(a) The California Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant Program (CalVIP) is hereby created to be administered by the Board of State and Community Corrections.

(b) The purpose of CalVIP is to improve public health and safety by supporting effective violence reduction initiatives in communities that are disproportionately impacted by violence, particularly group-member involved homicides, shootings, and aggravated assaults.

(c) CalVIP grants shall be used to support, expand, and replicate evidence-based violence reduction initiatives, including, without limitation, hospital-based violence intervention programs, evidence-based street outreach programs, and focused deterrence strategies, that seek to interrupt cycles of violence and retaliation in order to reduce the incidence of homicides, shootings, and aggravated assaults. These initiatives shall be primarily focused on providing violence intervention services to the small segment of the population that is identified as having the highest risk of perpetrating or being victimized by violence in the near future.

(d) CalVIP grants shall be made on a competitive basis to cities that are disproportionately impacted by violence, and to community-based organizations that serve the residents of those cities.

(e) For purposes of this section, a city is disproportionately impacted by violence if any of the following are true:

(1) The city experienced 20 or more homicides per calendar year during two or more of the three calendar years immediately preceding the grant application for which the Department of Justice has available data.

(2) The city experienced 10 or more homicides per calendar year and had a homicide rate that was at least 50 percent higher than the statewide homicide rate during two or more of the three calendar years immediately preceding the grant application for which the Department of Justice has available data.

(3) An applicant otherwise demonstrates a unique and compelling need for additional resources to address the impact of homicides, shootings, and aggravated assaults in the applicant’s community.

(f) An applicant for a CalVIP grant shall submit a proposal, in a form prescribed by the board, which shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:

(1) Clearly defined and measurable objectives for the grant.

(2) A statement describing how the applicant proposes to use the grant to implement an evidence-based violence reduction initiative in accordance with this section.

(3) A statement describing how the applicant proposes to use the grant to enhance coordination of existing violence prevention and intervention programs and minimize duplication of services.

(4) Evidence indicating that the proposed violence reduction initiative would likely reduce the incidence of homicides, shootings, and aggravated assaults.

(g) In awarding CalVIP grants, the board shall give preference to applicants whose grant proposals demonstrate the greatest likelihood of reducing the incidence of homicides, shootings, and aggravated assaults in the applicant’s community, without contributing to mass incarceration.

(h) The amount of funds awarded to an applicant shall be commensurate with the scope of the applicant’s proposal and the applicant’s demonstrated need for additional resources to address violence in the applicant’s community.

(1) Notwithstanding Provision 3 of Item 5227-108-0001 of Section 2.00 of the Budget Act of 2019 (Chapter 23 of the Statutes of 2019), the Board of State and Community Corrections may award competitive grants in amounts not to exceed one million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000) per applicant per grant cycle. The length of the grant cycle shall be determined by the board.

(2) The board shall award at least two grants to cities with populations of 200,000 or less.

(i) Each grantee shall commit a cash or in-kind contribution equivalent to the amount of the grant awarded under this section.

(j) Each city that receives a CalVIP grant shall distribute no less than 50 percent of the grant funds to one or more of any of the following types of entities:

(1) Community-based organizations.

(2) Public agencies or departments, other than law enforcement agencies or departments, that are primarily dedicated to community safety or violence prevention.

(k) The board shall form a grant selection advisory committee including, without limitation, persons who have been impacted by violence, formerly incarcerated persons, and persons with direct experience in implementing evidence-based violence reduction initiatives, including initiatives that incorporate public health and community-based approaches.

(l) The board may use up to 5 percent of the funds appropriated for CalVIP each year for the costs of administering the program including, without limitation, the employment of personnel, providing technical assistance to grantees, and evaluation of violence reduction initiatives supported by CalVIP.

(m) Each grantee shall report to the board, in a form and at intervals prescribed by the board, their progress in achieving the grant objectives.

(n) The board shall, by no later than 90 days following the close of each grant cycle, prepare and submit a report to the Legislature in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code regarding the impact of the violence prevention initiatives supported by CalVIP.

(o) The board shall make evaluations of the grant program available to the public.

(Added by Stats. 2019, Ch. 735, Sec. 1. (AB 1603) Effective January 1, 2020. Repealed as of January 1, 2025, pursuant to Section 14132.)