The Chicago Fund for Safe and Peaceful Communities

The Partnership for Safe and Peaceful Communities, a coalition of philanthropic organizations, launched the Chicago Fund for Safe and Peaceful Communities in 2016.

The Chicago Fund exists to create the conditions for violence prevention and reduction during the summer months, and supports activities by nonprofit organizations that build community cohesion and promote safety and peace.

The Partnership is the administrator of the Fund for Safe and Peaceful Communities, which is supported by institutional and individual donors whose contributions make it possible to award thousands of dollars in grants.

The Fund offers rapid-response grant opportunities designed to support community-based actions and activities that make neighborhoods safer.  It was created in direct response to the many people and grassroots organizations that are already taking powerful, on-the-ground action in their neighborhoods. For more information on the Fund and its grants, read the full 2024 PSPC Chicago Fund Request for Proposals (RFP).

Donors to this Fund also are engaged in larger, long-term efforts to help address the problem of violence prevention and community safety. What makes this Fund different from those efforts is that its intended purpose is to provide highly-targeted, immediate support to smaller, neighborhood-based groups over the summer. To be clear, the Fund is not meant to be a quick fix to the broad and complex problem of violence nor is it a substitute for the intensive and wide-ranging efforts already underway (or being planned) to develop responses to the many root causes of the challenge.

Supporters to Date

Advocate Bethany Community Health Fund
advocatehealth.com/about-us/serving-our-community/advocate-bethany-community-health-fund/ 

Anonymous

The Boeing Company
boeing.com

Builders Initiative
buildersinitiative.org

The Chicago Community Trust
cct.org  

Conant Family Foundation
conantfamilyfoundation.org

The Crown Family Philanthropies
crownfamilyphilanthropies.org

Emerson Collective
emersoncollective.com/

The Field Foundation of Illinois
fieldfoundation.org

John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
macfound.org

Joyce Foundation
joycefdn.org

Lefkofsky Family Foundation
lefkofskyfoundation.com

Leva Family Foundation

The Marc and Jeanne
Malnati Family Foundation
mjmff.org

Mars Wrigley Foundation
mars.com/made-by-mars/mars-wrigley/foundation

The Robert R. McCormick Foundation
mccormickfoundation.org

Michael Reese Health Trust
healthtrust.net

Dan Miller Family Foundation

The Pert Foundation

Polk Bros. Foundation
polkbrosfdn.org

Pritzker Pucker Family Foundation
pritzkerpuckerfamilyfoundation.org

Pritzker Traubert Family Foundation
ptffoundation.org

Steans Family Foundation
steansfamilyfoundation.org

Weinberg Foundation

Past Activities

Here are some of the types of activities that have been supported by the Fund and held in communities across Chicago.

Art activities

Block party and block decorating

March and rally emphasizing education

Financial literacy classes

Provision of non-confrontational, safe space for families to build partnerships and connection in non-crisis

Outdoor festival

Food and music with spoken word

Magazine launch

Talent show

Art-making in response to violence

Boxing club

Film review and group discussion

Youth parades

Bicycle workshops