Break the Cycle of Violence Act

This bill aims to reduce shootings and save lives by investing in community-led violence prevention and recovery. It funds local nonprofits and governments through Health and Human Services to run proven, trauma‑responsive programs that focus on people at highest risk, expand paths to jobs and school, and cut violence without adding to mass incarceration. Most funds flow to community groups: local governments must pass at least 75% of their grant dollars to nonprofits or non‑police community safety agencies, and hospitals must pass at least 90% to direct service providers and program staff.

It also creates a new Office of Community Violence Intervention and an Advisory Committee, plus a National Community Violence Response Center to provide training, data, research, and on‑the‑ground help. The Center will share best practices, host a regular national conference, and publish public reports on trends and results. Lawmakers point to evidence that community strategies can quickly reduce shootings, including a 23% drop in nonfatal shootings linked to outreach work in Baltimore.

• Who is affected
  • Community‑based nonprofits, local governments, and hospitals that run violence intervention programs.
  • Tribes, apprenticeship programs, community colleges, and “opportunity youth” in areas hit hard by gun violence (for job‑training support).
• What changes
  • Four‑year grants that usually cover most costs (typically 90% federal share). Local governments can get a full federal share with a waiver; the usual match rule doesn’t apply to community‑based nonprofits.
  • Preference for proposals likely to reduce violence without increasing incarceration; strong performers may receive extra funds; grants must add to, not replace, local spending.
  • Year‑round job‑training grants through the Labor Department to connect opportunity youth to in‑demand jobs in communities affected by gun violence.
• When and funding
  • Community violence grants: $300M in FY2026, $500M in FY2027, and $700M each year from FY2028–FY2033.
  • Job‑training grants: $1.5B total for FY2026–FY2033.
• Additional note
  • Encourages states and territories to consider using Crime Victims Fund dollars to support services for victims and survivors of community violence.

Introduced June 24, 2025 by Steven Horsford · Last progress June 24, 2025