The Jefferson Collaborative for Health Equity announced the award of $540,000 in grant funding to four local organizations focused on community-based violence prevention in Philadelphia neighborhoods.
The grantees are awarded $67,500 in funding per year for two years for a total of $135,000 each.
The funding is thanks to a donation from the Lindy Family. The Collaborative’s Lindy Family Catalyst Grant program provides grants, mentoring, evaluation and sustainable resources to community-based organizations working to address priority health and well-being needs and advance health “equity” in “underrepresented” communities.
“The Lindy Family Catalyst Grant program underscores our continued commitment to address health disparities. It is through strengthened partnerships and collaboration with community-based organizations that we can work together to identify effective solutions to improve the well-being of the communities that we serve,” said Keith Leaphart, Enterprise Executive Vice President and Humana Chief Health Equity & Community Impact Officer, Jefferson.
The latest cohort of grantees have been selected to address the social determinants of health and other vital conditions that shape the community’s relationship with violence. The cohort is comprised of four organizations strategically focused on community violence prevention, with much of their work prioritized in the 19121, 19124, 19133,19140, 19120, 19132 and 19134 ZIP codes.
The grant recipients are:
• Corporate Alliance for Drug Education, which provides evidence-based prevention education and comprehensive support services to children in Philadelphia, empowering them to make informed decisions, resist substance misuse and develop essential life skills.
• Philly Truce, which provides community-led visible deterrence, social emotional learning and mentorship, in addition to direct access and referrals to community-based victim services, violence intervention and prevention providers.
• The Reawakening Agency, which supports formerly incarcerated individuals in transitioning back to their communities, fostering well-being and resilience through mentorship, job training, housing assistance and legal aid.
• Timoteo Philadelphia Inc., which utilizes sports to engage with, mentor and educate young people ages 5 to 18 in Philadelphia.
“Our family is committed to finding solutions that strengthen our communities, which is why we have been honored to support the Catalyst Grants program,” said Alan Lindy. “We are pleased to partner with Jefferson in empowering community-based organizations with essential resources that address community violence, to create a healthier, safer, more vibrant future for all.”
Along with receiving funding, the four organizations will work with the Collaborative and each other to implement a projects-based intersectional intervention model that provides community-centered prevention strategies to reduce community violence.
“We recognize that community violence, especially gun violence in particular, is a significant concern in many of our neighborhoods,” said Tara Hayden, Vice President, Community Health Equity, Jefferson Collaborative for Community Health Equity. “Identifying effective solutions to these issues requires a multi-layered approach. We look forward to collaborating with our latest cohort of grant recipients to implement intervention strategies to reduce the key drivers of community violence in its various forms.” ••
