Richmond nonprofits fear a funding reduction by the city will force cuts to out-of-school programs credited with helping reduce youth violence.
Mayor Danny Avula’s budget for fiscal year 2026 proposes $500,000 for the Positive Youth Development Fund — a 50% cut from last year’s budget of $1 million. Avula’s FY26 budget proposal reduces funding available for nonprofits by $4.1 million compared to last year’s budget. (Virginia’s fiscal year runs July 1–June 30.)
The Positive Youth Development Fund initiative, overseen by the nonprofit NextUp RVA, offers small grants to groups that provide after-school and summer programming, hold events that help youth develop life skills and aim to reduce gun violence.
CEO Traymanesha Lamy said NextUp would have to “significantly scale back or altogether do away with” its after-school programs for the 2025-26 school year if the budget cut is adopted.
A budget reduction would cut off opportunities for students who already face issues accessing out-of-school programs, Lamy added, and raises concerns about undercutting the gains previously made.
While some researchers have questioned the direct impact such programs have on crime reduction, the work done by grant recipients has been cited as one of the reasons for a downtick in youth violence within the City of Richmond.
This includes a 64% decrease in youths shot in the city from 2017 to 2023.
“We know we still have a long way to go,” Lamy told VPM News. “Scaling back would be turning back time.”
Lamy said NextUp would prioritize funding summer programming, because students need more enrichment when school’s out; this plan would likely allow NextUp to award grants to all summer programs.
According to NextUp, about 500 youth have attended at least one program funded by the initiative since the start of the 2024-25 school year. Lamy told VPM News the nonprofit estimates participation would drop by 50% if the cut is adopted.
Dre’mon Miller’s company, Street Smartz Over Safety, has used positive youth development funding for after-school programs in Richmond.
The programs center on criminal justice and forensics, but also teach students critical thinking, CPR and leadership skills. Street Smartz Over Safety also hosts events for parents, Miller told VPM News.
“It’s going to be more competitive for organizations like myself to get the funding, and to be able to provide as many opportunities for the youth in which we serve and their parents,” Miller said about the possible funding cut.
Another group that has gotten money from the fund is the Broken Men Foundation. The nonprofit’s Richmond-based Youth Academy division offers mentorship and a 20-week curriculum for students ages 11 to 18 so they can learn problem-solving and other social skills.
Ellery Lundy, founder of both the foundation and academy, told VPM News their students get to learn and talk more about weighty issues such as gun safety and trauma, but also general life skills like car repairs and how to tie a tie.
Lundy said the cuts could limit how many students his organization’s after-school programs can take on: “It will impact in a way that I don't think the city might understand at this time.”
After a city audit in February found nonprofits that didn’t meet the city’s requirements still received funding, Avula vowed to restructure the process.
The mayor’s office said Thursday it values local nonprofits, especially ones supporting youth and families in Richmond, but pointed to concerns that funding for them has risen to over $13 million a year.
“At the same time, the City faces pressing needs, including strengthening our workforce, investing in infrastructure, transforming City Hall, and supporting public schools,” the mayor’s office said at the time.
Hoping to help address gun-related crime in the city, Avula recently announced the creation of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
Other funding sources are being considered, nonprofit leaders told VPM News, including seeking donations and other grants. But several said many local groups would likely need to pursue funding from the same pool of grants.
A budget amendment for an additional $400,000 to the fund was proposed after Lamy said NextUp waived its 10% administrative fee. But in a so-called budget crunch year, and with little consensus on council amendments, the additional funding appears unlikely to make it in the final spending plan.
The City Council is set to vote on a final budget by May 12.
