Mayorkas: TVTP funding supports local efforts to "prevent targeted violence and terrorism"

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More than 200 representatives of 73 recipients of an anti-terrorism grant program attended a symposium hosted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security earlier this month, the agency announced recently.

The first Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) Grantee Symposium took place Nov. 3 and 4, the DHS announced Nov. 15. TVTP grants support efforts by state, local, tribal and territorial governments, universities, and nonprofits to develop and implement programs to prevent terrorism and targeted violence in their communities. The DHS's Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administer the TVTP grant program.

CP3 provides funding and training to increase public awareness and foster partnerships with all levels of government, law enforcement and the private sector in communities nationwide to prevent targeted violence and terrorism, according to the announcement.

"Over the past three years, CP3 has invested $50 million in communities across the United States to prevent acts of targeted violence and terrorism, to include $20 million to 43 organizations in 2022," the DHS reports.

Symposium attendees were able to share their communities' initiatives, develop new partnerships, and plan future collaboration at panels such as Building Awareness and Resiliency; Threat Assessment and Management Teams; and Evaluation and Metrics for Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention. A focus of discussion was school-based intervention and prevention programs for K-12, the DHS reports, with an emphasis on using youth empowerment, engagement and retention, and communication and outreach with school administrators.

Samantha Vinograd, assistant secretary for Counterterrorism, Threat Prevention, and Law Enforcement Policy said many TVTP grant recipients have already been working together online, but meeting in person at the symposium was "essential" for grantees to share and collaborate in person.

“Our grantees are our partners, they are force multipliers," Vinograd said in the announcement, "and they bring unique expertise and experiences that allow for the development of promising practices that are relevant to specific communities and across the country."

DHS Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas concurred with Vinograd, saying the DHS "is fundamentally one of the partnerships."

"Through CP3, we support our partners and stakeholders in their efforts to prevent targeted violence and terrorism in their communities,” Mayorkas said in the announcement. “DHS is committed to bolstering our partners’ capacity to identify potential risks and prevent tragedies.”