, codifying the establishment of the CalVIP Grant and the authority and duties of BSCC in administering the program, including selection criteria for grants and reporting requirements to the Legislature.
The Break the Cycle of Violence Act specifies that the purpose of CalVIP is to “improve public health and safety by supporting effective violence reduction initiatives in communities that are disproportionately impacted by violence, particularly group-member involved homicides, shootings, and aggravated assaults.” CalVIP grants shall be used to support, expand and replicate evidence-based violence reduction initiatives, including but not limited to:
- hospital-based violence intervention programs,
- evidence-based street outreach programs, and
- focused deterrence strategies.
These initiatives should seek to interrupt cycles of violence and retaliation in order to reduce the incidence of homicides, shootings, and aggravated assaults. Further, these initiatives shall be primarily focused on providing violence intervention services to the small segment of the population that is identified as having the highest risk of perpetrating or being victimized by violence in the near future.
CalVIP Grantee Orientation
Virtual Binder
Recording - November 16th
Recording - November 17th
Recording - November 18th
CalVIP Grantees
| Cities | Small Cities | Community-Based Organization |
| Bakersfield | Grass Valley | Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Oakland |
| Fresno | Greenfield | Fresh Lifelines for Youth, Inc. |
| Long Beach | Gustine | Fresno County Economic Opportunities Commission |
| Los Angeles | King City | Kitchens for Good |
| Oakland | Marysville | Los Angeles Brotherhood Crusade |
| Oxnard | Parlier | Lundquist Institute |
| Richmond | Safe Passages (Advance Peace) | |
| Sacramento | Sierra Health Foundation Center | |
| Salinas | Soledad Enrichment Action, Inc. | |
| San Bernardino | South Bay Community Services | |
| San Francisco | Southern California Crossroads | |
| San Jose | The Regents of the University of CA (Davis) | |
| Stockton | Watts Gang Task Force Council | |
| Youth ALIVE! |
Click here for Project Summaries
Cohort 3 Proposals can be found here
CalVIP ESC
 |
| The Executive Steering Committee included a cross-section of subject matter experts with professional experience related to community-based violence intervention initiatives, program evaluation, policy development and advocacy, and individuals who were impacted by the criminal justice system. The ESC developed the CalVIP Request for Proposals and made funding recommendations to the Board. |
Presentation by Thomas Abt to the CalVIP ESC
Thomas Abt is a Senior Research Fellow and Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy with the Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management at Harvard Kennedy School. Previously, Abt served as Deputy Secretary for Public Safety to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and as Chief of Staff to the Office of Justice Programs at the U.S. Department of Justice, where he played a leading role in establishing the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention. Abt turned what he learned in the past two decades in law-enforcement jobs, and now as a Harvard crime researcher, into a how-to manual published in June 2019 called Bleeding Out: The Devastating Consequences of Urban Violence—And a Bold New Plan for Peace in the Streets. Click on the image to watch Thomas Abt’s presentation to the CalVIP ESC.
Thomas Abt’s TEDMED, Why Violence Clusters in Cities and How to Reduce it
| Cities | Community-Based Organizations |
|---|---|
| Duarte | California Conference for Equality and Justice (Long Beach) |
| Gilroy | Garden Pathways (Bakersfield) |
| Lompoc | Options Recovery Services (Berkeley) |
| Los Angeles | Playa Vista Job Opportunities and Business Services (Los Angeles) |
| Oxnard | The Reverence Project (Los Angeles) |
| Parlier | South Bay Community Services (Chula Vista) |
| Salinas | |
| Santa Rosa | |
| Seaside |
Click here for a link of Project Summaries.
| Cities | Community-Based Organizations |
|---|---|
| Compton | Another Choice, Another Chance (Sacramento) |
| Los Angeles | Brotherhood Crusade (Los Angeles) |
| Oakland | Catholic Charities of the East Bay (Oakland) |
| Pasadena | Centinela Youth Services (Compton) |
| Perris | Fresh Lifeliness for Youth (Oakland) |
| Richmond | Huckleberry Youth Programs (San Francisco) |
| Sacramento | Sierra Health Foundation (Sacramento) |
| San Bernadino | South Bay Workforce Investment Board (Inglewood) |
| Stockton | Young Visionaries Youth Leadership Academy (San Bernardino) |
| Vallejo | Youth Alive! (Oakland) |
Click here for a link of Project Summaries.
