One For One Chicago Awarded Grant from 2023 Chicago Fund for Safe and Peaceful Communities

The $5K grant will support summer bridge activities leading up to our Keeping Grounded Summer Internship Program

This past Memorial Day weekend, One For One Chicago was awarded a $5K grant from the 2023 Chicago Fund for Safe and Peaceful Communities. This grant will play an important role in bolstering our summer bridge activities, which serve as a precursor to our upcoming Keeping Grounded Summer Internship Program starting next month. Carefully curated activities aim to bring our teens together and foster a positive environment during the transition period between the end of school and start of our summer program. One For One Chicago is among 253 local, grassroots organizations that will receive more than $2.5 million in grants to host programs and activities in 24 neighborhoods on Chicago's South and West Sides hardest hit by gun violence.

“As we prepare for the summer season, we are acutely aware of the obstacles that confront our youth. One For One Chicago is committed to addressing summer violence by providing opportunities that are not only productive and safe but also nurturing, instilling hope in our young adults,” said One For One Chicago Founder and Executive Director Meghan Olson. “We are honored to receive continued support from Safe and Peaceful Communities to help us grow our programming and drive positive change for the young adults we serve.”

This year marks the eighth year a coalition of over 50 foundations and funders called the Partnership for Safe and Peaceful Communities (PSPC) has facilitated neighborhood grants through the Chicago Fund, which provides grants of up to $10,000 to small, neighborhood organizations engaged in community-led approaches to increase community cohesion, safety and peace. PSPC launched the Chicago Fund in 2016 to prepare for the potential of a spike in violence in Chicago during summer months, and to support activities that build community cohesion and promote safety and peace. Over the years, the rapid-response fund has provided $8.3 million in support of 1,260 projects across Chicago’s neighborhoods most impacted by gun violence.

PSPC is working with partners to identify and support community-led, evidence-based solutions to addressing gun violence. Since its 2016 founding, PSPC has committed more than $140 million to anti-violence efforts in Chicago. In addition to the Chicago Fund, PSPC’s four-point approach also includes neighborhood-based initiatives, including street outreach and transitional jobs; reimagining and reforming public safety systems; and creating a supportive policy environment for comprehensive violence reduction.

See the full list of grantees and find out more at www.safeandpeacefulchi.com.

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