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YOUTH PEACE & JUSTICE FOUNDATION NATIONAL EMERGENCY RELIEF & VICTIM ASSISTANCE FUND FOR YOUTH GUN VIOLENCE VICTIMS;

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National Emergency Relief & Victim Assistance Fund for Youth Gun Violence Victims

Youth Peace & Justice Foundation, also known as The Uvalde Foundation For Kids

Emergency financial assistance. Crisis response. Support for families and communities nationwide.

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Visit the Community Crisis Response Page

Help should be ready when families need it

NATIONAL — The Youth Peace & Justice Foundation's National Emergency Relief Fund provides emergency financial assistance to eligible youth victims of gun violence and their families across the United States.

The fund is one part of the Foundation's broader response to violence and community crises. Depending on the circumstances and resources available, the Foundation may also provide or coordinate crisis intervention, peer counseling, professional counseling resources, practical community assistance, referrals, school and student support, and ongoing youth advocacy and violence-prevention efforts.

The Foundation's goal is to maintain an established process for reviewing emergency financial requests so that families do not have to wait for a new fundraising campaign to be organized before they can seek assistance.

For the Foundation, responding to tragedy is about people, not geography.

“Our response starts with people, not location. When families and communities are hurting, they deserve to know that someone is willing to step forward and help. We want to be prepared to respond when the need arises, rather than start from scratch after every tragedy.”

— Daniel Chapin, Founder and President

More than financial assistance

The National Emergency Relief Fund is not the full extent of the Foundation's support. It is one component of a wider effort to help young people, families, schools, and communities affected by violence and other crises.

Depending on the situation, the Foundation's broader work may include:

Emergency financial assistance: Help with urgent needs for eligible youth victims and their families.
Crisis intervention and response: Efforts to identify immediate needs and provide support following shootings and other qualifying crises.
Peer counseling and emotional support: Peer-based support resources for young people and affected families.
Professional counseling resources: Connections to professional mental health support and counseling resources when available.
On-the-ground community assistance: Grassroots support and practical assistance for affected families and communities.
Resource coordination and referrals: Help identifying available services and navigating next steps after a tragedy.
School and student support: Crisis resources, bullying prevention, youth advocacy, and support for students and school communities.
Youth advocacy and violence prevention: Ongoing efforts to protect young people, promote safer communities, and address violence.

The services available depend on the circumstances, location, personnel, partner resources, and funding available. Not every service is available in every case.

The Foundation's commitment extends beyond financial assistance. It seeks to identify immediate needs, connect people with support, and continue responding as circumstances develop.

Learn more about Community Crisis Response

Why an established relief fund matters

The Foundation's experiences responding to tragedies, including incidents in Shreveport, Louisiana, and Lewiston, Maine, helped shape its approach to emergency assistance.

Community members often move quickly to raise money after a tragedy. However, families may still face immediate needs while fundraising campaigns are organized, verification is completed, and payments are arranged.

The Foundation's model is intended to reduce reliance on launching a separate fundraising campaign for every incident. It provides an established path for reviewing emergency requests while the Foundation continues its other crisis-response work.

A Note On Our Emergency Funding 2026:

One unique aspect of the emergency funding, is that funds are separate from foundation restricted/unrestricted accounting and are not effected by foundation budgets.

Similar to our "Crimes Against Students," Reward Initiative funding, emergency funds are independent funds, separately pooled & provided by foundation beneficiaries.

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The Foundation has publicly raised concerns about how relief resources reach affected families in previous cases.

Related coverage:

These cases form part of the background to the Foundation's work and its emphasis on timely assistance, transparency, and communication with affected families. Each case has its own circumstances.

“We saw families waiting while help was being organized around them. Those experiences reinforced the importance of having an established response process and a way for families to request assistance.”

— Daniel Chapin

How the National Emergency Relief Fund works

The fund is intended to provide an established pathway for emergency financial assistance following qualifying incidents involving youth gun violence victims.

Its objectives include:

Nationwide access for eligible youth victims and their families.
An established application and review process.
Priority review of requests involving urgent needs.
Direct assistance to approved recipients where applicable.
Reduced reliance on incident-specific fundraising campaigns.
Use of designated fund resources for eligible victim and family assistance.

Fundraising continues to maintain and expand the resources available for future cases. Assistance depends on eligibility, verification, available funding, and the circumstances of each request.

The fund is intended to support emergency needs without requiring a new campaign for every incident. Submitting an application does not guarantee approval or a particular award amount.

Eligibility and application process

Eligible applicants may include:

Youth victims of gun violence.
Parents or legal guardians of affected youth.
Immediate family members directly affected by a qualifying incident.

Applicants should be prepared to provide:

Full name and contact information.
Relationship to the victim or survivor.
Information about the qualifying incident.
A description of the immediate emergency need.
The type and amount of assistance requested.
Supporting documentation, when available.

Applications are reviewed based on the circumstances, information provided, urgency of the need, and available resources.

Emergency financial assistance and payment

Yhe Foundation prioritizes urgent applications and aims to process approved emergency financial requests for disbursement within 24 hours of approval.

This timeframe refers to processing for disbursement. Verification requirements, payment methods, banking procedures, and other circumstances may affect when funds are actually received.

APPLY FOR EMERGENCY FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

Families seeking other forms of help may also contact the Foundation to discuss available crisis-response resources and support options.

A national crisis-response program

The Foundation's response does not begin and end with financial assistance. Its Community Crisis Response Program supports efforts to identify urgent needs, connect families with resources, and provide crisis support following violence and other qualifying emergencies.

The Foundation's broader work includes peer support, emotional support resources, community outreach, school crisis response, and coordination with available professional and community services.

The aim is to help families and communities navigate the immediate aftermath of a crisis while identifying additional forms of support that may be useful during recovery.

Community Crisis Response Program

24-Hour School Crisis and Bullying Prevention

Community support: (254) 499-8027

Recent response: Bend, Oregon

Following the October 15, 2026, shooting at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, Oregon, the Foundation worked to mobilize support, communicate with local officials and school representatives, and identify resources for affected families and the school community.

Its response included crisis-support efforts and fundraising for emergency assistance. The incident illustrates the broader purpose of the Foundation's work: identify immediate needs, connect affected people with support, and continue responding as circumstances develop.

Read the Office for Victims of Crime's Bend, Oregon Resources and Support Page

Trees For Peace Initiative Honors Youngest School Shooting Victim In USA Since 1966

Fundraising continues to support future emergencies

The Foundation continues fundraising to support eligible emergency financial assistance and strengthen its ability to respond to future qualifying incidents.

Contributions designated for the National Emergency Relief Fund are intended to support its charitable purpose. Other Foundation programs and response efforts may be supported through separate fundraising and community partnerships, subject to the terms of those funds and contributions.

The Foundation's work includes emergency assistance, crisis response, youth advocacy, school safety and violence prevention, counseling resources, and community support. The financial relief fund is one part of that broader mission.

The need for help does not wait for a convenient time.

The Foundation's goal is to maintain an established process for emergency financial assistance while continuing its wider work with young people, families, and communities across the country.

Help keep emergency assistance available

Every co ntribution helps support the Foundation's charitable work and its efforts to respond when young people, families, and communities need help.

DONATE TO THE YOUTH PEACE & JUSTICE FOUNDATION

The Foundation also welcomes community partnerships, volunteers, and other forms of support that advance its mission.

Contact the Foundation