Apply Now: Request for Proposals to Expand Gun Violence Prevention Research with EveryShot
Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund has launched a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a new grant program inviting scholars in the gun violence prevention research field to leverage EveryShot, a first-of-its-kind, near real-time AI tool that tracks gun violence incidents across the United States.
EveryShot contains over 80 variables of data on gun violence incidents, victims, and shooters, sourced from approximately 300,000 news articles. These articles are rich data sources that contain additional context surrounding each incident in the EveryShot database and could help answer critical research questions that structured data alone cannot address.
Everytown intends to award three grants of up to $20,000 each for 12-month research projects as part of this call. For more information on the RFP and how to apply, please see below:
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS: Expanding Gun Violence Prevention Research with EveryShot
ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW
Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund (the “Everytown Support Fund”) is the education, research, and litigation arm of Everytown for Gun Safety, the largest gun violence prevention organization in the country with more than 11 million supporters and 700,000+ donors. The Everytown Support Fund seeks to improve our understanding of the causes of gun violence and help to reduce it by conducting groundbreaking original research, developing evidence-based policy recommendations, communicating this knowledge to the American public, and advancing gun safety and gun violence prevention in communities and the courts.
EVERYSHOT BACKGROUND
Each day, 130 people, on average, are shot and killed and another 200 are shot and wounded in the United States.1Everytown Research analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. WONDER Online Database, Provisional Mortality Statistics, Multiple Cause of Death (accessed January 20, 2025), 2019–2023, and Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) nonfatal firearm injury data, 2020. Everytown For Gun Safety Support Fund, “EveryStat: United States,” https://everystat.org/. Yet while this public health crisis continues, funding for federal agencies that collect critical gun violence data remains uncertain and delayed. Indeed, there is growing concern about continuity in the data that have historically made much of gun violence research possible. In response, Everytown launched EveryShot in March 2025—a near real-time AI-powered gun violence tracking tool that uses public news articles to create a comprehensive database of gun violence incidents in the United States.
EveryShot represents a new type of dataset. While it contains structured data on gun violence incidents with over 80 variables on specific incidents, victims, and shooters, it also houses approximately 300,000 news articles about gun violence incidents. These articles are rich data sources that contain additional context surrounding each incident in the EveryShot database and could help answer critical research questions that structured data alone cannot address.
THE OPPORTUNITY
Everytown Research & Policy conducts independent, methodologically rigorous research, supports evidence-based policies, and communicates this knowledge to the public. This Request for Proposals (RFP) seeks to support researchers in the gun violence prevention field by providing financial support to conduct research that includes EveryShot data. Everytown intends to fund three research grants across the following areas of interest:
- Policy Analysis: Advancing research on pressing gun safety policy issues using the EveryShot data. These include, but are not limited to: background checks and licensing, assault weapons bans, Child Access Prevention laws, Extreme Risk Protection Orders, and concealed carry mandates. This RFP is open to advancing knowledge on these policies at either the state or national levels.
- Validation Study: Provide opportunities for researchers to evaluate the validity of EveryShot data relative to other comparable gun violence datasets across various geographies, intents, and injury severity (e.g. fatal versus nonfatal incidents).;
- Gun Violence News Coverage Text Analysis: Provide opportunities for researchers to explore EveryShot’s text database, and its potential to answer new research questions, such as:
- Visibility & Interpretation: Which forms of gun violence are made visible or invisible in media coverage, and how do media narratives shape public understanding of evidence, risk, and responsibility?
- Framing & Voice: How is gun violence framed and contested across media sources, and whose voices (e.g., victims, law enforcement, policymakers, community members) are amplified or marginalized in coverage?
- Other Innovative Applications: Researchers who envision a clear scientific application of EveryShot data that does not fit in the categories listed above but stands to advance gun violence prevention efforts should apply through this line.
Award Information: Three (3) grants of up to $20,000 each (12-month projects).
DELIVERABLES
Deliverables due at the end of the 12-month grant period include: at least one manuscript submission to a peer-reviewed journal. Intermediate deliverables include participation in an initial, virtual EveryShot database orientation along with other grantees, and submission of a 6-month status update.
