Baltimore – Democracy Forward received the Community Violence Legal Network (CVLN) Legal Impact Award this weekend at CVLN’s first National Legal Conference on Gun Violence Prevention. The award recognizes the work of Democracy Forward in challenging the Trump-Vance administration’s sudden and unlawful cancellation of hundreds of community violence intervention, victim services, youth and criminal justice grants to nonprofit community organizations and local governments, cutting off federal support for evidence-based programs that save lives, reduce violence, and protect crime victims.
In April 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs sent a form letter to community violence intervention, victim services, youth and criminal justice grant recipients that offered a generic and inadequate justification for the decision to cancel more than $800 million in existing grants. Although the initial legal challenge – brought by the Children and Youth Justice Center d/b/a Center for Children & Youth Justice CCYJ), Chinese for Affirmative Action d/b/a Stop AAPI Hate, FORCE Detroit, Health Resources in Action (HRiA), and the Vera Institute of Justice – was dismissed by a lower court, the coalition filed an emergency appeal in the D.C. Circuit Court, seeking to stop the unlawful grant terminations. The appeal has been argued and a decision is still pending. The coalitions are represented by Democracy Forward and Perry Law in the matter.
“We will forever be grateful for the collective leadership, partnership, and tireless work on behalf of the community violence intervention field by Democracy Forward throughout the DOJ funding cuts litigation,” said Amber Goodwin, Founder of the Community Violence Legal Network. “These incredible teams brought legal precision and commitment to ensuring that frontline organizations and our people were not abandoned in a moment of national consequence. While we know we still have a fight ahead of us, Democracy Forward and Perry Law have helped us set a new standard for protecting federal community safety investments and inspired many emerging legal advocates.”
Democracy Forward’s team on this case includes Lisa Newman and Cortney Robinson, who accepted the award, as well as Brian Netter, Skye Perryman, Jennifer Fountain Connolly, Somil Trivedi, Joshua Salzman, and Simon Brewer.
“Democracy Forward is honored to receive this award. Community violence intervention efforts stop preventable tragedies and the work that the groups we are fighting on behalf of is nothing less than heroic,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. “We are grateful for this recognition and eager to continue fighting – with every legal tool available – on behalf of the people who help make our communities safer and better places to live.”
The Trump-Vance administration’s form letter that canceled these grants was immediately disruptive to local organizations and the communities they serve. Included in the declarations filed with emergency request for an injunction are revealing stories from groups that spent years building the infrastructure necessary to earn the trust of the communities in which they operated and spent millions of dollars supporting local organizations – hiring staff and building programs designed to achieve lasting change, only for these efforts to be rapidly dismantled as a result of the letter.
Learn more about the case here.
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Democracy Forward Foundation is a national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy, public education, and regulatory engagement. For more information, please visit www.democracyforward.org.
