GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A Gwinnett County nonprofit focused on reducing hate crimes and building trust in diverse communities is now without federal funding after the U.S. Department of Justice canceled nearly 400 grants nationwide.
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Lucky Shoals Community Association, led by State Rep. Marvin Lim (D-Norcross), had planned to use its $400,000 grant for school trainings and outreach programs in Latino and other diverse communities to help prevent crime through early intervention and neighborhood engagement.
“I think it’s a huge setback for the community,” Lim said.
In an April 22 email to Lim, the DOJ said the canceled grants “no longer effectuate the program goals or agency priorities,” and funding will instead be redirected to law enforcement operations and efforts targeting violent crime.
“This grant would have helped us not only address hate crimes for certain populations, but also would have helped us build trust among neighborhoods,” Lim said.
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Gwinnett County Republican Party Chairman Justice Nwaigwe supports the DOJ’s decision and said it shows fiscal responsibility.
“Debt is going up significantly,” he said. “Something major has to be done to turn it around, and I think this is the right direction.”
Nwaigwe believes the DOJ may be better equipped to manage its own spending.
“I think a lot of these nongovernmental organizations don’t have a lot of audit as far as how they spend the money it’s allocated towards them, and there’s no real audit done on seeing where the funding truly goes,” he said.
Lim said he was prepared for annual audits, had the funds not been terminated. His nonprofit is appealing the decision but is already scaling back programs.
“I hope for more transparency moving forward as we continue on these goals of making government more efficient,” he said.
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