PROSPER Act of 2025 in plain language
1: Short title
This section gives the Act a short title: the Prioritizing Resources for Outreach, Safety, Violence Prevention, Youth Empowerment and Resilience Act of 2025, also called the PROSPER Act of 2025.
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1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Prioritizing Resources for Outreach, Safety, Violence Prevention, Youth Empowerment and Resilience Act of 2025 or the PROSPER Act of 2025 .
2: Youth gun violence prevention program
This section would let the Attorney General award grants to eligible entities to carry out a program for youth gun violence prevention. Grants would have to be used for youth gun violence prevention programs that use strategies that are evidence-informed, culturally competent, trauma-informed, and linguistically and developmentally inclusive, and that have a demonstrated ability to engage young people at the highest risk of involvement in gun violence and to reduce their risk of being a victim of violence or of engaging in violence. Those strategies would include ones that prioritize healing from past trauma and other experiences that raise a young person's risk of gun violence involvement; promote youth empowerment by developing skills and qualities such as empathy, pride in identity, leadership, conflict management, and communication; connect young people to mental health professionals, counselors, mentors, community leaders, crisis intervention professionals, community violence interrupters, or people trained in trauma-informed care and activities; foster meaningful community engagement, a sense of belonging, and the development of safer community environments; develop and connect young people and their families with gun violence prevention resources, including firearm safety education, safe storage techniques, and gun violence hotlines; and promote resources that support the reintegration and resilience of young people who have past exposure to gun violence or the juvenile justice system. For each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030, out of the amounts otherwise appropriated for juvenile justice programs, $100,000,000 would have to be made available for grants under title V of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, and $25,000,000 of that same $100,000,000 would have to be made available specifically to carry out the youth gun violence prevention program. The section also defines terms used in it. An eligible entity would include institutions of higher education, Indian Tribe government agencies, non-governmental organizations serving Indian Tribes, community-based organizations, and local government agencies that are not law enforcement agencies. A community-based organization would include a nonprofit community-based organization, a consortium of nonprofit community-based organizations, a national nonprofit organization acting as an intermediary for a community-based organization, or a community-based organization with a fiscal sponsor that lets it function as an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from tax under section 501(a) of that Code. Indian Tribe would have the meaning given in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act. Institution of higher education would have the meaning given in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965. Law enforcement agency would mean any agency of the United States, a State, or a unit of local government that is authorized by law or by a government agency to engage in or supervise the prevention, detection, or investigation of any violation of criminal law.
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2. Youth gun violence prevention program (a) In general The Attorney General is authorized to award grants to eligible entities to carry out a program for youth gun violence prevention. (b) Activities Grants awarded under subsection (a) shall be used for the implementation of youth gun violence prevention programs that use strategies that are evidence-informed, culturally competent, trauma-informed, and linguistically and developmentally inclusive, and have a demonstrated ability to engage those at highest risk for involvement in gun violence and reduce their risk of violent victimization or engaging in violence, including strategies that— (1) prioritize healing from past trauma and other life experiences that increase a young person’s risk for involvement in gun violence; (2) promote youth empowerment through the development of skills and qualities such as empathy, pride in identity, leadership, conflict management, and communication; (3) connect young people to mental health professionals, counselors, mentors, community leaders, crisis intervention professionals, community violence interrupters, or individuals trained in trauma-informed care and activities; (4) foster meaningful community engagement, belonging, and the development of safe community environments; (5) develop and connect young people and their families with gun violence prevention resources, including but not limited to firearm safety education, safe storage techniques, and gun violence hotlines; and (6) promote resources that support the reintegration and resilience of young people with past exposure to gun violence or the juvenile justice system. (c) Authorization of appropriations Of the amounts otherwise appropriated for each of fiscal year 2026 though fiscal year 2030, for juvenile justice programs— (1) $100,000,000 shall be made available for grants under title V of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 (34 U.S.C. note et seq.); and (2) $25,000,000 of the amount under paragraph (1) shall be made available to carry out a program for youth gun violence prevention. (d) Definitions In this section: (1) Eligible entity The term eligible entity includes— (A) institutions of higher education; (B) Indian Tribe government agencies; (C) non-governmental organizations serving Indian Tribes; (D) community-based organizations; and (E) a local government agency that is not a law enforcement agency. (2) Community-based organization The term community-based organization includes a nonprofit community-based organization, a consortium of nonprofit community-based organizations, a national nonprofit organization acting as an intermediary for a community-based organization, or a community-based organization that has a fiscal sponsor that allows the organization to function as an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of such Code. (3) Indian Tribe The term Indian Tribe has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act ( 25 U.S.C. 5304 ). (4) Institution of higher education The term institution of higher education has the meaning given the term in section 101 under the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1001 ). (5) Law enforcement agency The term law enforcement agency means any agency of the United States, a State or unit of local government authorized by law or by a government agency to engage in or supervise the prevention, detection, or investigation of any violation of criminal law.