Significant investment by governor and state legislators will expand efforts to generate evidence-based solutions to gun violence
Albany, NY — The Rockefeller Institute of Government today celebrated the inclusion of $1 million in the newly enacted New York State Budget to fund the vital work of the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium (RGVRC). Administered by the Institute, the RGVRC is a network of more than 140 leading gun violence scholars from across the nation dedicated to understanding and preventing firearm violence through rigorous, impartial research.
This critical funding recognizes the Consortium’s significant contributions to date and ensures the continuation and expansion of its efforts to provide policymakers, practitioners, and the public with actionable, data-driven insights. As a national collaboration, the RGVRC fills a critical gap by fostering evidence and data sharing to tackle a problem that transcends borders.
“We are grateful to Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature for their leadership and commitment to addressing gun violence through evidence-based strategies,” said Rockefeller Institute President Bob Megna. “This $1 million investment is a powerful affirmation of the Consortium’s work and its essential role in developing nonpartisan, research-informed solutions to this pressing public health and safety crisis.”
Since its inception in 2018 following the Parkland, Florida, mass shooting, the RGVRC has been a crucial hub for sharing and promoting cutting-edge research to inform solutions to the challenges posed by gun violence. Through data-driven and accessible publications and convenings, the diverse network of scholars helps translate scientific findings into actionable policy analysis across nearly every facet of gun violence, including mass shootings, school shootings, community gun violence, intimate partner violence, firearm suicide and safe storage, and firearm violence survivorship.
The funding in the Fiscal Year 2026 New York State Budget builds on recent project-based grant funding from the US Department of Homeland Security and National Institute of Justice, among other funders, and empowers the RGVRC to significantly enhance its capacity and impact. Moving forward, the Consortium plans to:
- Expand data infrastructure to augment the data maintained by the Consortium and enhance its accessibility to policymakers and the public.
- Support development of new knowledge and evidence through a competitive grant-funding program.
- Broaden its roster of in-house firearm violence researchers and support staff to increase responsiveness to needs from policymakers, collect and analyze survey data to inform research efforts, and organize convenings of researchers and policymakers.
“At a time when gun violence remains one of the leading causes of death among residents, the need for rigorous research to guide prevention and response is essential,” said Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium Executive Director Jaclyn Schildkraut. “This support from the State will allow us to greatly expand our efforts to give policymakers the evidence-based tools they need to prevent gun violence and keep communities safe.”
View the Consortium’s home page, its network of scholars, and its research.
About the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium
The Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium is a coalition of more than 125 gun violence researchers and practitioners that seeks to inform policymakers and the public by providing evidence-based, data-driven policy recommendations to disrupt the cycle of firearm-involved homicides, suicides, and injuries.