A group of community foundation staff and community leaders participated in a national cohort sponsored by CF Leads, a national organization representing community foundations from across the country. Participants were Sue Peters, Vice President of Community Impact; Moses Bingham, Director of Strategic Initiatives; Lynn Williams, Director of Equity and Community Engagement; Carma Lewis, CFGF Board Member and neighborhood advocate; Kenyetta Dotson, Founder of WOW Outreach; and Jiquanda Johnson, Editor and Founder, FlintBeat.

During their time sharing and learning from other community foundations, the cohort looked at data, asset mapping, and heard from experts. The resulting work was shared with officials at the City of Flint. This culminated in the city applying for, and receiving a $1.5 million grant from the Department of Justice to stop gun violence.

The Community Safety Collaborative(CSC) is a collaborative of community partners. The goal is to create a blueprint for gun violence prevention in Flint that uses data, resident support, and a public health crisis approach as methods to address the issue. The network also promotes and supports the work of individuals, groups, and organizations that are stakeholders in gun violence prevention.

CSC’s purpose is to guide, empower, and promote the work of Flint’s Community-Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative (CVIPI). Through a Genesee County-wide collaborative, multimethod, data collection, and analysis approach, the multidisciplinary VPN will conduct a needs assessment to develop a detailed understanding of the nature, patterns, and root causes of community violence within the City of Flint and develop and help implement a strategic plan in tackling these causes.

The Community Foundation of Greater Flint believes our work should result in a more equitable and thriving community for everyone.