The Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods (OSHN) Youth Engagement Services External Agency Fund (EAF) is accepting applications for its fiscal year 2026. The program aims to address violence reduction and promote youth development, fostering community ownership and collaboration in Louisville/Jefferson County, Kentucky. The grant targets non-profit organizations providing services aligned with OSHN’s mission to promote youth-led solutions and prevent gun violence. The program encourages partnerships between local organizations serving the same communities to submit joint applications, thus fostering greater impact and sustainability.

The mission of OSHN is to intervene with individuals impacted by gun violence and promote safer neighborhoods through community and youth-led solutions. Funding will support programs in the areas of Primary Prevention (targeting the general youth population), Secondary Prevention (addressing at-risk youth), Intervention (engaging high-risk youth), and Victim Support (assisting victims of gun violence). Priority will be given to applicants who operate in the Priority Service Zones, which are census block group geographies with the highest violent crime rates over the last five years.

Organizations can request grants ranging from $25,000 to $75,000. The application process opens on January 31, 2025, and closes on March 3, 2025, at 11:59 PM EST. A pre-application information session will be held on February 5, 2025. Following the application deadline, Metro staff will review submissions in March 2025, and a panel will score the applications. Final approval of the grant budget is expected by June 30, 2025, with award notifications sent out in July 2025.

To be eligible for funding, applicants must be based in Jefferson County and serve residents within this region. Organizations must be registered in good standing with the Kentucky Secretary of State and Louisville Metro Revenue Commission and must have applied for 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. Additionally, applicants should have experience in providing services that align with OSHN’s mission. Religious organizations and those lobbying for funding are ineligible.

Acceptable expenses include personnel costs, fringe benefits, contract workers, supplies, equipment, travel for local programming, and client assistance. However, expenses such as alcohol, private property improvements, and personal gifts are ineligible. Once grants are awarded, organizations will receive payments based on the size of their award, with grants over $40,000 being disbursed quarterly. The deadline for spending awarded funds is June 30, 2026.