PROJECT SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS GRANT ANNOUNCEMENT

The United States Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana, Stephanie A.

Finley, and the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Task Force announce the availability of

a total of $12,955 in federal grants. Two grants in the amounts of $10,862 and $2,093 will

be awarded under the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Violent Gang and Gun Crime

Reduction Program to fund new and/or current comprehensive gun crime reduction

strategies and/or gang violence reduction strategies. Each grant period will begin in

September 2012 and end April 30, 2013. The spending of all grant funds must be completed

during this period. The deadline to apply is August 8, 2012.

PSN is designed to create safer neighborhoods through a sustained reduction in

crime associated with gun and gang violence by establishing partnerships among local,

state and federal entities. It is a nationwide commitment to reduce violent crime by

networking local programs that target gun and gang crime and providing those programs

with the tools and resources they need to succeed.

Single or multi-grantee grants will be awarded to community programs within the

Western District of Louisiana that address the following:

(1) Gang prevention and enforcement;

(2) Gun violence prevention, community outreach, and education;

(3) Enforcement, adjudication, and supervision programs; or

(4) Other innovative, related projects.

The goal of the grant program is to create a comprehensive, strategic approach to

effectively reduce local gun and gang violence. The following types of organizations are

eligible to submit a proposal applying for grants for this funding:

(1) Non-profit organizations;

(2) Units of state and local government. Units of state and local government are

considered to be:

(a) Parishes; and

(b) Special units designated by law to exercise governmental functions,

excluding school boards. This includes tribal governments that

exercise law enforcement functions.

Please note that grants cannot be made for gun-lock distributions, gun buy-back

programs, air-time to run certain national public service announcements, or for

payments to cooperating witnesses and informants.

Grant proposals as well as an itemized budget for the grant period of September

2012 through April 30, 2013 must be submitted to the U. S. Attorney's Office, ATTN:

PSN Grant Competition, 800 Lafayette Street, Suite 2200, Lafayette, Louisiana 70501, no

later than 5:00 p.m. (CDT) on Wednesday, August 8, 2012.

Interested applicants may also contact Robert W. Gillespie, Jr., Assistant U. S.

Attorney and PSN and Anti-Gang Coordinator for the Western District of Louisiana, at

(318) 676-3600 for additional information. For more information regarding the Project Safe

Neighborhoods Program, please visit the Western District of Louisiana U.S. Attorney's

Office website at: http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/law/programs/projectsafe.html as well

as www.psn.gov and http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/grant/psn.html.