2023 Tampa PD CARES funding to help crime prevention efforts

TAMPA, Fla. - A Tampa police grant program will give funding to community programs that are geared towards crime prevention and community engagement.

The 2023 Tampa Police Department Community and Resources Enhancing Success (CARES) campaign will award a total amount of $25,000 to eligible organizations in the community.

"We look at it as taking bad money and making it good," Eddy Durkin, a TPD public information officer, said. "We're taking monies that were used in criminal activities that the police department has seized, and now we invest in the community who are looking to make a positive impact for everybody in the area."

READ: Tampa Police Department reports decrease in violent crime with guns in 2022

The program has operated in prior years. In 2018, Abe Brown Ministries was one of the grant recipients. Through a comprehensive reentry program, the organization says it works to inspire and develop people by putting them on a path to a crime free life.

"The most important thing we offer to our community is hope for a population that has pretty much been written off by most of society. And with that hope, though, comes, I believe, improved public safety and a better quality of life for us all," said Robert Blount, the president and CEO of Abe Brown Ministries.

They’re able to continue that work through community support and funding like the TPD grant program.

"These types of funds, from our perspective, have been very beneficial, because it has allowed us to cover expenses that are not currently covered on our state appropriation," Blount said.

MORE: Tampa police given $1 million in grants to help prevent violent crime

The 2023 TPD CARES application must be postmarked and submitted by midnight on April 17, 2023.

The funding amount will be determined by the selection committee’s application evaluation. Projects will be rated using the selection criteria. Grants will be awarded in the following tiers:

• Tier 1: $5,000           
• Tier 2: $2,500
• Tier 3: $2,000
• Tier 4: $1,000

For more information on the CARES program, visit tampa.gov/police/programs/tpdcares.