Targeted Community Investment Grant Program awards microgrants to residents and grassroots organizations that offer needed prevention services and support in communities impacted by gun violence.
In this third round of funding awards, about 30 community groups received a combined total of approximately $400,000 in funding. The programs being funded include both new and existing efforts in career skill-building, mentorship, sports leagues, and groups that help returning citizens reconnect to their communities.
This round of Targeted Community Investment Grant funding also extends access to trauma-informed care for those touched by violence, expands grief support programming for impacted families, and provides training for young adults to become positive role models in their neighborhoods. The funding also directly supports workshops and “safe spaces” for young men who are at the highest risk of gun violence.
The grant application process, which opened on November 10 of 2020 and closed December 4, brought in more than 220 applications, from which 30 awardees were chosen.
The individual grants, ranging from $1,500 to $20,000, will support programs in neighborhoods impacted by violent crime to help prevent or reduce shootings among youth and young adults living in these communities.
These awards have been a key initiative of The Philadelphia Roadmap to Safer Communities, and advance the updated Roadmap’s goals of creating:
- Connected and thriving youth, young adults and families.
- Strong community engagement and partnerships.
- Coordinated City services and planning.
- Safe and healthier neighborhoods.
During the selection process, preference was given to organizations that are focused on the educational and/or employment needs of individuals at a high risk of violence between the ages of 16 and 34. Those who applied were asked to give a specific description of the program or activity to be funded, along with an explanation of how it will help prevent or reduce gun violence in the community, a budget that clearly shows how the funds will be used, and how success will be measured.
The following grantee biographies are organized by how their services benefit their communities.
*Note: Many of these organizations overlap with multiple categories based on their services and supports.
| Addressing Health and Wellness | ||||
| Recipient Name | Organization Affiliation | Initiative Title | Amount and Initiative Description | Award Amount |
| Angenique Howard | Unique Dreams, Inc | Juvenile & Adult Justice Transitional Services (JAJS) Program | This program focuses on individuals involved in the legal system. It works by combining case management and therapeutic service to create safe spaces to share experiences, learn avenues of opportunity and gain job readiness skills. |
$18,000
|
| Carmel Brown | DeepSpaceMind215 Cooperative | The Young Futurist Series | This project will encourage a dialogue about the intersection of mental health and anti-LGBTQ+ violence. It will include a queer youth-led dialogue about mental health and gun violence with workshops supporting self-care, mental health advocacy skills and violence prevention resources. | $5,000 |
| Chantay Love | EMIR Healing Center | We Live Project | This program focuses on healing those with trauma related to gun violence. It works to create a safe place through workshops that focus on wellness, self-care, self-esteem, emotional maturity, and lifestyle management. | $18,000 |
| Jennifer Lawson | Philadelphia Obituary Project | Writing Heals | This project uses creative writing to address intergenerational trauma that families of gun violence victims experience by expressing thoughts, feelings, and memories. | $10,000 |
| Joseph Purnell | Neighborhood United Against Drugs | 2021 NUAD Barber Shop Violence Prevention Risk Reduction Intervention | This project targets young men at risk of gun violence by implementing a group level intervention that promotes a sense of community and conflict resolution hosted in local barber shops. | $13,000 |
| Loretta Payne | Philly Thrive | The Circle for Common Good | This project focuses on community healing using group meetings and workshops to discuss positive supports and strengths young people need to thrive. The workshops will also focus on relationship building and wellness. | $10,000 |
| Lynnette Anderson | Lynnette C. Anderson, LLC | THINK Instead | This project works to improve public safety and build a stronger sense of community by identifying those who would strongly benefit from anger management, social skills, and problem-solving workshops. Also, it will incorporate community service activities. | $13,000 |
| Shakeya Johnson | N/A | Building Healthy Communities from within Families | This program consists of activities that educate families and empower parents to support children through social emotional skill building, healthy choices, academics, and mental wellness. | $15,000 |
| Teisha Brown | Power of Paint Art Academy & Management | Paint Greater Than Initiative | The program works to connect the community by using art and wellness activities to promote self-awareness, social responsibility, safety, and mental health. | $13,000 |
| Job Training and Skill Building | ||||
| Recipient Name | Organization Affiliation | Initiative Title | Initiative Description | Award Amount |
| Oshunbumi Fernandez-West | I AM BUMI | Hair Business 101 | This program will teach youth and young adults the fundamentals of creating, operating, and maintaining their own hair products business. | $12,000 |
| Daniel Anderson | Reignite Philly | Reignite Philly | This program provides support to adults through life skill development by teaching welding and fabrication techniques. | $10,300 |
