Unprecedented public-private partnership sets sights on drastic reduction in violence
Chicago, a city grappling with rising violence, is at the forefront of an unprecedented effort as community violence intervention groups unveil an ambitious plan to raise $400 million. The goal is to cut shootings and homicides by 50% within the next five years, a move that could potentially bring the city’s murder rate below 400, a level not seen since 1965.
In a landmark event at the South Shore Cultural Center, attended by Governor J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson, leaders from Chicago’s business community and major charitable foundations announced their commitment to double the current expenditure on violence-prevention programs. The plan aims to scale up these initiatives, reaching at least half of the estimated 20,000 individuals in Chicago deemed at the highest risk of being victims of gun violence.
The Partnership for Safe and Peaceful Communities and the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago have already secured $66 million from local foundations and corporate partners. Key contributors include Crown Family Philanthropies, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Pritzker Foundation, and the Chicago Community Trust.