CAMILA AND MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY'S JUST KEEP LIVIN FOUNDATION LAUNCHES THE GREENLIGHTS GRANT INITIATIVE TO MAKE SCHOOLS SAFER

The Greenlights Grant Initiative, a project of the just keep livin Foundation, will help school districts secure federal school safety grant funding to create safer and healthier school environments. 

LOS ANGELES, July 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The just keep livin Foundation (JKL) today announced the launch of the Greenlights Grant Initiative.

The Greenlights Grant Initiative exists to create safer school environments and ensure the well-being of children by helping school districts nationwide access billions of dollars of federal school safety funding included in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) and subsequent legislation.

The Greenlights Grant Initiative will create a platform to more easily connect school districts across the country to available federal funding, provide school districts with grant writing support, and make America's schools and children safer.

AASA, The School Superintendents Association, the premier association for school system leaders, is a strategic partner of this initiative.

Camila and Matthew McConaughey, Founders of the just keep livin Foundation, said: "Just over one year ago, the tragedy at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde pushed Congress to pass historic legislation, The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which allocated billions of dollars aimed at assisting schools and school districts to create safer environments. While the legislation is crucial in protecting America's youth from violence, it remains far too difficult for school districts to apply for and receive federal school safety grants. Today's launch of the Greenlights Grant Initiative is a meaningful step toward providing school districts across the country the grant writing support and the resources they need to keep kids safe in our schools. The parents in Uvalde asked us to do one thing – to 'make their lives matter.' We hope the Greenlights Grant Initiative can help do just that."

David Schuler, the Executive Director of AASA, The School Superintendents Association, a strategic partner of the Greenlights Grant Initiative, said: "We are thrilled to partner with JKL on this groundbreaking project that will ensure federal school safety grants can be a realistic option for districts of all sizes – not just those with the means to hire grant writers. Students and educators in some of our least resourced, most rural communities are desperate for more mental health services and for more secure buildings and this initiative ensures that district leaders in these communities know about these federal funding opportunities and understand how to access these critical dollars."

Applying for government grants is complex, expensive, and intimidating. The Greenlights Grant Initiative is designed to help school districts navigate the grant process to ensure full access to school safety funding opportunities, which include resources for mental health services, school security systems, and other common-sense measures to ensure kids can learn in peace.

The Greenlights Grant Initiative will serve school districts by focusing on three key priorities:

• Education: Raising awareness of available school safety grant opportunities and how to secure them. This includes notifications of when grants become available, how to apply, and grant deadlines.
• Support: Providing tailored resources – ranging from tutorials, webinars, and guidebooks as well as fully-funded grant writing services to select high need, low capacity districts.
• Advocacy: Encouraging policymakers to maximize funding for school safety grants and to streamline and simplify the grantmaking process.

The launch of the Greenlights Grant Initiative also establishes the initiative's strategic advisory council, whose co-chairs include: Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-SC), and Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), all of whom were instrumental in the passage of the BSCA. Additional members of the advisory council include: Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sen. Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), and Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX).

The advisory council will provide the Greenlights Grant Initiative with critical guidance and direction on how to maximize funding for school safety grants and to implement reforms to the grantmaking process that make accessing funds easier for applicants.

Sen. John Cornyn said: "The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in unprecedented school safety and mental health resources to schools in Texas and nationwide. The Greenlights Grant Initiative will take the success of this law one step further by helping connect more schools with available funding and providing resources on navigating the grants process."

Sen. Chris Murphy said: "Applying for federal grants can be a confusing, unwieldy process, especially for smaller, more rural communities. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act made a historic investment in youth mental health and school safety, and the Greenlights Grant Initiative will make sure more school districts can access this funding. After the tragic death of 19 kids and two educators at Robb Elementary School, Camila and Matthew used their platform to call for change, and I'm proud to be part of their continued work at just keep livin to honor the lives lost with meaningful action."  

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema said: "We're saving lives thanks to our Bipartisan Safer Communities law – giving peace of mind to American families, boosting resources for those in need of help, and helping ensure our schools and neighborhoods are safe places to live and learn. I'm proud to co-chair the Greenlights Grant Initiative Congressional Advisory Committee to ensure schools have the tools provided in our law to keep communities safe."

Sen. Thom Tillis said: "The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act made historic investments aimed at protecting our children and schools, and we must now turn our attention to ensuring these critically-important resources get to communities that need them the most. I'm proud to work with Matthew and Camila McConaughey's Greenlights Grant Initiative, which will play a crucial role in connecting federal dollars to school districts in North Carolina and across the country."

Rep. James E. Clyburn said: "The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) was an important step in curbing the gun violence epidemic plaguing our country, including in our schools and amongst our students. We must now ensure that the legislation is implemented effectively, efficiently, and equitably.  That includes ensuring that underserved schools receive an equitable share of the funds made available by the bill to protect their students. That is why I am pleased to join the Greenlights Grant Initiative as a Congressional Advisory Co-Chair. The initiative's work to help get BSCA money to schools that might otherwise be excluded is absolutely essential. I look forward to working alongside Matthew and Camila McConaughey on this critical effort."

Rep. Tony Gonzales said: "All schools should have the resources they need to maintain a safe learning environment. After the horrific shooting that occurred in Uvalde, in my district, I created the Bipartisan School Safety and Security Caucus to bring Members of Congress together to discuss ways in which we can equip educators, faculty, and law enforcement with the tools they need to ensure every child is safe in the classroom. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which I proudly supported, provides billions of dollars in federal funding for this purpose. Matthew and Camila McConaughey are continuing this crucial work with the creation of the Greenlights Grant Initiative, which connects school districts to federal funding that makes sure our schools are safe havens for our nation's youth. I look forward to serving as a Co-Chair of the Greenlights Grant Initiative's Congressional Advisory Board and advancing policies that will improve school safety."

The Greenlights Grant Initiative is grateful for the support it received from investor Dean Graziosi, an early financial supporter and backer of the initiative, and Salesforce, a strategic partner of the initiative.

For more information about how school districts around the country can access the support and resources they need to protect their students and to learn more about the Greenlights Grant Initiative strategic advisory board, please visit: www.GreenlightsGrantInitiative.org

About The Greenlights Grant Initiative: The Greenlights Grant Initiative's mission is to create safer school environments and ensure the well-being of our children by helping school districts nationwide access available federal school safety funding made available by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and subsequent legislation. It is an initiative of the just keep livin Foundation.

About the just keep livin Foundation: The just keep livin Foundation was founded by Camila and Matthew McConaughey and is dedicated to empowering high school students by providing them with the tools to lead active lives and make healthy choices for a better future.

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