The Living Classrooms Foundation will receive a $100,000 violence intervention grant over two years to expand its street outreach and crisis response program, called Operation Respond.
The money is coming from the Everytown Community Safety Fund, a program of the Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund.
Living Classrooms Foundation is a long-time grantee of the Community Safety Fund. Operation Respond, part of Baltimore’s Safe Streets initiative, is a street outreach and violence interruption program that delivers crisis response, trauma-informed care, workforce development, and mentorship to neighborhoods affected by gun violence. It currently serves areas such as Belair-Edison and McElderry Park through a mobile Crisis Response Resource Center.
“In Baltimore and across Maryland, we’ve seen firsthand how community violence intervention organizations are saving lives and helping young people find safer paths forward,” said Governor Wes Moore, in a statement. “But instead of increasing these investments, the Department of Justice has cut support, handicapping the frontlines of violence prevention.” Commitment to organizations such as the Living Classrooms Foundation is “critical to ensuring local programs can keep doing what Washington won’t: protect our communities,” he said.
“We’ve seen firsthand that investment in community violence intervention (CVI) saves lives and breaks cycles of violence,” said Mayor Brandon Scott, co-chair of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, in a statement. “That’s why the federal retreat from CVI investment is so dangerous: it undermines strategies that are making communities safer across the country. We’re grateful for Everytown’s continued investment in Living Classrooms.”
The Living Classrooms Foundation is a Baltimore-based nonprofit that provides education, workforce development and community safety programs. Currently in the midst of a $70 million “Tomorrow’s Promise” fundraising campaign, it also manages a fleet of museum ships in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, including the USS Constellation. It recently was named to collaborate with Create Baltimore to operate the Top of the World observation level on the 27th floor of the Baltimore World Trade Center.
The Everytown Community Safety Fund is the largest national initiative solely dedicated to fueling community-based violence intervention programs. Since 2019, the Everytown Community Safety Fund has granted more than $15.7 million to 142 organizations in 72 U.S. cities, in addition to providing technical support and capacity building resources.
In 2025, Everytown will invest $2.67 million to support and sustain 44 CVI organizations nationwide. More information about the Everytown Community Safety fund and their grantees can be found here.
The grant announcement comes as the Department of Justice has slashed funding for public safety grants, challenging community organizations to sustain their lifesaving efforts with declining support. At the same time, many cities that have invested in community violence intervention, including Baltimore, are seeing gun homicides decline. Research in Baltimore and elsewhere indicates that community-level violence prevention programs can contribute to drops in crime.
“We’re proud to re-invest in Living Classrooms because its work has proven effective in reducing violence in Baltimore through programs like Operation Respond,” said Michael-Sean Spence, managing director of Community Safety Initiatives at Everytown and creator of the Community Safety Fund, in a statement.
“Mayor Scott has rightfully prioritized these programs as essential parts of a comprehensive public safety strategy and for good reason — they save lives,” he said. “Living Classrooms has been greatly impacted by federal funding rollbacks and now, more than ever, it’s critical it has the support it needs.”
“Operation Respond is an extension of our commitment to Baltimore families — combining crisis response with long-term support for those impacted by violence,” said Cheryl Riviere, managing director of workforce development at Living Classrooms, in a statement. “Everytown’s continued support means we can grow this new program at a moment when federal funding is disappearing, ensuring our neighborhoods are not left behind.”
