The Kaiser Permanente Center for Gun Violence Research and Education Awards $2.25 Million in Grants to Support Transformative Community-led Research

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May 21, 2024, 09:00 ET

Equitable grantmaking addresses funding disparities to support those most impacted by gun violence in discovering and scaling solutions

OAKLAND, Calif., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kaiser Permanente Center for Gun Violence Research and Education today announced 10 recipients of spring 2024 funding totaling $2.25 million. The awards include people most impacted by gun violence in research and interventions, providing the insight and expertise needed to scale effective solutions to this public health crisis. Since the center's inception in 2022, it has awarded a total of nearly $7 million to a diverse group of researchers, community-based organizations, and national organizations to advance evidence for preventive and clinical interventions that reduce the incidence and effects of community gun violence and firearm suicide.

"We know that more insightful and meaningful research emerges when academic institutions partner with and center the wisdom of the most impacted communities," said Fatimah Loren Dreier, executive director of the Kaiser Permanente Center for Gun Violence Research and Education. "These grants play an essential role in preventing gun violence by supporting community-led research and demonstrating that equitable grantmaking is possible."

Addressing funding disparities in the field

According to analysis conducted by Health Resources in Action on behalf of the center, there are stark inequities in who receives gun violence research grants. HRIA's study illuminates that less than 25% of gun violence research funding goes to nonprofit organizations, and most of those recipient nonprofits have sizable budgets, reporting annual revenues of at least $100 million, leaving smaller, community-based organizations largely excluded. Additional analyses indicate that there are further disparities in research funding by race of primary investigators, with few grant recipients identifying as Black, even though Black people make up nearly one-third of all gun violence deaths in the U.S.

To address these disparities, the center implemented a rigorous and inclusive grantmaking framework for its spring 2024 opportunity. The framework was based on input from individuals and organizations representing communities historically excluded from research funding. Framework components included eligibility for fiscally sponsored organizations; right-sizing the grant proposal and grant awards to meet the needs of community-based organizations; allowing research projects at all stages of development; and an application review committee composed of people with lived experience and representative of a variety of violence prevention organizations. As a result, more than 260 applications were received, illustrating that a ready pipeline of community-led projects exists and requires funding.

"We must engage the communities that disproportionately experience gun violence in research if we are going to develop and scale responsive clinical innovations," said Bechara Choucair, MD, executive vice president and chief health officer at Kaiser Permanente. "We are supporting groundbreaking partnerships between communities, health care, and academia to transform the field of gun violence prevention."

Advancing equitable grantmaking
Ten projects, highly representative of communities most affected by gun violence, were selected for grants:

100% of funded projects focus on populations that are disproportionately affected by gun violence (i.e., Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, or Alaska Native)
90% of projects either employ community-based participatory research methods or meaningfully engage those most impacted by violence in the development of interventions
80% of projects are led or implemented by community-based organizations
70% of project teams are led by people of color
100% of projects focused on community gun violence have at least one team member with lived experience with gun violence

$2.25 million in grants

The center awarded a total of $2.25 million in external grants ranging from $60,000 to $600,000 across the three categories listed below.

Capacity Building

Destination Innovation (Wichita, KS)
Mind, Body & Soul, Inc. (Charlotte, NC)
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (Houston, TX)
University of Utah Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine (Salt Lake City, UT)

Expanding Evidence-Based Interventions

Cook County Health (Chicago, IL)
Maniilaq Association (Kotzebue, Alaska)
Wayne State University (Detroit, MI)
National Compadres Network (San Jose, CA)

Advancing Research and Narrative Shift

Uncornered (Boston, MA)
Medical University of South Carolina (Charleston, SC)

For more information on these and previous grantees, see the Center's website: www.kpcenterforgunviolenceresearch.org/grant-awardees.

About the Kaiser Permanente Center for Gun Violence Research and Education

The Kaiser Permanente Center for Gun Violence Research and Education is pursuing a world free of gun violence, where affected communities drive the meaningful change needed for a healthy and safe society. Established in 2022 by Kaiser Permanente, the nation's largest integrated, nonprofit health care provider, the center endeavors to transform the gun violence research and education field and change narratives about the value and impact of actionable, health-focused solutions for gun violence. In 2023, Kaiser Permanente committed to invest an historic $25 million over 5 years to expand the work of the center, which is coordinated in collaboration with the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention (HAVI). The center supports equity-centered research, educates the public on gun violence causes and solutions, and partners with the most impacted communities to innovate, implement, and scale evidence-based health-focused interventions that prevent gun violence.

About the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention (HAVI)

The HAVI fosters a national network of hospital-community partnerships to support the development of hospital-based violence intervention programs. These programs address the social determinants of health for victims of firearm injury and are one component of a comprehensive community violence intervention ecosystem. The HAVI serves over 85 cities in the U.S. and beyond, providing training and technical assistance, strategic communications, policy development, peer learning, and research. Through its national research and evaluation working group and established partnership with the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, the HAVI convenes and supports gun violence researchers focused on health-based solutions. The HAVI has been covered in national media including CNN, the New York Times, and the Washington Post for its work addressing violence as a public health emergency, elevating the voice of violence prevention professionals in communities of color, and securing Medicaid reimbursement for violence prevention professionals in several US states. The HAVI is a fiscally sponsored organization under the umbrella of Health Resources in Action, a public health institute committed to advancing health and racial equity for over 60 years.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 12.5 million members in 8 states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists, and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education, and the support of community health.

Media Contact: Andrea Maruniak, [email protected], 573-424-6127

SOURCE Kaiser Permanente