Grantee Final Local Evaluation Report (FLER)
Another Choice, Another Chance Final Evaluation Plan PDF
Brotherhood Crusade PDF
Catholic Charities PDF
Centinela Youth Services PDF
City of Compton PDF
City of Los Angeles PDF
City of Oakland PDF
City of Perris PDF
City of Richmond PDF
City of Sacramento PDF
City of San Bernardino PDF
City of Stockton PDF
City of Vallejo PDF
Fresh Lifelines for Youth PDF
Huckleberry Youth Programs PDF
Sierra Health Foundation PDF
South Bay Workforce Investment Board PDF
Youth Alive! PDF
For information about the CalVIP Grant Program, please contact Katrina Jackson, Field Representative, at katrina.jackson@bscc.ca.govcreate new email
Cohort 1, Cohort 2 and Cohort 3 (Los Angeles, Oxnard, Parlier, Salinas & South Bay): Stephanie Birmingham, Program & Fiscal Analyst at stephanie.birmingham@bscc.ca.govcreate new email
Cohort 3: Angela Ardisana, Program & Fiscal Analyst at angela.ardisana@bscc.ca.govcreate new email
Frequently Asked Questions
Posted 6/4/20 - PDF
Posted 5/20/20 - PDF
Re-posted 3/20/20 - PDF
(see correction to Question 5)
Questions about the Cohort 3 CalVIP grants should be submitted to: CalVIP-3@bscc.ca.gov.create new email
Letters of Intent
Click hereopens EXCEL file to see a listing of the cities and community-based organizations (CBOs) that submitted letters of intent to apply for CalVIP funds. The workbook is divided into three sections: Cities from Table 1, Cities from Table 2 and CBOs.
Bidders’ Conferences
The BSCC held Bidders’ Conferences on Tuesday, March 3, 2020 in Los Angeles and on Friday, March 6, 2020 in Sacramento to answer technical questions from prospective applicants about the RFP, provide information on the principles of evidence-based violence reduction strategies, and provide clarity on RFP instructions.
The Bidders’ Conference on March 6, 2020 was recorded and can be viewed here – YouTube Recording
Bidders' Conference PowerPoint Slides - PDF
Evidence-Based Violence Reduction Strategies
At the Bidders’ Conference, BSCC showed a special video presentation by Thomas Abt, Senior Fellow at the Council on Criminal Justice and author of Bleeding Out: The Devastating Consequences of Urban Violence and a Bold Plan for Peace in the Streets.
View the video presentation here - Following the evidence: how to successfully and sustainably reduce urban violence
FY 17-18 CalVIP Request for Proposals (RFP)
The FY 17-18 CalVIP RFP included the following guidelines:
- The maximum funding threshold for all grants (cities and CBOs) was $500,000.
- The two-year grant cycles are: Cohort 1) May 1, 2018 to April 30, 2020; and Cohort 2) September 1, 2018 to August 31, 2020.
- The dollar-for-dollar match can be cash or in-kind, or a combination thereof.
- The $8,215,000 available for the competitive grant in Cohort 1 was split in half, with $4,107,500 set aside for city applicants and $4,107,500 set aside for CBO applicants.
- The $7,550,000 available for the competitive grant in Cohort 2 was also split in half, with $3,775,000 set aside for city applicants and $3,775,000 set aside for CBO applicants.
- Preference points were assigned according to the following schedule:
- 5% extra points for cities (and CBOs in those cities) that ranked in the top 5 percent for homicide rate, robbery rate and aggravated assault rate for 2015 and 2016;
- 3% extra points for cities (and CBOs in those cities) that ranked in the top 5 percent for 2 of those 3 crime rates for 2015 and 2016; and
- 1% extra points for cities (and CBOs in those cities) that ranked in the top 5 percent for 1 of those 3 crime rates for 2015 and 2