The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center, in collaboration with the Center for Policing Equity (CPE), is hosting a virtual learning community focused on infusing gender-responsive principles into community-based crisis response and violence intervention programs.

The learning community will be led by the CSG Justice Center, a national nonprofit that provides data-driven solutions for complex justice challenges, and CPE, a leader in public safety redesign. It will include opportunities for mutual learning through peer-to-peer support and guidance from leading experts in the field.

Throughout the learning community, participants will explore strategies for building effective partnerships and learn why it is essential for community-based response teams to integrate gender-responsive principles into their practices when working with girls, cisgender women, transgender women, and non-binary people. Law enforcement-led crisis models often fail to meet the unique needs of escalating situations rooted in unaddressed trauma and unmet social or behavioral health needs. Community-based crisis response and violence intervention programs are well-positioned to prevent unnecessary criminal justice system contact and support system navigation for these populations.

Teams will complete a needs assessment and work with CSG Justice Center and CPE staff to better understand the needs of girls, cisgender women, transgender women, and non-binary people who are at risk of criminal justice involvement in their community. Sessions will cover key topics such as women’s pathways to justice involvement, trauma-informed approaches, and cultivating essential partnerships. 

For the purposes of this application, community-based crisis response and violence intervention programs include the following:

• Community responder programs that offer an additional option for first response. Composed of multidisciplinary professionals trained to address behavioral health and quality-of-life concerns, community responder programs provide a person-centered response to 911 and other emergency calls for service. Integrating community responder programs into first response systems ensures that all calls for service can receive the most appropriate response.
• Community violence intervention and prevention initiatives (CVIPI) that use a public health approach to prevent and reduce violence by addressing its root causes and promoting long-term safety. These programs engage people at the highest risk of involvement in violence through strategies such as street outreach, hospital-based intervention, and intensive case management. Led by credible messengers with deep community ties, CVIPI is grounded in evidence-based and trauma-informed practices that provide mentorship, mediation, behavioral health supports, and connections to essential services.

Sessions will occur on Zoom 2:00-3:30 p.m. ET on the following dates:

• January 15, 2026
• February 19, 2026
• March 19, 2026
• April 16, 2026
• May 21, 2026

APPLY NOW.

When is the deadline?

Interested teams should submit the above application—which takes approximately 10 minutes to complete—by 11:59 p.m. ET on November 10, 2025. A CSG Justice Center staff member will follow up with applicants by Tuesday, November 18, 2025.

If you have any questions, contact Felicia Lopez Wright at fwright@csg.org.

Who should apply?

This learning community is open to all teams in the planning or early implementation phase of developing a community responder program or community violence intervention and prevention initiative that are also focused on implementing or improving their gender-responsive efforts with women, girls, and gender-diverse people.

• Planning phase: A program in its PLANNING phase has decided that a gender-responsive approach to their community violence intervention or community responder program is appropriate to meet its needs and is taking steps to eventually implement it. It should also have a designated “point person” whose job consists of relaying the information learned during community listening sessions into clear and identifiable goals for the program.

• Implementation phase: A program in its IMPLEMENTATION phase has secured funding for its community violence intervention or community responder program and has started the initial implementation and rollout of their gender-responsive approaches (this can also include participating in trainings and training stakeholders). It should also have a designated program manager working with community partners and stakeholders to improve gender-responsive programs and initiatives.

Applicants must have a shared team vision to use community-based approaches for addressing community members in crisis (or at risk of crisis) and for using a public health approach to interrupt cycles of harm without relying on law enforcement intervention.

Who should participate?

Applicants must have a dedicated project or program manager to attend each session. Depending on the session topics, the project or program manager can include additional representatives to attend, such as

1. A behavioral health or public health representative;
2. A representative from community-based programs, such as community responder programs, CVIPIs, women’s health services, children and family services, recovery and reentry services, peer supports, or shelter/ housing;
3. LGBTQ+ advocacy or health organizations;
4. A community member or family member who has experienced, or been impacted by, the criminal justice system and could have benefitted from a gender-responsive intervention; or
5. A local city or county staff person or elected official.