In 2026, the Chicago Fund for Safe and Peaceful Communities mark its 10-year anniversary, recognizing a decade of partnership with community leaders, residents, and grassroots organizations across Chicago’s South and West Sides.
Donor Name: Partnership for Safe and Peaceful Communities
State: Illinois
City: Chicago
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: (mm/dd/yyyy) 03/02/2026
Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
The $1,000,000 Chicago Fund offers rapid-response grant opportunities designed to support activities by nonprofit organizations that build community cohesion, provide safe spaces, and promote peace. It has been created in direct response to the many people and grassroots organizations that are taking on-the-ground action in their neighborhoods.
While the participating philanthropic organizations are already engaged in larger, long-term efforts to help address the problem of gun violence in Chicago, the Chicago Fund is purposely intended to provide hyper-local, immediate support to smaller, neighborhood-based groups during the summer and early fall. It is not meant to be a quick fix to the broad and complex problem of gun violence, nor is it a substitute for the intensive and wide-ranging efforts already underway or planned to respond to the many root causes of the challenge.
Recognizing the potential for a spike in violence in Chicago during the summer months, the Partnership for Safe and Peaceful Communities, a coalition of more than 50 funders committed to aligning their grant-making to support proven and promising approaches to reducing gun violence, will once again administer the Chicago Fund for Safe and Peaceful Communities (Chicago Fund).
Funding Information
Grants from the Chicago Fund will range from $1,000 to $10,000.
Uses of Funds
Funds may be used for activities that build community cohesion, provide safe spaces, and promote peace. The grant agreement will contain a provision that the funds will not be used to support or advocate for the purchase or use of guns as part of any activity.
Eligibility Criteria
The Chicago Fund will award to nonprofit organizations with annual operating budgets no larger than $500,000 engaging in activities that build community cohesion, provide safe spaces, and promote peace. Applicants are strongly encouraged, but not required, to propose activities that adhere to one or more of the Seven Field Principles (7FP) model, an evidence-based framework with the following components, which has been successful in fostering strong communities and reducing violence:
- Create a sense of community through programs and activities based on community members’ ideas for reducing violence. These programs should build relationships and networks among residents, families, schools, nonprofits, churches, businesses, etc.
- Share knowledge across generations by providing models, tools, and techniques for learning. These programs, such as mentoring and leadership development, will give community members access to new skills and information.
- Create a sense of connectedness by engaging large numbers of community members in group activities. These activities will allow for youth, adults, community organizations, faith-based organizations, schools, businesses, etc., to come together and collectively take part in positive, proactive community events such as back-to-school rallies, peace walks, neighborhood festivals, arts and sports activities, and prosocial youth programs.
- Provide opportunities to learn social and emotional skills through activities such as leadership development workshops, peace circles, and volunteering that promote selfcontrol, empathy, and positive communication.
- Improve the self-esteem and self-efficacy (sense of power) of youth in the community by providing opportunities for leadership, employment, and skill-building.
- Build relationships between youth and adults through activities that create safe spaces for youth.
- Minimize trauma by connecting community members with caregivers and support services such as well-being workshops and events with community service providers.
For more information, visit PSPC.
