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At the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center, one of our most important efforts is our annual Request for Proposals, which funds research aimed at advancing the understanding and prevention of gun violence.
Typically, we dedicate about $700,000 to supporting new projects. But this year, we made the decision to do more. With federal funding for gun violence research facing serious limitations, we dedicated almost our entire research budget to funding others doing innovative work in the field — work that has the potential to reduce gun violence.
As Executive Director, Dr. Michael Anestis explained, “It felt like the right thing to do, both because of the incredible quality of the applications we received and because the field needs this kind of investment right now.”
This year, the GVRC is funding more than $1.1 million in new grants to support 12 research projects focused on preventing gun violence. Projects that will make a difference. Projects that will save lives.
A Balanced Portfolio of Research
The funded projects span a wide range of topics and methods, from secure firearm storage for suicide prevention to community violence intervention and policy research. They also represent a mix of quantitative and qualitative approaches, ensuring that the work funded reflects both data-driven insights and lived experiences.
Importantly, several of the studies are centered in New Jersey communities, engaging residents and local organizations as collaborators. At the same time, all the funded projects will produce findings that can positively impact gun violence prevention efforts in New Jersey.
The GVRC is proud to support the following projects in 2026, each aimed at advancing our understanding of gun violence and prevention:
Principal Investigator(s) | Track | Project Title |
|---|---|---|
| Eric Piza, PhD & John Shjarback, PhD | Multi-Year | Does gunshot detection technology improve shooting survivability? A matched quasi-experiment in Paterson, NJ |
| Jennifer Dineen, PhD, Eric Fleegler, MD, & Kerri Raissian, PhD | Multi-Year | A randomized controlled trial of a secure firearm storage app to increase secure storage behaviors in families with young children: FIRST STEP |
| Nancy La Vigne, PhD, Ebony Ruhland, PhD, & Alia Berry, MSW | Multi-Year | Understanding the roles that young women's interpersonal relationships with men can play in perpetuating and preventing gun violence in Newark, New Jersey |
| Brent Klein, PhD | Multi-Year | From perceptions to practice: Connecting firearm behaviors and implementation to the effectiveness of New Jersey's Child Access Prevention (CAP) laws |
| Samantha Daruwala, PhD & Nicholas Allan, PhD | Multi-Year | Adapting secure firearm storage interventions for the next generation of firearm owners |
| David Kirk, PhD | Multi-Year | Closing the gun show loophole and the iron pipeline of guns flowing into New Jersey |
| Asia Ivey, PhD, Shani Buggs, PhD, & Nicole Kravitz-Wirtz, PhD | Single-Year | Mapping CVI Training Models Across Newark, Los Angeles, and Chicago: Comparative Insights for Scaling and Standardizing Training Infrastructure |
| Sheetal Ranjan, PhD | Single-Year | Mothers and sons: Community dialogues on gun violence, manhood, and mental health in Paterson |
| Esther Lee, MPH | Short-Term / Dissertation | Development and Validation of a Measure of Online/News Firearm Exposure Among Emerging Adults: Associations with Mental Health Outcomes |
| Gretchen Goldman, MSN, RN | Short-Term / Dissertation | Pediatric nurses' lived experiences with firearm screening and counseling: An interpretive phenomenological analysis |
| Eric Wesner, MS | Short-Term / Dissertation | Exploring the Psychosocial Impacts of Facial Gunshot Wounds |
| Emma O’Brien, BA | Short-Term / Dissertation | A comparative study of temporary firearm removal preferences among firearm owners |
Looking Ahead
In the coming months, the GVRC will share more details about each project through our website and social media channels. In summer 2026, each funded investigator will provide a short video update to highlight their progress and key findings. We’re excited to see what they learn, and to share it with you.
By investing in these diverse, community-connected projects, the GVRC is not just funding research, we’re strengthening a field dedicated to preventing gun violence and saving lives. Follow along to stay updated on these important projects.