The contents of this resource guide are presented in a logical, step-by-step progression of activities fostering and supporting regional and multidisciplinary approaches to combat gang violence through coordinated programs for prevention and intervention under the Senator Charles E. Shannon, Jr. Community Safety Initiative. The guide is intended to help applicants develop the best possible proposals for the competitive grant program. Section 1 outlines the importance of identifying a target problem. Section 2 presents a programmatic framework which will be used as a part of the evaluation of the grant proposals, the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) Comprehensive Gang Model. Section 3 describes the importance of a successful partnership and outlines some of the key partners needed to develop a successful strategy to prevent violence. Section 4 presents selected evidence-based approaches to reduce youth violence as well as lessons learned from several programs shown to be less effective by research and evaluation. List of sources