Cleveland Neighborhood Safety Fund announces $1 million in grantmaking to support violence prevention efforts
Funding will assist organizations and programs working to curb violence this summer and beyond
CLEVELAND (June 14, 2024) – The City of Cleveland, Cleveland City Council and Cleveland Foundation announced today that the Cleveland Neighborhood Safety Fund will award a total of $1 million to 14 organizations for its 2024 round of grantmaking. The Fund – established by the City, City Council, and Cleveland Foundation in 2023 – supports community-driven, evidence-informed programming serving Cleveland residents that addresses the root causes of violence.
This year’s $1 million in grantmaking will support organizations and programs focused on three critical areas: violence interruption and reduction, youth diversion and proactive mentoring, and violence prevention. This announcement builds on the Summer Safety Plan announced by the City in May.
“The Neighborhood Safety Fund is critical for our comprehensive, cross-sector focus to improve public safety in Cleveland,” said Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb. “Recipient organizations are working closely with each other and neighbors on programs to prevent violence and ultimately create safer communities and streets.”
The Neighborhood Safety Fund committee utilized data including recent violent crime trends, as evidenced by health indicators and local police data over the past three or more years, to prioritize proposals with services located in the Buckeye-Woodland, Central, Kinsman/Union Miles, Mt. Pleasant, and St. Clair Superior neighborhoods.
“This round of support comes at an ideal time as organizations are working to ensure that residents have a safe summer in Cleveland,” said Cleveland City Council President Blaine A. Griffin. “The committee has taken a data-driven approach to identify the organizations and programs that are helping address the root cause of violence as it continues to foster an ecosystem of violence prevention across the city.”
In addition to providing funding, the Neighborhood Safety Fund in collaboration with Cleveland Thrive, the local community violence prevention network, assists organizations with capacity-building and partnership with other groups, knowing a community approach to violence intervention and prevention starts with people at the center and extends outward to their loved ones and the broader community.
“The Neighborhood Safety Fund recognizes the importance of an ecosystem of providers and partners across the city to help address many of the issues that can lead to violence,” said Habeebah Rasheed Grimes, CEO of Positive Education Program and member of the fund’s advisory committee. “The recipients include established and promising partners dedicated to working with youth and others on crime disruption and intervention.”
Grants made through the Neighborhood Safety Fund align with the City of Cleveland’s multi-year, comprehensive approach to violence prevention that includes the work being done through Cleveland Thrive, social support services, and trauma-informed care provided through the city’s 22 Neighborhood Recreation and Resource Centers.
Neighborhood Safety Fund grants are made to eligible 501(c)3 organizations. This is the second round of funding, and a third round is expected for 2025. Visit the Cleveland Foundation website for more information or to make a donation to the Neighborhood Safety Fund.
Neighborhood Safety Fund 2024 Grantees & Projects
- Brenda Glass Multipurpose Trauma Center: Trauma Recovery on the Beat
- Burten, Bell, Carr Development, Inc.: Neighbor to Neighbor (N2N) Resident Mediation Program
- Civilians Against Violence: Community Policing Neighborhood Safety Program
- Cleveland Metropolitan School District: Safe Passages
- Cleveland YPAR: Youth Participatory Action Research (Black Lives Matter Cleveland as fiscal agent)
- MetroHealth Foundation, Inc.: Hospital Responders Program for Violence Prevention
- Nerve DJ Institute: “Harmony in Cleveland: Beats, Rhymes, and Unity”
- Passages Connecting Fathers and Sons Inc.: Cognitive Behavioral Intervention Employment Program for Moderate- to High-Risk Probationers
- Peel Dem Layers Back: Cope Dealer Program
- Prolific Achievers Academy: The POD Youth Summer Employment (YSE) Program
- Renounce Denounce Gang Intervention Program Corporation: Case Management for Youth & Young Adults Who Experience Gang & Gun Violence in the City of Cleveland
- Safety Unit – Partnership between Ward Wide Education (WWE), Children at Play Edutainment (CAPE), and Man to Man (United Black Fund of Greater Cleveland, Inc. as fiscal agent)
- Teaching Young Women in Society Truth: Saving Gang Involved At Risk Females Through Arts Education Events
- Writers in Residence: Community-based Mentoring for Justice-involved Youth
###
About the Cleveland Neighborhood Safety Fund
The Cleveland Neighborhood Safety Fund is a long-term fund created in June 2023 by Cleveland City Council Ordinance 486-2023. The first-of-its-kind fund was seeded with a $10 million investment from the City of Cleveland. The fund was established as a donor-advised fund of the Cleveland Foundation, which will allow it to exist in perpetuity, investing in evidence-based interventions and solutions to promote safety across the City of Cleveland.
About the Cleveland Foundation
Established in 1914, the Cleveland Foundation is the world’s first community foundation – and one of the largest today. Through the generosity of donors, the foundation improves the lives of residents of Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties by building community endowment, addressing needs through grantmaking and providing leadership on vital issues. For more information, visit ClevelandFoundation.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About the City of Cleveland
The City of Cleveland is committed to putting people and neighborhoods first, working to deliver high-quality city services and leading bold change. The City is focused on building a stronger and safer Cleveland and modernizing City Hall to improve outcomes for residents, businesses and visitors. To learn more about the City of Cleveland, visit www.clevelandohio.gov, Twitter at @CityofCleveland or Facebook at www.facebook.com/cityofcleveland.
About Cleveland City Council
Cleveland City Council is comprised of seventeen members who are each elected to a 4-year term. A member serves about 25,000 people in their respective ward. Each member serves on one or more committees that discuss and vote on legislation. In 2023, City Council passed more than 1,400 ordinances related to safety, services, economic development, and other quality of life issues. Learn more about Cleveland City Council at www.clevelandcitycouncil.org. Follow City Council on social media at www.facebook.com/clecitycouncil, www.x.com/clecitycouncil, www.instagram.com/clecitycouncil.
Contacts:
Allison Baker, Cleveland Foundation
abaker@clevefdn.org, 216-615-7166
Marie Zickefoose, City of Cleveland
mzickefoose@clevelandohio.gov, 216-571-5923
Darryle Torbert, Cleveland City Council
dtorbert@clevelandcitycouncil.org, 216-664-6137