The Creating Safe, Equitable & Thriving Communities Fund was established in 2018 through a partnership with the City of Cedar Rapids, Linn County, and the Cedar Rapids Community School District to address inter-relational factors that lead to youth violence in Cedar Rapids. It funds programs that approach systemic causes of economic, racial and academic disparities and aims to avoid, reduce or stop high risk behaviors that can lead to involvement with the criminal justice system. 
COVID-19 and SET Priorities

Early data suggests that African Americans are disproportionately contracting and dying from COVID-19, no doubt as a result of preexisting economic, health, and social conditions. These are some of the underlying conditions that have communities and individuals at most high risk of being impacted by youth violence. If you have been watching the local news, it is evident these crises coincide.

In the first quarter of 2020, Cedar Rapids has reported more shots fired than in the previous five years. Even in the midst of this global pandemic, the need to address community safety and youth violence has not diminished. There was some thought that social distancing practices might depress or disrupt community violence, but that theory isn't bearing out. This pandemic is not the time to get distracted or put our work on hold. It is time to ensure that as a community, we have systems in place and that individuals and organizations committed to the SET priorities can respond.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve and cases continue to grow in Linn County, the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation is responding.  In mid-March the COVID-19 Disaster Response Fund was established by the Community Foundation in partnership with United Way of East Central Iowa and The Hall Perrine Foundation. As of today, the fund balance is $282,000. The funding will be used to provide rapid response to needs in our communities and address human service needs of our most vulnerable populations. The first grants from this fund were made this week. For more information, click here .

In addition to the COVID-19 Disaster Response Fund, the Community Foundation announced last week a grant opportunity in April to help nonprofit organizations sustain and maintain essential functions, and to help maintain a safety net for those most in need, including youth at risk. Please check out these and other resources the Community Foundation has in place to support the nonprofit sector here .
RESOURCES
Youth Violence Prevention: A Public Health Approach
The CDC reports: “Youth violence has serious and lasting effects on the physical, mental, and social health of young people. It is a leading cause of death for young people and results in more than 475,000 nonfatal injuries each year. The impact of youth violence goes beyond physical consequences. Adverse childhood experiences, like youth violence, are associated with negative health and well-being outcomes across the life course. Youth violence increases the risk for behavioral and mental health difficulties, including future violence perpetration and victimization, smoking, substance use, obesity, high-risk sexual behavior, depression, academic difficulties, school dropout, and suicide.”

The good news is youth violence is preventable. The CDC offers many resources, including a technical package that helps communities prioritize prevention strategies based on the best available evidence.

“Although public health can play a leadership role in preventing youth violence, the strategies and approaches outlined in this technical package cannot be accomplished by the public health sector alone. Other sectors vital to implementing this package include, but are not limited to, education, health care (mental, behavioral, medical), justice, government (local, state, and federal), social services, business, housing, media, and organizations that comprise the civil society sector, such as faith-based organizations, youth-serving organizations, foundations, and other non-governmental organizations. Collectively, these sectors can make a difference by collaborating to prevent youth violence by impacting the various contexts and underlying risks that contribute to youth violence. The selection and implementation of prevention strategies and approaches by these sectors can also be informed and strengthened by youth, families, and other community adults all of whom have important roles in preventing youth violence.”
You can access the full technical package here .
PCAT (Police Community Action Team)
The Cedar Rapids Police Community Action Team (PCAT) has been operational since January of 2016, with a mission to address crime and quality of life issues while focusing on youth and gun violence. The PCAT unit works with members of the community and outreach programs collaboratively with the goal of reducing gun violence. They work to identify individuals committing these types of crimes, make them aware they know what they are doing, and hold them accountable for their actions in accordance with the law. We had a chance to talk with Sgt. Tony Schmit who has recently taken over as commander for the PCAT unit.

RR: Where did you grow up?
SS: I grew up in a small town about 30 miles from Cedar Rapids. After high school I attended and graduated from Mount Mercy College (at the time, now University) and was fortunate enough to get hired by CRPD the summer after graduation in 2003.
RR: How long have you been with the Cedar Rapids Police Department (CRDP)?
SS : I have been with CRPD for 16 years, spending the majority of the time in the patrol division. Prior to PCAT I was a patrol sergeant on the evening shift.
RR: What about the work of PCAT made you want to take on this role?
SS: Taking on this assignment will provide me with an opportunity to continue to learn and gain experience as a supervisor. As the PCAT Sergeant, I will get to build relationships with different members of the CRPD as well as the public that will stay with me throughout my career. I really enjoy the opportunity to work with members of PCAT who work very hard every day to make a difference and better our community.
RR: What do you hope the PCAT team can accomplish under your leadership over the next few years?
SS: I hope to continue the progress the unit has made since its inception by decreasing gun violence in our city and having a positive impact on the quality of life of issues. I hope to increase staffing so that we can be more flexible with schedules and so that the officers can become more involved in the community outreach aspect of our mission. 
RR: What type of partnerships and/or support do you need from the community in order to accomplish PCAT goals?
SS: We in law enforcement cannot do this alone. In fact, community members play a much bigger role in crime reduction than the police do. Doing what’s rights, holding others accountable, offering help where and when it’s appropriate, and being involved will make a difference. Through youth, summer, and mentoring programs members of the police department and citizens can work together with the same goal in mind and have a positive impact in people’s lives.  When crime does occur, and more importantly before it occurs, citizens need to speak up and provide us with the information we need to successfully complete our investigations and hold offenders accountable for their actions.
Join a Book Study
Join us for a book study on the book "Bleeding Out: The Devastating Consequences of Urban Violence -- and A Bold New Plan for Peace in the Streets" by Thomas Abt. Abt is a research fellow at Harvard who's spent his career working on criminal justice issues, most recently with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and President Obama.

