Oakland Violence Prevention Programs Face Funding Crisis After Trump Administration Cuts $811M in DOJ Grants
- JB Quinnon
- May 1
- 3 min read
Oakland Violence Prevention Programs Face Funding Crisis After Trump Administration Cuts $811M in DOJ Grants
Oakland’s community safety infrastructure is facing a significant setback after the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced plans to revoke $811 million in grant funding from violence prevention and public safety programs across the nation. The sweeping cuts impact hundreds of programs — including several in Oakland and Alameda County that serve vulnerable communities.
Among the programs affected are organizations like Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (NICJR), Youth Alive, Impact Justice, Phillips Black, and The Working Group.
The DOJ’s Office of Justice Programs, which oversees the grants, told recipients that the funds are being rescinded because they “no longer effectuate Department priorities.” The department has signaled a shift in focus toward direct law enforcement operations, anti-trafficking, and child protection.
But local leaders argue that these cuts undermine exactly those priorities. Many of the impacted grants were dedicated to mental health services, reducing gun violence, supporting victims, and preventing recidivism.
NICJR Executive Director David Muhammad said his organization stands to lose about $3 million from four grants. One of them was tied to the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act — a law that had strong bipartisan support. NICJR had used the funds for youth development programs and gun violence prevention work. Muhammad said the cuts “genuinely got this wrong,” adding that the DOJ is “using a chainsaw approach, not a scalpel.”
BOSS, which recently opened a trauma recovery center in deep East Oakland, lost a $641,050 grant slated to fund mental health clinicians for gun violence victims. CEO Donald Frazier called the decision “devastating,” noting that many East Oakland residents are living with unresolved trauma from violence.
Impact Justice lost more than $8 million in grants, including $4.5 million for a federal program designed to prevent sexual assault in correctional facilities — a mandate under the 2003 Prison Rape Elimination Act. “The support that we’ve provided for so many years just got shut down overnight,” said Michela Bowman, a senior leader at the organization. Another $4 million grant for reentry housing support was also revoked, leading to looming staff layoffs.
Youth Alive, a longtime Oakland nonprofit that works to break the cycle of gun violence, also lost a $2 million grant. Executive Director Joseph Griffin warned that, without these funds, survivors of gun violence will be “left alone to languish in hospital beds with no roadmap to recovery—just pain, fear, and retaliation.”
Some of the organizations, like NICJR and BOSS, plan to appeal the decision, but confidence in reversing the cuts remains low.
The announcement comes at a critical time. With summer approaching — a period historically associated with spikes in violent crime — community organizations say these cuts couldn’t have come at a worse moment.
“The things that [the Trump administration] names as their priorities are not reflected in the decisions that they’re making,” said Bowman.
As local organizations brace for the fallout, they’re calling on the community and philanthropic partners to step in and help fill the gap.
Source:
Roselyn Romero, Oaklandside
🚨 Oakland Violence Prevention Defunded 🚨
The Trump administration’s DOJ just slashed $811M in federal grants nationwide — and Oakland’s community safety programs are taking a direct hit.
Organizations like NICJR, BOSS, Impact Justice, and Youth Alive are losing millions meant for trauma recovery, youth outreach, reentry housing, and sexual assault prevention in prisons.
Leaders say the cuts are “policy violence” — especially as summer approaches, when gun violence often spikes.
🗣 “We need our government to show up for our young people the way we do—every day, without fail.” – Youth Alive
📰 Read the full story via @oaklandside or visit the link in bio.
Comments