LEXINGTON, Ky. — Twenty Lexington-based community organizations are receiving grants from One Lexington to prevent gun violence and support victims, Mayor Linda Gorton announced, according to a statement from the city.

Fifteen grassroots organizations are receiving violence prevention grants totaling $150,000, marking the fifth year of the initiative. The additional organizations are receiving support through related One Lexington programs. "Keeping Lexington's young people safe is our top priority," Gorton said in the announcement.

One Lexington, a city initiative leveraging government resources and community partnerships, continues to show results. Lexington recorded its fewest total homicides in a decade in 2025, with the city reducing community violence by 60 percent since 2021.

Devine Carama, One Lexington director, emphasized the collaborative approach required to address gun violence among youth and young adults ages 10-29. "If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to lose a child," Carama said. "In order to address this community health crisis, it will take the community."

The grant programs fund a variety of approaches to violence prevention, including mentorship, summer programming, job training and trauma support. Community Inspired Lexington, a grant recipient that began in 2015 with 13 students, now serves 40-50 children daily through its summer camp.

In 2025, more than 600 young people were served by community organization programming supported by One Lexington's violence prevention grants. The violence prevention grants are designed to build the capacity of grassroots nonprofits working directly with young people most affected by gun violence across Lexington-Fayette County.