NICJR Giving Initiative distributes nearly $1 million to Community Violence Intervention programs nationally
The NICJR Giving Initiative has proudly launched in four cities across the country. With generous contributions from the Langeloth Foundation, Public Welfare Foundation, Microsoft, and a federal grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), NICJR will provide nearly $1 million in direct financial support to community service providers and families of youth and young adults served by programs that NICJR operates and/or provides training and technical assistance to in Oakland, Indianapolis, Atlanta, and Washington, DC.
In Oakland, NICJR supports two programs that serve youth and young adults who are system impacted: the Neighborhood Opportunity and Accountability Board (NOAB), a youth development and diversion program; and Oakland Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that serves young adults at high risk of gun violence. With support from the Langeloth Foundation, NICJR was able to provide significant financial assistance to families of participants in the NOAB and PSN programs.
In these times of higher prices for groceries and other necessities, NICJR is proud to be able to provide families with direct support. All the families have children who are in the justice system, have been diverted from the youth justice system, have been identified as being at high risk of gun violence victimization, or are otherwise vulnerable.
In September 2022, NICJR hosted a dinner with participants and families at the Oakland Black-owned restaurant Home of Chicken and Waffles. During the dinner, each family was provided with financial support between $1,500 – $2,500. The Life Coach of each participant presented the family with their check and made remarks about their work with the family. Several local business owners, community leaders, and City Councilmembers attended and supported the families as well. In addition to family giving, with newly awarded funding from the OJJDP, NICJR will be providing more than $500,000 to two Oakland-based community organizations working to reduce violence and improve youth outcomes: Youth Alive and Community and Youth Outreach.
With support from the Public Welfare Foundation (PWF) and in partnership with City agencies, NICJR has been working in Washington, DC for the past two years on a series of assessments and reports on gun violence. Through the support of PWF, NICJR has given grants totalling $150,000 to four community organizations dedicated to violence reduction and youth development: Yaay Me, Alliance of Concerned Men, J&J Monitoring, and Indy B. Additional funding has been secured to enable another round of giving in DC for the upcoming year.
Through a partnership with Microsoft, NICJR has been working with the new Mayor’s Office of Violence Reduction in Atlanta to build their capacity to identify and proactively offer violence prevention services. Through this partnership, NICJR is distributing $70,000 among several community organizations working to reduce violence: Black Man Lab (blackmanlab.org), Hope Hustlers/Cure Violence (hopehustlersatl.org), Girassol Wellness (girassolwellness.org), Inner-City Muslim Action Network (imancentral.org/atlanta/), and Cultural Tribes Peace Network (peacecovenants.org). NICJR will continue to support Atlanta’s violence reduction efforts through ongoing training and technical assistance, grant writing, and research.
In Indianapolis, NICJR is working very closely with Mayor Joe Hogsett and his Office of Public Health and Safety to implement the Indy Gun Violence Reduction Strategy. In January 2023, NICJR will provide four community based organizations in Indianapolis with grants of up to $20,000 each.
NICJR is taking active steps to ensure the Giving Initiative lasts well into the future. Ongoing discussions with generous funders and partners will continue to highlight the need for pragmatic, on-the-ground support for system-involved and/or vulnerable youth, young adults, families, and the organizations providing them with direct services. NICJR is honored to distribute funding across the country to directly support families in need and who have been involved in the justice system and organizations working to reduce gun violence.
Funded with generous support from:
