City of Philadelphia awards close to $17.5M to 39 Nonprofits through the second round of Community Expansion Grants

The City of Philadelphia's Office of Policy and Strategic Initiatives for Criminal Justice & Public Safety (CJPS) announced its next round of grants to organizations working to decrease gun violence through its Community Expansion Grant (CEG) program. A total of $5,950,000 is being awarded to first-time community-based organizations in the program.

Grant renewals from the first round of CEG awards were announced in June.

CEG was launched in 2021 as a pilot program to directly fund and support organizations focused on reducing violence through trauma-informed healing, restorative practices, safe havens, and mentorship. Grant awards for the first round of grantees in 2021 ranged from $100,000 to $1,000,000 and went to 31 organizations, with 28 completing the grant program. Of the original grantees, 24 had their grants renewed.

CEG grants are provided to organizations with annual operating budgets below $15 million and a proven track record of working in neighborhoods vulnerable to gun violence. By funding established community-based organizations, the City is providing financial support to organizations with a proven track record of delivering quality, culturally relevant services while making sure those applying already have the infrastructure in place to be successful.

Organizations that apply for grant funding can apply for funding in two categories: Safe Havens & Mentorship and Trauma Informed Healing & Restorative Practices. These categories were identified through feedback from Philadelphia residents provided at community engagement sessions hosted by CJPS as well as best practices in gun violence prevention.

"I am proud of the work our CJPS team has been doing as they continue to find new and innovative strategies to decrease and prevent gun violence through this grantmaking program," said Mayor Jim Kenney. "The first round of CEG grantees did great work, and I'm happy to see that the most successful organizations have renewed grants so they can continue the work they started, and I am also excited to see what the new grantees will do."

The CEG program has been enhanced and improved based on an independent evaluation by organizational strategy partner Equal Measure, released in June 2023.