Check out the latest insights from our program team and grantees.
Grantees

Joyce Awards 20th Anniversary Grantee Spotlight: Lynn Nottage
Q&A with 2014 honoree Lynn Nottage, whose Tony-nominated show Clyde's started as a Joyce Awards-winning commission with the Guthrie Theater called Floyd's.

New Blue: Repairing Trust and Rebuilding Public Safety
New Blue – a collaborative created by police and community designed to foster collective change.
Grantee
New Blue

“Tarell Makes Man”
Joyce Awards Honoree Tarell Alvin McCraney Reflects on Artistic Growth in Chicago

Mobilizing the Community College Student Vote
Joyce Democracy Grantees Campus Vote Project and Students Learn Students Vote are mobilizing community college student voters through targeted education and engagement designed to meet the needs of a diverse and nontraditional student population.

Democracy Desk: “Unlock Civics” Advocates Expanding Voting Rights and Civic Education for Incarcerated Community Members
Two Joyce Democracy grantees, Chicago Votes and Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, discuss their inspiring voting rights work in Illinois.

Collective Engagement for Community Peace: Understanding the Black & Brown Researchers Collective
We caught up recently with Dr. Buggs, one of the nation’s leading experts on community violence intervention and using anti-racist methods to reduce gun violence, about the status of the Collective and what’s to come.
Grantee
Black & Brown Researchers Collective
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Gun Violence Prevention Research “Starting To Find Its Footing”
As gun violence surges across the nation, the scientific journal Nature reports that researchers finally are beginning to “have the money to ask why.”
$600m Needed for Gun Violence Research: Report
According to a joint report prepared for Arnold Ventures and the Joyce Foundation, gun violence research remains underfunded. The federal government needs to spend around $600m over five years for research and data infrastructure improvements recommended.
Source
The Crime Report
Joyce Joins Violence Intervention Collaborative
The Foundation is proud to join its philanthropic peers in supporting the Community Violence Intervention Collaborative, aimed at strengthening and expanding community-led, evidence-based violence intervention strategies in in 15 jurisdictions.
Firearms Fix
Saving lives by stemming gun violence is the goal of a new law in Illinois that will strengthen background checks, shore up the state’s outdated gun-license system, and invest in mental health services for impacted communities.
Who Bought Guns During The Pandemic
Foundation-funded research is turning a spotlight on a protracted gun-buying surge by Americans, which accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For 25 years, building the case for keeping us safe
For more than a quarter century, researchers at Johns Hopkins University have built a global reputation for pursuing data and policy to reduce gun violence. The team marked its 25th anniversary this year in 2021.
Federal Funds For Violence Prevention
Akron, Ohio, is among cities planning to use federal stimulus dollars for violence prevention initiatives. Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan said he intended to use “significant resources" from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan (ARP) to combat gun violence.
New Survey Sheds Light On Americans’ 2Nd Amendment Views
In 2008, a divided U.S. Supreme Court decided in District of Columbia v. Heller that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to keep a handgun in the home for self-defense.

Briefing On New Illinois Criminal Justice Legislation
In January 2021, the Illinois General Assembly passed the most comprehensive criminal justice reform legislation in recent memory. The Joyce Foundation, Illinois Justice Project, & BPI hosted a briefing to discuss the key elements of the 700-page bill.
100 Critical Questions For Gun Violence Research
The Joyce Foundation released a new report in January 2021 on the next generation of gun violence prevention research, identifying new paths of inquiry into reducing gun deaths and injuries in America.
A Disconnect In Gun Violence Beliefs
A contradiction appears to stand in the way of Minnesota enacting effective gun safety measures: voters overwhelmingly support stronger gun laws, but aren’t convinced they work.
Foundation Welcomes Williams, Khimm And Ezeigbo
Foundation hires new Gun Violence Prevention & Justice Reform and Education & Economic Mobility program officers, and Culture program director.
Lunch & Learn Webinar Series
In August 2020, we launched a new monthly virtual webinar series highlighting emerging research on gun violence through the Gun Violence Prevention & Justice Reform Program. View the recordings of all the past webinars and sign up for future invitations.

Building Toward A Fair And Just Response To Gun Violence
The Joyce Foundation’s Gun Violence Prevention & Justice Reform Program pursues a mission of building safe and just communities, focused on preventing gun violence before it occurs with a holistic approach.
Public Support For Firearms Licensing Found To Be Strong, Widespread
The Joyce Foundation has a long history of funding research to understand what policies are most effective in reducing gun violence in our communities.