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Annual crime prevention grants distributed by the Central Indiana Community Foundation, CICF, have been announced. Twenty-six groups will receive funds to address the city’s record-level violent crime.
Earlier this year the Indianapolis City-County Council renamed the grant program, to more accurately reflect its goals to reduce violence. The 2020 Violent Crime Prevention Grants provide $2.2 million to implement violence reduction programs and address root causes. The initiatives include employment programs for people after prison and funding to reach at-risk youth.
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said, just like COVID-19, gun violence has plagued the city.
“We must address it with the same gravity and urgency, coordinating with organizations on the ground and analyzing data with top researchers, as well as innovating our systems to be ready to detect the next outbreak of violence," Hogsett said.
The largest award, $400,000, will go to the Indy Public Safety Foundation to implement a new gun violence reduction strategy that includes street outreach and partners with law enforcement.
The fund was established in 2013, after the city commissioned a task force to study how to best address the root causes of violence.
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