Grant funding of $1.5M supports CRED, Metropolitan Family Services and UChicago Medicine programs
The Chicago Sports Alliance (CSA), a collaboration between the Chicago Bears, Blackhawks, Bulls, Cubs and White Sox, announced contributions to three local organizations working to address gun violence in Chicago. The CSA, through the Chicago Sports Alliance Fund, a Robert R. McCormick Foundation Fund, recently provided $1.5 million in grant funding to support the efforts of Chicago CRED, Metropolitan Family Services, and University of Chicago Medical Center. This year’s grants bring CSA’s total donations to $11.75 million since its inception in 2017.
“The Robert R. McCormick Foundation is proud to invest $500,000 alongside the Chicago Sports Alliance and support its continued commitment to high quality job training, health, and trauma recovery programs on the city’s South and West Sides,” Sonia Mathew, Director of Partnerships at the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, said.
CSA’s sports franchises understand that driving community impact is a team sport and aim to use their collective influence to build awareness and encourage investment in effective solutions to address gun violence in Chicago. This year’s grant cycle will support:
1. Chicago CRED’s Southside Women’s Program: Chicago CRED (Create Real Economic Destiny) is a nonprofit, anti-gun violence organization founded in 2016 to take a holistic approach to create transformative change in the South and West Side communities of Chicago. The Southside Women’s Program connects female outreach workers, coaches and therapists with women between the ages of 18-35 who are at risk for gun violence and facilitates programming around education, financial literacy, mental health, parenting and skill development. Each participant gets access to an alumni coach upon completing the program.
“Public safety is everyone’s responsibility, and it’s great to have partners like the Chicago Sports Alliance helping us reduce gun violence in our neighborhoods,” Chicago CRED said in a statement. “We often say that ‘we work so kids can play,’ and thanks to our collective efforts, the next generation of Chicago athletes will have the chance to pursue their sports dreams.”
2. Metropolitan Family Services’ Peace Initiative: Since 1857, Metropolitan Family Services has provided a wide variety of programs and services designed to strengthen families and help them realize their full potential. Through its Community Partners 4 Peace program, Metropolitan Peace Initiatives (MPI) convenes community-based and city-wide organizations to help heal Chicago’s communities experiencing the highest level of gun violence. CSA’s grant funding will specifically support MPI’s workforce development and its behavioral health initiative, which offers counseling and health services to participants and provides individuals with a pathway towards developing their strengths, and opportunities to maximize mental health stability for themselves and their families.
“At Metropolitan Peace Initiatives, we convene and support a coalition of 15 different community violence intervention organizations across the city of Chicago, making collaboration one of the things we do best,” Executive Director Vaughn Bryant said. “This grant from the Chicago Sports Alliance will allow us to continue to provide a variety of services to neighborhoods hardest hit by gun violence.”
3. University of Chicago Medical Center’s Violence Recovery Program: University of Chicago Medical Center’s Violence Recovery Program (VRP) provides trauma-informed medical care and services to thousands of patients and their loved ones who suffered violent injuries, most of which result from gun violence. The VRP provides both inpatient crisis intervention and immediate victim services as well as outpatient case management after the patient has been discharged from the hospital.
“The Chicago Sports Alliance is providing much needed support to expand mental health services for patients engaged by our hospital-based violence intervention program, the Violence Recovery Program,” University of Chicago Medical Center said in a statement. “Mental health services have been the primary need for the over 11,000 patients we have engaged since our programs launched on May 1, 2018. CSA’s support allows us to meet this primary need.”
On June 4, CSA will honor this year’s grantees and facilitate an invitation-only community conversation at a Community Safety Huddle. Hosted at the United Center, home to the Chicago Blackhawks and Bulls, and with support from the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition and the entire CSA, the event will feature solutions-oriented discussions and spotlight how each grantee plans to use the funding to further their work in the community.
