Building on its longstanding commitment to helping reduce violent crime in Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University’s Innovation Fund for Community Safety is committing up to $6 million over four years to support innovative, community-led programs designed to improve community connectedness and improve the perception of safety in and around the Johns Hopkins footprint. Lessons learned from grantees in the first round of funding helped to shape the objectives for this new funding cycle.

In this second round of funding, the Innovation Fund is looking to support programs that address three priority areas based on round one insights, peer-reviewed literature, and feedback from community leaders:

• Improvements to community spaces
• Workforce development with a focus on complex social needs
• Violence prevention/interruption

Based on the incidence of homicides by firearm and non-fatal shootings in and around the Johns Hopkins campuses, neighborhoods for prospective projects include but are not limited to  Waverly, McElderry Park, Dunbar, Broadway, and Oliver. Applicants should explain how the proposed work focuses in one or more of the key neighborhoods. Eligible projects may include citywide efforts that will support neighborhoods in and around the Johns Hopkins footprint.

Please review the RFP, which includes frequently asked questions, prior to completing the application via our online grants portal.

You can also register to attend the informational webinar on January 21, 2025, from 1-2 pm to learn more about the fund and the application process. Register here for the webinar.

If you have additional questions after reviewing the RFP, please email innovationfund@jhu.edu.