Kaiser Permanente established this Center in 2022 to scale its longstanding commitment to help communities prevent, treat, and heal from firearm-related injuries or death. The Center’s focus on violence prevention is rooted in healthcare, care delivery, and clinical interventions.
The Center is coordinated in collaboration with the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention (HAVI).
Research to support more effective health interventions
The Center funds research to test and expand health interventions that treat and prevent firearm injuries and deaths. This approach uses the same rigor and expertise that has helped treat and prevent other leading health concerns and causes of death, such as stroke, cancer, and heart disease.
Funding supports projects to:
- Identify and evaluate health system strategies to address firearm injury and death, especially in communities that are most impacted.
- Test clinical interventions to prevent, treat, and heal trauma caused by firearm injuries and death.
- Assess pathways to implement and scale clinical interventions for firearm injury prevention in various healthcare settings.
- Improve healthcare identification and engagement of individuals at high risk of firearm injury or death.
Since its inception, the Center has awarded more than $8.5 million through 49 grants across 25 states and Washington, D.C., to advance research, capacity building, narrative change, and education.
2026 Spring Funding Opportunity
Completed Letters of Intent (LOIs) must be submitted by Friday, June 5 at 12 PM ET | 9 AM PT.
Who is Eligible
We accept applications from individual researchers employed by 501(c)(3)s; institutions; and organizations that intend to engage or are already engaged in research on firearm violence and suicide prevention. Please see the funding guidelines for complete eligibility criteria.
The call is open to applicants at varying stages of the research continuum. It is expected that central to all proposed initiatives are efforts to meaningfully engage communities that have been the most impacted by firearm violence.
What Work Will Be Considered for Funding
Funding is currently available in two categories:
Category 1: Research Capacity Building
Up to two (2) projects will be selected, each receiving up to $100,000 over two (2) years.
Build capacity within the organization, institution, and/or clinical care setting to conduct research on healthcare approaches to addressing firearm violence or firearm suicide.
Category 2: Pilot or Formative Healthcare Research
Up to two (2) projects will be selected, each receiving up to $250,000 over two (2) years.
Expand or pilot new research on evidence-informed healthcare practice or clinical care models that address firearm violence or firearm suicide.
This 2026 Spring Funding Opportunity is part of a broader funding strategy. The Center plans to release a higher investment funding opportunity later in 2026, focused on evaluation research for healthcare systems change. To receive timely notifications about this and other funding opportunities, please subscribe to the Center’s e-newsletter below.
How to Apply
The application for the 2026 Spring Funding Opportunity will occur in two phases:
- LOI Phase: May and early June 2026
Organizations or individuals who meet the eligibility criteria in the funding guidelines may submit a two-page LOI to be considered for Category 1 or Category 2 funding by June 5 at 12 PM ET | 9 AM PT.
All applicants who submit an LOI will be notified of their status by early August. - Full Proposal Phase: August 2026
Select applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal, due by September 1 at 12 PM ET | 9 AM PT.
All applicants invited to submit a proposal will be notified of their status by mid-December.
Submit Your LOI
Step 1: Review the eligibility criteria outlined in the 2026 Spring Funding Opportunity Guidelines and confirm that you or your organization are eligible to apply.
Step 2: Prepare your LOI, including the components listed in the guidelines on pages 10-11.
Step 3: All completed LOIs must be submitted by June 5 at 12 PM ET | 9 AM PT.
Step 4: After the LOI review process, select applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal. Notification of application status will be sent by early August 2026.