Foundation 2 Receives Grant to Support Group Violence Intervention Implementation

On November 11, the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation approved a $200,000 grant to Foundation 2 from the Creating Safe, Equitable and Thriving Communities (SET) Fund. This is the only grant being awarded from the SET Fund this fall, and it will help Foundation 2 implement the Group Violence Intervention (GVI) model through a variety of collaborations.

Since 2019, the SET Fund has been making grants to local nonprofits working to reduce youth violence in Cedar Rapids. In 2020, the SET Policy Committee began actively pursuing outside support for implementing GVI. Created by the National Network for Safe Communities (NNSC), GVI is an evidence-based, multi-sector approach to violence that has been successfully implemented in several major cities across the U.S.

In September of 2020, the SET Fund received an anonymous $465,000 grant to fund technical support from the NNSC and increase the pool of funding available for local organizations.

“GVI significantly increases our community’s capacity for disrupting cycles of violence,” said Rachel Rockwell, SET Program Officer and GVI Implementation Manager. “We have people and organizations committed to ending violence, and this model provides the framework and coordination necessary for taking on such a complex problem.”

This summer, the Community Foundation released a request for proposals from organizations or collaborations looking to launch, implement and sustain the support and outreach components of GVI.

“The support and outreach components of GVI are designed to address the many factors that contribute to group violence,” Rachel said. “They include anti-violence messaging, case management for high-risk community members, training and development for GVI stakeholders, and crisis response.”

Per the application, Foundation 2 will hire an additional Community Outreach Worker and a Support and Outreach Specialist. The organization will also work with local nonprofits and government groups to offer anti-violence messaging and training for engaged social service agencies, law enforcement, and other partners.

For more information on the SET Fund and Group Violence Intervention model, click here.