New Yorkers Against Gun Violence Education Fund

Founding and History

New Yorkers Against Gun Violence Education Fund was founded in 1995 as the education arm of the gun-control lobbying group New Yorkers Against Gun Violence. Since its founding it has focused its efforts on driving pro-gun control education that can then be channeled into activist and lobbying efforts. ¹

Finances

In fiscal year 2019, New Yorkers Against Gun Violence Education Fund generated $494,477 in revenue, of which $442,027 was derived from contributions and grants, and $30,000 was derived from program service revenue. It had $376,263 in expenses, of which $285,345 was allocated towards employee salary and benefits. The group ended 2019 with $573,396 in net assets, up from $455,182 at the beginning of the year. ⁵

Policies and Projects

ReAction

ReAction is the New Yorkers Against Gun Violence Education Fund’s main program. Established in 2001, the school-based program provides a year-long curriculum focused on educating students about gun violence and training them on how to advocate for stricter gun control measures. As of March 2021, the program was active in 18 schools in the New York City area. The year-long program concludes by taking the participating students to either Albany or Washington, D.C. for the students to advocate for gun control measures. ²

The Miller Mentorship

The Miller Mentorship is a seven-week summer training program that is focused on training teenagers selected for the program from the group’s “intersectional” perspective that is focused on race, gender, the Covid-19 pandemic, and gun violence. As part of the program the teenagers participate in lobbying and public events focused on gun-control. ³

Youth Over Guns

Youth over Guns is the youth activist arms of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence Education Fund. It was formed independently in 2018 following the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, and later that year was subsumed within the New Yorkers Against Gun Violence Education Fund. The organization is focused on training youth activists around the country and leading pro-gun control activism. The organization has a special focus on gun violence in minority communities and claims that this violence is often overshadowed and undercovered relative to gun violence in more affluent communities. ^{4 6}

Leadership

Rebecca Fischer is the executive director of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence Education Fund and its partner organization, New Yorkers Against Gun Violence. In addition to her gun-control work at NYAGV, she has also participated in a variety of other gun control organizations, including as chair of the Safe Storage Law Advocacy Committee, a member of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs Gun Violence Prevention Steering Committee, and chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Social Action Committee at the Beth Elohim congregation. ⁷