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Calling on Mayor James F. Kenney and his Administration of the City of Philadelphia to establish and implement an Academic Expert Advisory Team in its selection and evaluation of recipients of the Anti-Violence Community Expansion Grant program and other anti-violence efforts during Fiscal Year 2022 and beyond.
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WHEREAS, With gun violence and homicides at an all time high in Philadelphia, in June of 2021, the City Council of Philadelphia adopted the City's Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2022 which included approximately $155.7 million in anti-violence spending. These funds were prioritized by the Kenney Administration and City Council and are now being allocated towards, amongst other programming, Anti-Violence Community Expansion Grants; and
WHEREAS, The Office of Violence Prevention has implemented a Group Violence Intervention ("GVI") program to support and enhance its Philadelphia Roadmap to Safer Communities plan and should ensure that all features of this program, and other funded initiatives, are managed with fidelity and include proper data management and documentation necessary for ongoing evaluation; and
WHEREAS, The grant application opened in August of 2021. Applicants are applying for funding from a $22 million allocation approved by City Council to engage community partners in stemming the tide of gun violence in Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, The City will provide grants between $100,000 and $1 million to organizations with annual operating budgets below $15 million. The grants are targeted towards mid-sized groups with a proven track record of working in neighborhoods vulnerable to and affected by gun violence. The grants will also focus on providing culturally-relevant services with a meaningful impact on the community served; and
WHEREAS, To facilitate the grant process, the City has created the Violence Prevention Opportunity Monitoring Group. This body is comprised of Councilmembers and representatives from the Kenney Administra...
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