PHILADELPHIA (November 9, 2022) — District Attorney Larry Krasner and the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office Community Engagement team today announced $250,000 in violence prevention grant awards to 12 community-based organizations that are focused on engaging our city’s youth and broader community with a range of programming. The recipients are as follows:The Apologues is a recently-founded museum located in the city’s Germantown section that is dedicated to lifting up the stories of survivors who have lost loved ones to gun violence, domestic violence, and opioid use disorder. The museum also seeks to provide trauma-informed mental health services to the community. This organization is awarded $15,000.Eddie’s House provides a range of services primarily to youth who have ‘aged out’ of foster care, including transitional housing, re-entry support, and mentoring programming. This organization is awarded $40,000.
The Education Culture Opportunities (ECO) Foundation, launched in West Philadelphia in 2018, focuses on community empowerment through job training programs, micro-grants to locally-owned small businesses, and scholarships. The ECO Foundation is awarded $45,000.The Kensington Soccer Club for years has brought high quality free or pay-what-you-can soccer and youth development programming to children from low-income families. The Club is awarded $25,000.C.B Community Schools launched in 2015 with a mission to engage system-involved youth, including those who are or have been in contact with foster care and juvenile justice. This organization is awarded $15,000.
Amandla, Inc. (SafeHub) uses sports and education as tools of empowerment for youth, while creating safe spaces for them in low-income communities. This organization is awarded $10,000.Power of Paint Art Academy and Management provides a wide range of programming, including ‘Beyond Philly,’ a two-year youth mentoring program that provides entrepreneurship and workforce development skills. PPAAM also provides summer camp opportunities and Power of Paint’s Art Academy. The organization intends to use the grant to help fund its ‘Youth Enrichment Summer Camp,’ ‘Paint Greater Than’ initiative, and ‘Black Girls Bike’ program. The Academy is awarded $20,000.Beyond the Bars works to prevent violence and criminal justice system contact through the use of music and career programming, while helping our youth improve their self-esteem through the power of creativity. Beyond the Bars is awarded $25,000.
The 5 Shorts Project is an award-winning community-based media production non-profit providing multimedia training to Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities in Philadelphia. The Project has helped young filmmakers produce over 40 short films since its founding in 2014. This organization is awarded $10,000.Neighborhood United Against Drugs (NUAD) works to reduce substance use disorder, teen pregnancy, gun violence and other public health issues through advocacy, after-school programming, mentoring, and more. NUAD is awarded $10,000.Community of Compassion, Inc. is a community development corporation dedicated to quality-of-life improvement and instilling neighborhood pride in West Philly as a means to prevent violence. The Community of Compassion CDC is awarded $25,000.
Succor, Inc. focuses its services on meeting the needs of women and girls facing substance use disorder, abuse, family violence, trauma from gun violence, and other physical and psychological challenges. The organization intends to utilize the grant to fund ‘Arlene’s Closet,’ an initiative designed to provide women and girls returning from drug rehabilitation and the juvenile court system with the necessary tools to engage with the job market. Succor, Inc. is awarded $10,000.“In the midst of a wave of tragic gun violence, it’s easy to stray away from the notion that prevention remains an important tool — but that would be a mistake,” said DA Krasner. “While my office will continue to vigorously prosecute those who commit violence, this administration will also continue working on long-term solutions to this public health and safety crisis. This latest round of violence prevention grants is part of that strategy.”
“Eddie’s House has evolved from solely providing foster care into a variety of restorative practices,” said Marion Campbell, Co-Founder of Eddie’s House. “Our mission has always been about empowering others, be they individuals or families. With this critically important grant, we will be able to continue providing services to the communities we serve and improving the lives of young people.”The DAO’s violence prevention grant funding, now totaling over one million dollars since May of 2021, is derived from the lawful and appropriate use of civil asset forfeiture and will be distributed and audited by the Philadelphia Foundation.
CONTACT:Dustin Slaughter, 215-686-8713, [email protected]
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The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office is the largest prosecutor’s office in Pennsylvania, and one of the largest in the nation. It serves the more than 1.5 million residents of the City and County of Philadelphia, employing 600 lawyers, detectives, and support staff. The District Attorney’s Office is responsible for the prosecution of approximately 40,000 criminal cases annually.