Matthew McConaughey and his wife Camila launched a program to help school districts nationwide apply for federal grants for resources to make schools safer.
After lawmakers passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act last year in response to the Robb Elementary school shooting in Uvalde, districts gained access to billions of dollars that could pay for safety upgrades, such as mental health programs and school security systems.
McConaughey and his wife created the Greenlights Grant Initiative to help school administrators apply for competitive grants to access that funding.
“Applying for federal grants is incredibly complex and hiring a grant writer, which can cost up to $50,000 to write one federal grant, is unobtainable for so many school districts, especially some of those most in need for that support,” the program’s website reads, adding the initiative aims to demystify the application process.
Although there is no guarantee that schools that use the new resource will receive more federal funding, districts will still have access to tutorials, webinars and other tools aimed at making it more likely, the website read.
After the Robb Elementary school shooting in May 2022 in Uvalde that killed 19 students and two teachers, McConaughey frequently spoke out for more political action.
“We need background checks,” he said during a White House address last year. “We need to raise the minimum age to purchase an AR-15 rifle to 21. We need a waiting period for those rifles. We need red flag laws and consequences for those who abuse them,”
It’s unclear how many schools the initiative will impact, but McConaughey said it will target “high-risk” districts.
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