Missouri Foundation for Health Awards $1.5 Million for Gun Violence Prevention Research

Missouri Foundation for Health has awarded the National Collaborative on Gun Violence Research $1.5 million to support gun violence prevention and gun policy research that will benefit Missourians.

With the foundation’s support, the collaborative will set aside funding for Missouri-relevant research in its 2020 round of grant awards. The set-aside will fund descriptive or applied research that investigates programs, policies, or interventions used in or developed for Missouri, or that studies the experiences of Missourians, and that produces findings that will inform decision-makers in Missouri.

“Missouri Foundation for Health recognizes the need for solid, reliable evidence on what works and what doesn’t to reduce gun violence,” said collaborative director Andrew Morral. “By investing in gun research, the foundation is investing in finding solutions that save lives while protecting the rights of gun owners.”

Missouri has some of the nation’s highest rates of gun violence. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2017 Missouri had the fifth-highest rate of firearm deaths per capita in the United States.

“The effect of gun violence on our region’s overall health and well-being has been truly devastating,” said MFH President and CEO Robert Hughes. “An important component in effectively addressing this public health issue is to develop the research to generate evidence-based solutions. This is especially true for a topic as complicated and intractable as gun violence. Not only will this work enable the Foundation’s future efforts to be more effective, it will also serve as a resource to other organizations in Missouri and nationwide as they strive for greater impact against this epidemic.”

In 2019, the collaborative awarded nearly $10 million in its first round of grants for projects addressing suicide, school violence, officer-involved shootings, firearm safety, and other issues.

The 2020 round of grants will focus on descriptive and basic research in the areas of urban gun violence, domestic gun violence, mass shootings, gun suicides, and officer-involved shootings, as well as policy research involving the analysis of existing and potential gun regulations at the local, state, and federal levels, evaluation of organizational policies like use-of-force policies or training standards, and other types of policy analysis.

Applicants have until February 4, 2020, to submit a letter of interest, after which the collaborative’s independent Research Advisory Committee will invite full proposals from some applicants. Download the RFP document.

The National Collaborative on Gun Violence Research was established to fund and disseminate nonpartisan, scientific research that offers the public and policymakers a factual basis for developing fair and effective gun policies. The collaborative was seeded with a $20 million gift by Arnold Ventures in 2018, and is administered by the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation.

Missouri Foundation for Health is a resource for the region, working with communities and nonprofits to generate and accelerate positive changes in health. As a catalyst for change, the Foundation improves the health of Missourians through partnership, experience, knowledge, and funding. Learn more at mffh.org.