Cal Matters | Trump cuts millions in CA crime prevention grants
Dozens of California violence prevention and victim service programs, including ones to protect survivors of domestic violence and end sexual abuse in jails and prisons, are facing devastating cuts after the Trump administration abruptly pulled funding from them.
“These programs literally save lives – not just for the victims, but for our entire communities,” said Tinisch Hollins, executive director of the nonprofit organization Californians for Safety and Justice. “When they go away, we lose a safety net.”
The U.S. Justice Department last week slashed grants that were initially valued at $811 million. In California alone, the department cut just over $80 million, the majority of which was for groups based in Los Angeles, Oakland and San Francisco, according to a U.S. Justice Department document obtained and published by Reuters.
The organizations might have already spent some of the grant funding, which typically lasts for three years, and it’s unclear how much the administration clawed back. They have 30 days to appeal the decision. The U.S. Justice Department did not respond to repeated attempts to confirm the list of affected grant recipients in California.
In a statement to CalMatters, Justice Department spokesman Gates McGavick said, “Under Attorney General (Pam) Bondi’s leadership, the Department of Justice is committed to ensuring its resources are spent on arresting criminals, getting drugs off the streets, and crucial litigation. We will always protect victims of crime and legitimate law enforcement initiatives, but we will no longer spend millions on ‘listening sessions’ and ‘bridging socio-ecological contexts.’”
California officials rejected the Trump administration’s characterization of the grants, and described the programs as critical.
“The Trump administration is recklessly disregarding the safety of the people it is sworn to serve,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta in a statement to CalMatters. “These resources are not optional luxuries, they are essential, and critical to ensuring the security and stability of our communities nationwide. My office will do everything in our power to stop the potentially deadly consequences of freezing federal funding.”
Representatives from three organizations that lost money told CalMatters they were committed to continuing their programs, and they stressed that they provide vital services to vulnerable people.
In Oakland, the nonprofit organization Youth ALIVE! lost its $2 million grant to support the nation’s first hospital-based violence intervention program. The organization’s staff appear at the hospital bedside of youth who have been violently injured in order to help them navigate their recovery and prevent retaliatory violence.
Through ongoing support such as mental health and housing services, the organization maintains that it can break cycles of violence. Last year, it served 113 clients, only one of whom was injured again.
“It’s an essential part of the ecosystem, because you need to be in specific places to help quell violence and help people heal,” said Dr. Joseph Griffin, executive director of Youth ALIVE! “It’s about increasing the health of the community.”
When he learned that the organization had lost its funding, he said he was in disbelief.
“It’s not an impact that we can absorb lightly,” he said. “Replacing $2 million is never easy.”
A banner hangs on a wall in the Youth ALIVE office in Oakland on April 28, 2025. Youth ALIVE!, which aims to break the cycle of violence in Oakland, is one of the many California organizations impacted after the U.S. Justice Department terminated more than $800 million in grants to justice-focused organizations.