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
The 2024 PSPC Chicago Fund grantees will be announced in May.
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
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