A Decade of Partnership, and a Path Forward for Safer Communities: Partnership for Safe and Peaceful Communities Commemorates 10 Years of Collaboration

In 2025, Chicago experienced a 30 percent decline in violence compared to 2024, one of the most significant reductions in decades, a sign of progress that many attribute to the growth of community violence intervention (CVI) programs. The story of that progress is not about one intervention alone. It is the story of partnerships among organizations, the private sector, local government, philanthropy and community members themselves to build relationships, test new approaches, and generate evidence to support sustained investment that allows interventions to take root.

For the past decade, the Partnership for Safe and Peaceful Communities (PSPC) has helped build that foundation. As PSPC commemorates its 10-year anniversary, it has brought together more than 50 funders, including The Chicago Community Trust, to invest over $200 million in violence reduction efforts. “The partnership was created as an opportunity to respond to the high levels of violence happening in the city and to begin building a multi-part approach to violence reduction,” said Esther Franco-Payne, executive director of the Partnership for Safe and Peaceful Communities.

That multi-part approach has taken shape through a range of complementary strategies, including street outreach, support services and jobs; police reform and community relations; gun policy; and community-based investments. PSPC has supported efforts such as Communities Partnering for Peace (CP4P), led by Metropolitan Peace Initiatives, and provided hyperlocal, rapid-response investments through the Chicago Fund for Safe and Peaceful Communities while collaborating with partners across the violence prevention ecosystem, including Chicago CRED. Together, these approaches help illustrate how layered strategies have contributed to citywide progress.

Metropolitan Peace Initiatives

One of PSPC’s earliest investments supported Metropolitan Peace Initiatives (MPI) and the launch of Communities Partnering for Peace (CP4P), a coalition working in neighborhoods most affected by violence. Today, CP4P includes 15 organizations delivering outreach, case management, victim advocacy, and community-based programs designed to interrupt cycles of violence and connect residents to resources. “We convene a coalition of 15 local organizations that deliver community violence intervention work to intervene on gun violence, de-escalate conflicts, and provide wraparound services,” said Vaughn Bryant, executive director of Metropolitan Peace Initiatives.

PSPC’s sustained investment helped expand this work beyond immediate intervention, building a stronger ecosystem of care. Support has enabled the growth of behavioral health services, legal aid, and the Metropolitan Peace Academy, which trains outreach workers and frontline staff. Today, hundreds of outreach workers, many of whom bring personal experience navigating violence and its effect in their communities, are trained, employed and advance in careers in violence prevention. The impact is visible not only in program reach but in long-term opportunity: individuals who once faced limited pathways are now helping keep their communities safe. As Bryant noted, “Chicago has one of the most sophisticated community violence intervention ecosystems in the country,” reflecting how sustained investment and trust have helped build a civilian infrastructure for public safety.

Chicago CRED

While MPI focuses on building and coordinating a network of providers, Chicago CRED works intensively with individuals at the highest risk of being involved in violence. Its model centers on long-term, wraparound support, addressing the root causes that often drive violence, including trauma, limited economic opportunity, and instability. Through outreach, trauma-informed care, education, and employment pathways, participants receive consistent support over months or even years. “We are focused on reducing gun violence, serving the highest risk individuals by providing a host of services designed to enable them to choose a different way of living,” said Jen Keeling, chief of partnerships and operations at Chicago CRED. This individualized approach complements broader system-level efforts, ensuring that those most vulnerable are not left behind. Chicago CRED has also played an important role within PSPC as a partner, investing millions to strengthen the broader CVI landscape, particularly through support for MPI and related initiatives.

Chicago Fund

The Chicago Fund for Safe and Peaceful Communities represents PSPC’s commitment to hyperlocal, community-driven solutions, providing support to grassroots organizations working to reduce violence during the summer months. Administered by PSPC and supported by institutional and individual donors, the Fund is designed to meet urgent needs in neighborhoods by resourcing activities that build community cohesion, promote safety, and create spaces for peace. Since its launch, PSPC has directed more than $13 million through the Chicago Fund to support nearly 2,000 community-led projects, demonstrating the power of small, targeted investments to strengthen local networks and amplify on-the-ground leadership. One such organization is CHAMPS Male Mentoring, which empowers young men through mentorship, leadership development, academic support, workforce readiness and violence prevention programming. Serving students in nearly a dozen schools across Chicago, CHAMPS helps young men strengthen life skills, and develop as leaders in their schools, families, and communities. The Fund intentionally focuses on immediate, neighborhood-based action, complementing broader violence prevention efforts by ensuring that smaller organizations have the resources needed to address community needs within the communities they serve.

A decade in, the work is far from finished. Violence remains a persistent challenge, and progress is uneven, but PSPC and its partners have helped build something that did not exist before: a community-led infrastructure capable of responding to both immediate crises and long-term needs. Central to that progress has been the role of philanthropy, which has helped launch and strengthen strategies that might otherwise never have taken root. By providing early support, encouraging innovation, and investing in community leadership, foundations have helped demonstrate what works and creates the conditions for others to build on that success. As the field continues to evolve, lasting progress will require shared commitment across the public, private and civic sectors, grounded in the people and neighborhoods leading this work every day.