During a recent training session, Tyreek Counts, Cure Violence's Kensington program coordinator, learned the Trump administration was terminating federal funds for community violence intervention initiatives (CVIPI) — including his own.
“That was kinda like a slap in the face,” Counts said. “To do that in the middle of us working and making a change and being impactful in people's lives throughout our community, just to stop that, was just kind of a heartbreaker.”
The Cure Violence Kensington group has served the community since February 2024 with trauma support, housing resources, employment opportunities and other services.
It’s one of more than 350 U.S. organizations notified by the Justice Department late last month that their federal grants would expire prematurely.
Awarded under the Biden administration between 2022 and 2024, the grants were intended to provide three years of funding. Millions of dollars will now be clawed back from gun violence prevention programs and organizations supporting victims of human trafficking and sexual and domestic violence, according to multiple national media outlets.
The Cure Violence program in Kensington is a project of the New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC). NKCDC received the grant in 2022, began making hires and providing training, and formally announced the program in 2024.
Both programs use the international Cure Violence model, which places people with lived experience (also known as violence interrupters) in neighborhoods to address conflict before it escalates.
NKCDC is the only Philadelphia organization listed among the violence intervention programs losing these federal funds. City officials declined to comment on the impact of the cuts.
Public health and criminal justice experts consider Cure Violence a leading evidence-based approach to gun violence prevention and worry the cuts will lead to more shootings.
“We will be less safe because of this action by the Trump Administration,” wrote Adam Garber, executive director of a statewide advocacy group called Ceasefire PA, in an email. “More of our family members and neighbors will lose their lives.”
Gun violence has declined in Kensington — and across Philadelphia — over the past year. Kensington in particular saw a 45% reduction in homicides between 2023 and 2024, according to city data.
Bill McKinney, executive director of NKCDC, called Cure Violence Kensington “one of many pieces of the puzzle” contributing to the neighborhood’s crime decrease.
“The reality is, this is one of the best practices,” he said. “So it doesn't make any sense to essentially cook with one ingredient.”
Cure Violence Kensington also receives state funding from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. McKinney is already talking with state officials about keeping the program afloat.
“It's going to mean cutting back a little bit and probably not lasting as long, unless we're able to find additional sources of revenue,” he said.
He expects the organization to operate for at least one more year.
Counts said that over the past year, the Cure Violence Kensington team changed people’s lives through their trauma-informed work. For example, the team secured jobs for five community members with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Counts recalled one worker thanking him for the opportunity when he ran into them during his lunch break.
From Jan. 13 to March 31, the team also partnered with Esperanza Health Center to host a free winter basketball league for men ages 18 to 40. Counts said the league helped participants build relationships and improve sportsmanship, adding that the team also helped one player find a job and another secure housing.
With an increased law enforcement presence in Kensington since June 2024, Counts is concerned about how terminating CVIPI funds will impact the neighborhood..
“There’s different approaches to violence prevention. [Law Enforcement’s] approach is more aggressive,” he said. “In our community, we need people who have been through what we've been through … People who look like them. The community wants people like that to support them.”
During the last 15 months, the Parker administration has increased investments in violence prevention programs, including enhancing the city’s Group Violence Intervention program and expanding its youth-focused initiatives.
In addition to these strategies, Counts says that violence prevention programs that gain trust in communities — like Cure Violence Kensington — are key to making the city safer.
“They can do their job, you know,” said Counts. “But why take ours from us?”
Sammy Caiola contributed to this story.
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