Lexington Names Groups Receiving 2026 Violence Prevention Grants

Lexington has announced the organizations receiving awards through the city’s 2026 Violence Prevention Grant Program, directing city-backed resources toward local groups working to reduce gun violence among people ages 10 to 29.

Mayor Linda Gorton announced the grant-winning organizations July 7, 2026, at the Lexington Government Center. Complexion Community Development was among the organizations named as a recipient.

A fifth year for the city grant program

The 2026 awards mark the fifth year of Lexington’s Violence Prevention Grant Program. The program is operated through ONE Lexington, a city initiative focused on reducing gun violence affecting Lexington residents between the ages of 10 and 29.

That age range puts the program’s work at the intersection of youth services and public safety. Rather than limiting violence-prevention efforts to city agencies, the grant program supports local organizations that work with young people and young adults in the communities they serve.

The announcement gives residents the clearest immediate result of the 2026 grant cycle: the city has selected community groups to take part in this year’s violence-prevention work. Those organizations are now positioned to carry out programs connected to ONE Lexington’s focus on reducing gun violence among younger residents.

Why the awards matter locally

Gun violence affects more than the people directly involved in an incident. It can also shape how families, schools, neighborhoods and community organizations approach safety and youth support. Lexington’s grant program is intended to put resources behind local efforts aimed at prevention, particularly for residents in the 10-to-29 age group identified by ONE Lexington.

For organizations receiving the awards, the grants represent city support for work related to violence prevention. Complexion Community Development is one of the named grant winners, placing the organization among the local groups participating in the 2026 program.

The July 7 announcement identified the recipients but did not state a total amount distributed across the program or the individual award amount for each organization. Those figures would be needed to measure the size of this year’s funding pool or compare awards among recipients.

What the announcement does—and does not—show

The grant awards show that Lexington is continuing to use community-based funding as part of its response to gun violence. They also show that the city’s ONE Lexington initiative remains focused on people ages 10 to 29 as the central population for this violence-prevention effort.

The announcement does not establish that the grants have already produced a measurable reduction in violence. That assessment would require results from the organizations’ work and data gathered over time. For now, the confirmed development is the continuation of the program and the release of the organizations selected for its fifth year.

The next phase will be the work carried out by the recipient groups during the 2026 grant cycle. Their activities will form the practical part of the city’s effort to support prevention and reduce youth violence and gun crime in Lexington.