“To get started, we must stop seeing urban violence as an argument to be won and instead look at it as a problem to be solved. On the right, racist blame-shifting and fearmongering must be rejected. On the left, race-based mistrust of law enforcement must be addressed. A diverse new political constituency must be created to demand practical solutions to the pressing challenge of urban violence. This movement should bring together those who have suffered from violence with those who wish to help them. Fortunately, this group does not need to be large; it just needs to be loud.” (Abt 2019, 13)

Rachel Rockwell, Program Officer at the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation, will begin a six-week (two   chapters/week) virtual book study later in May. Order your copy now and email Rachel.Rockwell@gcrcf.org to join in the study. Rachel will reach out to you with more details. 
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
BJA FY 20 Correctional Adult Reentry Education, Employment, and Recidivism Reduction Strategies (CAREERRS) Program
The Correctional Adult Reentry Education, Employment, and Recidivism Strategies (CAREERRS) Program, a Second Chance Act program, is designed to help communities establish education, vocation, and job training programs in their correctional systems that address employment challenges facing incarcerated youth and adults re-entering those communities and the workforce.
Grant application closes April 27, 2020

FY 2020 Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program 
Justice and Mental Health Solutions supports cross-system collaboration to improve responses and outcomes for individuals with mental illnesses (MI) or co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse (CMISA) who come into contact with the justice system. This program supports officer and public safety and violence reduction through social service and other partnerships that will enhance and increase law enforcement responses to people with MI and CMISA.
Grant application closes May 18, 2020 

BJA FY 20 Second Chance Act Community-Based Reentry Program
The Second Chance Act of 2007 provides a comprehensive response to assist in the transition individuals make from prison, jail, or juvenile residential facilities to the community so that the transition is more successful and promotes public safety. BJA is seeking applications to implement or expand on reentry programs that demonstrate strong partnerships with corrections, parole, probation, and other reentry service providers. These partnerships should develop comprehensive case management plans that directly address criminogenic risk and needs, as determined by validated criminogenic risk assessments, and include delivery or facilitation of services 2020 Second Chance Act Community-based Reentry Program.
Grant Application closes May 4, 2020

BJA FY 20 Collaborative Mental Health and Anti-Recidivism Initiative
Prison populations across the country have been severely impacted by the increased incarceration of individuals with mental illness. Individuals with mental illness are often associated with higher recidivism rates due to their limited access to mental health and other support services upon release. In many states, a shortage of mental health resources directly correlates to the overcrowding of prison systems. Under this initiative, BJA will select one application to establish a statewide pilot program that partners with the appropriate agencies within the state, such as the Department of Mental Health/Behavioral Health and Department of Corrections, to establish a collaborative prison anti-recidivism effort to provide comprehensive care before, during, and after incarceration for persons with serious mental illness, with a goal of reducing recidivism.
Grant application closes May 22, 2020
OJJDP FY 20 Juvenile Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program
Juvenile Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JJMHCP) supports cross-system collaboration to improve responses and outcomes for youth with mental illness (MI) or co-occurring MI and substance abuse (CMISA) who come into contact with the juvenile justice system. This program supports public safety efforts through partnerships with juvenile justice, mental health and substance abuse agencies to enhance responses to justice-involved youth with MI and CMISA.
Grant application closes May 4, 2020
OJJDP FY 20 Comprehensive Anti-Gang Programs for Youth
This solicitation provides funding for communities to develop youth gang intervention or suppression programs that aim to reduce violence. This solicitation contains two categories: (1) Intervention and (2) Suppression. Grant application closes May 26, 2020

BJA FY 20 Innovations in Community-Based Crime Reduction (CBCR) Program
This program focuses on high crime communities with concentrated distress and hot spots of crime and directly supports the Department's priorities to reduce violent crime (sometimes associated with gang activity), assist communities struggling with drug abuse, and support law enforcement officers by integrating officers and enforcement strategies into community-based crime reduction efforts.
Grant application closes June 11, 2020

Questions, comments, or ideas for future SET Newsletters, please contact:
Rachel Rockwell
SET Program Officer
319.200.4007
About the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation
Through professional philanthropic services, strategic investments, and community leadership, the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation connects donors who care with causes that matter. The Community Foundation is a public, nonprofit organization with assets totaling more than $173 million and over 900 different charitable funds, large and small, established by individuals, families, nonprofit organizations and businesses to benefit Linn County, Iowa. Our vision: To be a trusted partner in charitable giving, improving the quality of life in our community…forever.  Our mission:  To help donors give in meaningful ways, to strengthen nonprofits, and to provide leadership that supports a vibrant community. For more information on the Community Foundation, visit www.gcrcf.org or visit us on Facebook. 
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