In 2023, Everytown’s Community Safety Fund Expands Support for Community-based Violence Intervention Organizations

As we wrap up 2023, the Community Safety Fund Team is reflecting on the work we accomplished this year. We are immensely proud of the programmatic growth and increased investment we made in 2023. Each day, we strive to build a future where each of us can live free from the threat of gun violence. Community-based violence intervention organizations stand on the frontlines of building that future for us, and we are grateful to support their efforts each and every day. 

In 2023, the Everytown Community Safety Fund provided over $3 million in unrestricted grants to 60 community-based violence intervention organizations in 37 cities and elevated current and previous grantees at various events and convenings. We also organized and hosted our third in-person Pre-Institute at the 2023 Cities United 10th Annual Convening, where we served as a proud sponsor.

Take a moment to learn more as we reflect on the work we accomplished in 2023.

1. Increasing Our Investment: Surpassed $11 Million in Unrestricted Grant Funding to 119 Organizations in 68 Cities Since 2019

We are committed to providing vital resources to those on the front lines of community-based violence intervention. In 2023, we granted over $3 million in unrestricted funding to 60 organizations in 37 cities. Our grants are unrestricted because we understand the complexity of the needs facing CVI organizations. As a result, we aim for our grants to empower local leaders to expand their reach and enhance their impact based on their expertise—because local leaders know their community’s needs best.

This year, we launched a new grant for community-based organizations implementing innovative gun violence prevention strategies through a public health lens. The first class of Innovation Grants—totaling $250,000—includes five organizations from cities across the country that are working with populations facing rising rates of gun violence, implementing an evidence-based strategy in a new setting, or addressing drivers of violence in acute moments of crisis. 

The inaugural recipients of our Innovation Grants are:

• Wambli Ska Okolakiciye, a native-led organization that works with Indigenous youth in Rapid City, South Dakota.
• The BRIC (Bullet Related Injury Clinic), a community-based clinic that specializes in helping people heal, physically and emotionally, after they have been injured by a bullet.
• Rise Up Rochester, a violence prevention organization focusing on rapid rehousing to prevent retaliatory violence in Rochester, New York.
• 4-CT, a partnership with Yale New Haven Hospital that provides cash assistance to survivors of gun violence, immediately post-victimization.  
• QLatinx, a grassroots racial, social, and gender justice organization serving central Florida’s at-risk LGBTQIA+ and Latinx communities that fosters meaningful relationships to promote safety and prevent gun violence.

We have grown our micro-cohort funding, supporting collaborative programs that provide resources for CVI organizations to convene and work alongside one another to drive meaningful change and grow gun violence prevention ecosystems. This year we supported Safety and Justice Accelerator in Atlanta, working in partnership with the Center for Civic Innovation, McAllister Consultancy & Training, and the Injury Prevention Center at Emory to provide intensive capacity building and training to eight grassroots gun violence prevention organizations in Atlanta. The culmination of the accelerator program resulted in the participating organizations presenting themselves and their works to local and national funders, community members and stakeholders at the Center for Civic Innovation Showcase event. 

Learn more about these organizations and their stories:

• Aaliyah Strong | Tyme to Thrive Beyond Grief (@tymetothrive)
• Derrick and Dawn Townsend | The Hopeful Change Project Inc. (hope2change.com) 
• Gary Burke | Corner of Hope at Lakewood (lakewoodchurchofhope.org) 
• Jordan Murphy | Girassol Wellness (girassolwellness.org) 
• Leonard Dungee and Chee’Tara Alexander | Hope Hustlers (@h.o.p.e.hustlers) 
• Omar Howard | Freedom is a Choice Inc. (freedomisachoice.net) 
• Ricky “Dip” Usher | Wii Care Atlanta (@wii_careatl) 
• Tekesia Shields | Mothers Against Gang Violence (@magviolence)

We have committed to investing $25 million into community-based violence intervention programs by the end of 2026. We cannot wait to sustain and expand our investments over the next two years to reach our goal.

2. Building Capacity with the Everytown Community Safety Fund Training Institute

At the Cities United 10th Annual Convening, the Everytown Community Safety Fund convened all 50 current grantees for our Training Institute, a comprehensive program designed to equip our grantees and partners with additional tools and knowledge to support their life-saving work. This year’s Training Institute featured four breakout sessions and an opening plenary.

A special thank you to our breakout session facilitators:

• James Timpson, Managing Director of the Roca Impact Institute
• Jordan Murphy, Executive Director of Girassol Wellness
• Rohit Malhotra, Executive Director of the Center for Civic Innovation
• Jess Canales, Saul Garcia, Melvyn Hayward, Ben “Taco” Owens, and Melvyn Hayward Jr from the Urban Peace Institute

The plenary and breakout sessions delved into critical topics, offering practical insights into community engagement, storytelling,  healing, and collaborative program development. 

3. Elevating Grantees’ Platforms and Partnerships

For the Everytown Community Safety Fund, our program is more than just writing a check. We believe in working with grantees as partners. Each grantee is a subject matter expert who provides valuable insights into our movement. Throughout the year, we actively participated in various events and initiatives to amplify the voices and stories of grantees to share their expertise. Here are a few examples:

• During National Gun Violence Survivors Week, Liza Chowdhury of Paterson Healing Collective joined a panel on gun violence prevention and healing. 
• At 2023 Gun Sense University in Chicago, two grantees were part of a main stage keynote session alongside our managing director, Michael-Sean Spence: Dr. Aquil Basheer of Brotherhood Unified for Independent Leadership Through Discipline (BUILD) Program and Pastor Jonathan Old Horse of Wambli Ska Okolakiciye. 
• During Latinx Heritage Month, QLatinx, Compass, and Big Mama’s Safe House engaged in Lunch and Learns to discuss the impacts of gun violence on Latinx Communities. 

These platforms provided our grantees with opportunities to share their experiences, challenges, and successes with a broader audience. By participating in these events, we aim to create a space where grantees can build community with one another, share best practices, and collaborate on solutions.

What does next year look like for the Everytown Community Safety Fund?

Here’s a sneak peek of some things we’re excited about in 2024!

• Expanding our geographic footprint
• Diversifying our grant offerings
• Deeper engagement with our grantees
• Even more capacity-building opportunities
• And so much more!

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who was part of the Everytown Community Safety Fund this year. The impact we’ve witnessed in communities nationwide is a testament to the power of collaboration, dedication, and a shared vision for safer, healthier neighborhoods. Let’s continue to build on the work of 2023 and continue our journey toward a future free from gun violence.

Thank you for being a vital part of our mission.