PROSPER Act Reserves $25 Million for Community-Led Youth Violence Prevention, Excluding Police Departments

The new Prioritizing Resources for Outreach, Safety, Violence Prevention, Youth Empowerment and Resilience Act of 2025—or the PROSPER Act—is setting up a dedicated grant program to tackle youth gun violence. Starting in fiscal year 2026 and running through 2030, the Attorney General will award grants specifically for prevention programs. This isn't small change either: the bill reserves $25 million annually for this program, pulling that amount from the larger $100 million pot already allocated for existing juvenile justice programs (Title V).

Who Gets the Keys to the Cash?

This bill is notable because it’s laser-focused on community-based solutions, and it’s very clear about who is not invited to the table. The money goes to “eligible entities,” which include universities, Tribal agencies, non-profits, and local government agencies—but explicitly excludes law enforcement agencies (SEC. 2). This means the funding is designed to empower non-police groups, like local community organizations or mental health providers, to run the programs.

For a small, local non-profit that already runs an after-school program, this is huge. It’s a chance to secure serious funding to expand their work beyond basic tutoring into focused violence intervention. The bill requires these programs to use strategies that are proven to work, are sensitive to culture and language, and are trauma-informed. This is a crucial detail: it’s not just about throwing money at the problem, but funding approaches that are grounded in evidence and designed to address the root causes of violence, like past trauma (SEC. 2).

The Focus: Healing, Not Handcuffs

The activities funded by these grants are designed to be holistic, focusing on building up young people rather than just reacting to incidents. For example, a program must prioritize healing trauma, teaching essential life skills like conflict management and empathy, and connecting youth with professional resources. Imagine a local university partnering with a community center to provide free, culturally competent mental health counseling and mentorship to at-risk teens—that’s exactly what this bill aims to fund.

The bill also mandates that programs include safety education, linking young people and their families to resources on safe firearm storage and crisis hotlines. For a working parent concerned about neighborhood safety, this means more structured, evidence-based support systems are being funded right where they live. The goal is to catch young people who are at the “highest risk” of being involved in gun violence—either as victims or perpetrators—and provide them with the skills and resources needed to stay resilient and reintegrate into the community.

The Trade-Offs: Shifting the Budget

While the $25 million dedicated to this new program is a significant boost for community organizations, it’s important to note where it comes from. The funding is reserved from the existing Title V Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act budget. This means that while the total funding pool for Title V remains at $100 million, $25 million of that is now earmarked for this specific gun violence prevention effort. This shift could mean other existing juvenile justice programs that rely on that Title V funding might see their resources stretched thin. It’s a classic budget trade-off: creating a new, highly targeted program by reserving funds from a broader one. The success of the PROSPER Act will depend heavily on how the Attorney General defines what constitutes a “strategy proven to work,” ensuring that the grants go to programs that can deliver real-world results without sacrificing the quality of other critical juvenile services.