| Ebonie Dukes | MyNEWPhilly | Digital Media Incubator | This program hosts a series of activities and workshops that train participants to obtain self-sustaining careers in the media and entertainment industry, while also teaching tools for financial independence. | $13,800 |
| Jackie Cook | Boys and Girls Clubs of Philadelphia | Boys & Girls Club of Philadelphia Violence Prevention and Workforce Development Program | This program empowers youth to problem solve, self-reflect, and develop healthy coping mechanisms, while also providing jobs to teens involved in the workforce development program. | $12,600 |
| Jasmine Hawkins | Urgent 365, Inc. | College Chats and Life After High School | These sessions focus on post-secondary supports that target those who have graduated within the last four years through educational programming, professional development, network building, and resource distribution. | $10,000 |
| Matthew Kerr | Beyond the Bars | Interrupting the School to Prison Pipeline at Every Phase of the Pipeline | This project uses music to offer safe spaces for youth impacted by gun violence. It supports self-expression through song writing, composition, and recording. | $13,000 |
| Rickey Duncan | NOMO Inc. | New Options More Opportunity | This program promotes comprehensive services for young people at risk of violence. This includes career readiness training, counseling, academic and other supports. | $18,000 |
| Tracey Anderson | Philly Mentoring Network | Young Entrepreneur’s Program (YEP) | This program supports families by hosting workshops and activities to teach skills in entrepreneurship, public speaking and presentation, and financial literacy. Also, it will share violence prevention resources and refer participants to social service resources. | $10,000 |
| Promoting Education and Mentorship | ||||
| Recipient Name | Organization Affiliation | Initiative Title | Initiative Description | Award Amount |
| Aisha Drayton | I’s Vision | I’s Vision | This program offers a series of activities for youth and young adults that consist of financial literacy, college prep and real-estate workshops, weekly mentorship and outreach and volunteer opportunities. | $15,000 |
| Ben Reiter | Beat the Streets Philadelphia | Beat the Streets Philadelphia | This is a case-management driven program that engages youth in mentorship and leadership development training while using wrestling to promote health and wellness. | $13,000 |
| Carl Day | Culture Changing Christians | Castoffs to Conquerors | This comprehensive program supports the development of male youth at a high risk of violence through mentorship, offering life skills and spiritual development, and opportunities for community service. | $18,000 |
| Clyde Russell | Making Men, Inc. | Brother to Brother – Rites of Passage | This project will connect participants to educational, mentoring, and professional development opportunities through trainings. It will promote conflict resolution strategies. | $15,000 |
| Joel Austin | Daddy University | The Father’s Club | This program offers men’s parenting classes to promote positive behavior, choices, and attitudes by utilizing skills training on health and wellness, relationship, life skill development, and more. | $10,000 |
| Kevan Turman | The Brothers Brunch, Inc. | The “Off the Muscle” Module – Same Muscle…Different Hustle | This project will consist of mentorship and curriculum focused on life skills, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship. | $13,000 |
| Tyrone Morris | Committed Community Mentors | Safe Space @ Committed Community Mentors | This program promotes community wellness, business development, athletic activities, transformative mentoring, and artistic experiences through a trauma-informed lens. | $18,000 |
| Sustaining Safe Neighborhoods | ||||
| Recipient Name | Organization Affiliation | Initiative Title | Initiative Description | Award Amount |
| Andrew Walker | Red Dragon Red Tiger Combatant Martial Arts Association | Kicks Up! Guns Down! | This project will introduce community to martial arts to encourage self- discipline, self-control, and respect for all. It will host workshops and community events to encourage conflict resolution strategies. | $7,300 |
| Jim Hardy | Philadelphia Community Empowerment Through Soccer | Youth Soccer, Leadership Development, Civic Engagement and Social Work | This program supports youth and young adults who serve as teen soccer coaches and supervisors while learning skills related to employment, leadership, and conflict resolution. Participants are provided case management services. This program promotes community engagement through violence prevention events. | $13,000 |
| Michael Johnson | Tasker Street Missionary Baptist Church | Turn in a Gun, and Save Our Families | This organization will partner with police, community stalk holders and faith-based community to host a series of gun buy backs to promote gun safety. | $15,000 |
| Stanley Crawford | Black Male Community Council of Philadelphia | BMCCP Boots on the Ground | This group focuses on transforming high crime neighborhoods by recruiting men and women of color to conduct community clean ups and to strengthen community partnerships, while also promoting public safety and resource distribution. | $18,000 |
| Steven Pickens | PHILLY TRUCE | TRUCE | This program uses technology to recruit, train and disburse meditators to settle altercations, disagreements and/or conflicts in a respectful and safe approach. | $15,000 |
| Tyrique Glasgow | Young Chances Foundation | Community Engagement Center | The center provides free access to a range of needed services including GED classes, job readiness programming, laundry services, meals, and childcare. | $15,000 |