TIMELINE
The submission and decision timeline for this RFP is as follows:
| STAGE | DATE |
|---|---|
| RFP Release | January 15, 2026 |
| Optional Pre-Submission Q&A Webinar | February 2, 2026 |
| Applications Due | February 28, 2026, 11:59 PM ET |
| Finalists Notified | April 15, 2026 |
| Grant Start Date | July 1, 2026 |
| Virtual EveryShot Database Orientation | Early July |
| Mid-Grant Status Update Due | December 30, 2026 |
| Final Deliverables Due | June 30, 2027 |
ELIGIBILITY
| ELIGIBLE | INELEGIBLE |
|---|---|
| Academic institutions, research institutions, think tanks, and non-profit organizations with demonstrated research capacity. Principal investigators must be faculty members, postdoctoral researchers with faculty sponsors, or research staff at non-profit organizations. Researchers from all academic disciplines are encouraged to apply. Recipients must be a qualified charitable organization and classified by the IRS as a public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. | For-profit entities, individuals without institutional affiliation, organizations with conflicts of interest related to the firearms industry. |
SELECTION CRITERIA
Everytown is committed to supporting rigorous, relevant research that advances gun violence prevention policy and practice. We seek grants that combine methodological excellence with clear potential to inform decision-making and improve community safety. Proposals will be reviewed and scored using the criteria below by a panel of at least three Everytown Research reviewers with relevant content, methods, and data expertise. Final awards will be determined based on proposal scores, portfolio balance, and budget availability. Awardees will need to sign Everytown’s grant agreement contract before funding is released. When preparing your application, please address the following criteria:
| CRITERION | DETAILS |
|---|---|
| Alignment with RFP Goals | Why it matters: We believe that EveryShot data can be leveraged to address critical gaps in gun violence prevention research. In this RFP, we are particularly interested in its application to research focused on policy, text analysis, data validation, and other potentially innovative topics. What we are looking for: – Clear alignment with one of the RFP goals:(1) policy analysis, (2) validation, 3) text analysis; or (4) another innovative research area. – Demonstration of how findings will advance gun violence prevention research and EveryShot data’s integration within it; – Clear articulation of the gap in current knowledge that this research will fill |
| Methodological Rigor | Why it matters: We support research that employs appropriate, sophisticated methods to ensure conclusions drawn about gun violence prevention are valid, reliable, and scientifically defensible. What we are looking for: – Clear articulation of the research question(s), primary outcome(s) of interest, and analytical approach
– Plans to address potential threats to validity, necessary robustness checks, and sensitivity analyses – Data sources beyond EveryShot (if applicable) and plans to secure data sharing agreements and realistic study timeline (12 months) that outlines key milestones |
| Innovation | Why it matters: We seek research that demonstrates innovative use of EveryShot’s unique data and features. What we are looking for: – Novel use of EveryShot data or methodology not possible with existing datasets – Creative approaches to analyzing text data, such as extracting contextual information, identifying narrative patterns, or measuring constructs not captured in structured variables – Potential to establish new research directions or answer previous gaps in gun violence prevention research |
| Feasibility and Team Qualifications | Why it matters: We support research that can be successfully completed within the award period by qualified teams with appropriate expertise and resources. What we are looking for: – Research team with demonstrated expertise in relevant discipline and methods (e.g., epidemiology, text analysis, causal inference, public health research, or any other relevant disciplinary approach) – Realistic scope given 12-month timeline and $20,000 budget – Access to necessary computational resources, software, and institutional support – Clear budget justification showing efficient use of funds – Early career researchers are encouraged to apply – The Principal Investigator must have a PhD or equivalent doctoral-level training |
| Potential Impact | Why it matters: We invest in research that has clear potential to contribute meaningfully to gun violence prevention evidence. What we are looking for: – Clear articulation of the expected contribution to gun violence prevention research, including how the grant will advance the integration and use of EveryShot data within academic research – Identification of specific audiences who would benefit from the findings (e.g., researchers, policymakers, practitioners, community organizations), including plans for dissemination through academic venues (e.g., journals, conferences) and practitioner-facing networks – Potential to inform resource allocation, program design, or policy decisions – Likelihood of generating future research, external funding opportunities, or continued use of EveryShot data |
APPLICATION PROCESS
How to Apply: Applications must be submitted through our online application portal. The portal will open on January 15, 2026, and close at 11:59 PM ET on February 28, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET.
Application Portal Fields: The online form will require the following information and uploads:
Uploaded Documents (single PDF for each, 11-point Arial font, 1-inch margins, single-spaced):
- Abstract (200 word maximum): Brief summary of research proposal
- Research Proposal (3 page maximum, excluding references): Including sections for overview/purpose, methodology, impact, dissemination plan, team experience, timeline
- Budget (1 page maximum): Line-item budget with justification for each expense (15% maximum indirect cost rate)
- CVs or NIH biosketch: for PI and all key personnel
Confirmation: You will receive an email confirmation upon successful submission.
Grant Agreement: Final recipients will be required to agree to the terms of our grant agreement, which may include data sharing agreements.
RESEARCH INDEPENDENCE
While Everytown will provide financial support and may offer opportunities for coordination or dissemination, the study design, data analyses, interpretation of findings, and peer-review publication decisions will remain independently led by each funded research team.
QUESTIONS & SUPPORT
Program Contact: Everytown Research Team | [email protected]
Everytown is an equal opportunity funder. We encourage applications from diverse researchers and institutions, including those from communities disproportionately affected by gun violence.