YOUTH PEACE & JUSTICE FOUNDATION NATIONAL EMERGENCY RELIEF & VICTIM ASSISTANCE FUND FOR YOUTH GUN VIOLENCE VICTIMS;

​

​​DONATE TODAY

​

NATIONAL — The Youth Peace & Justice Foundations National Emergency Gun Violence Relief Outreach & Assistance Fund is a rapid-response initiative providing direct crises services, including financial assistance to youth victims of gun violence and their families anywhere in the United States.

 

Regarding our crises fund, unlike traditional initiatives across the nation who often collect donations to then distribute to their chosen nonprofits within their own communities to then be distributed to aide victims based on their own vetting processes - Our program provides DIRECT AIDE TO VICTIMS AND COMMUNITIES THEMSELVES, USUALLY WITHIN HOURS!

 

And our team response to community crises/tragedy works the same! Immediate deployment. To us providing support to communities is about heart not location. We start from there. 

 

In addition to its swift response crisis response teams who provide direct intervention, peer and professional counseling & direct, on the ground grass roots assistance during gun violence emwegencies, the foundation launched its gun violence relief fund, modeled similarly to its community crisis response program & funding.

 

All approved emergency financial requests will be processed for disbursement to victims/families within 24 hours or less from the date of application approval, ensuring immediate access to critical support during the most urgent stages of recovery.

 

Fundraising for the initiative remains ongoing, but the Foundation emphasized that the defining purpose of the program is not dependent on individual or incident-based fundraising efforts. Instead, it is designed to provide pre-established, immediately deployable relief resources nationwide, eliminating the need to launch separate, case-by-case or community-specific fundraising campaigns following each tragedy.

​

A RESPONSE TO SYSTEMIC DELAYS IN TRADITIONAL FUNDRAISING

​

The model is developed after repeated observation of a consistent national pattern in the aftermath of tragedies, including experiences in communities such as Shreveport, Louisiana, and Lewiston, Maine.

​

Foundation Asks Maine AG To Review Lewiston Donations

​

Shreveport, La Victims Say Funds Aren't Reaching Them

​

In those and other cases, the Foundation noted that while community support often arrives quickly, families can face delays in accessing funds due to:

 

* Time required to organize and verify individual fundraising campaigns

* Platform or administrative review processes

* Distribution timelines controlled by third-party entities

* Lack of immediate liquidity for urgent needs in the first 24–72 hours

​

“We saw families waiting while funds were being organized around them,” Chapin said. “This fund removes that delay entirely.”

-------​

The National Emergency Relief Fund is structured as a pre-established, continuously active national reserve, allowing immediate response to qualifying incidents without requiring new fundraising launches for each case.

​

Key features include:

​

* Nationwide coverage for youth victims of gun violence

* Immediate access to pre-existing relief funding pools

* Guaranteed 24-hour-or-less disbursement from approval date

* No requirement to initiate separate or incident-specific fundraising efforts

* Restricted-use structure dedicated solely to victim and family assistance

* Streamlined application and verification process for rapid response

 

“This is the difference between reacting and being ready,” Chapin said. “Victims & Communities should not have to start from zero every time tragedy strikes.”

​

FUNDRAISING CONTINUES — BUT RESPONSE DOES NOT WAIT

​

The Foundation clarified that ongoing fundraising efforts will continue to support and expand the program, but availability of assistance is not dependent on the success or timing of any single campaign.

​​

LESSONS FROM SHREVEPORT AND LEWISTON

​

The Foundation cited prior engagement in Shreveport, Louisiana, and Lewiston, Maine as key influences in shaping the national model.

 

In both communities, families faced immediate needs following tragedy while navigating fragmented fundraising systems and delayed access to resources.

 

“These experiences made one thing clear,” the Foundation stated. “The need for help is immediate, but the systems supporting that help are often not. This fund is designed to close that gap permanently.”

​

ELIGIBILITY AND APPLICATION PROCESS

​

Eligible applicants include:

* Youth victims of gun violence

* Parents or legal guardians of affected youth

* Immediate family members directly impacted by qualifying incidents

 

Applicants must provide:

 

1. Full name and contact information

2. Relationship to victim or survivor

3. Description of immediate emergency need

4. Requested assistance type or amount

5. Supporting documentation when available​

​

All applications are reviewed on an urgent priority basis, with approved requests triggering disbursement within 24 hours or less.

​

A NATIONAL RESPONSE STANDARD

​

Our initiatives establishe a new operational standard for emergency victim assistance in the United States, centered on preparedness, speed, and direct delivery of aid.

 

“This is about making sure help is not rebuilt from scratch every time a tragedy happens,” Chapin said. “It already exists. It is already ready. And it is already moving.”​

​

**24-Hour Community Crisis Line Available & Confidential Online Chat**

​

​APPLY FOR AID HERE

 

Unlike traditional initiatives across the nation who often collect donations to then distribute to their chosen nonprofits within their own communities to aide victims based on their own vetting processes - Our program provides DIRECT AIDE TO VICTIMS AND COMMUNITIES THEMSELVES, USUALLY WITHIN HOURS!

 

And our team response to community crises/tragedy works the same! Immediate deployment. To us providing support to communities is about heart not location. We start from there.