Metropolitan Peace Initiatives Highlights: A Safer Chicago

  • The Metropolitan Peace Academy (MPA) graduated 52 Street Outreach Workers, 25 Victim Advocates, and 30 Case Managers. Additionally, 13 individuals graduated from the inaugural class of the MPA’s Management and Supervision Fellowship. To date, more than 600 graduates have passed through the MPA since its inception in January 2018.
  • Over the Memorial Day and Fourth of July weekends, Chicago saw historic declines in gun violence, with city officials attributing some of the success to Communities Partnering 4 Peace (CP4P), a coalition of Community Violence Intervention (CVI) organizations convened by MPI. In a Community Safety Midyear Update, the Chicago Police Department reported a 32.7% decrease in homicides, with 40% fewer shooting victims halfway through 2025.
  • MPI, Chicago CRED, and four CP4P organizations helped expand the “Scaling Community Violence Intervention for a Safer Chicago” (SC2) initiative, a coordinated plan among CVI groups, philanthropic, business, and government leaders aimed at reducing gun violence across the city. Approximately 75% of the individuals most at risk of shooting or being shot in North Lawndale, Austin, Humboldt Park, and Little Village will be served. Garfield Park, New City, and Englewood are in the pipeline.
  • Chicago’s Peacekeepers Program was found to be effective in reducing gun violence, according to a report from Northwestern University’s Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research and Science (CORNERS). The analysis found that hotspots experienced a 41% overall reduction in victimizations in 2023-2024 compared to the previous two-year period. Additionally, Peacekeeper community areas saw a 31% decrease in shooting victimizations in 2023-2024 compared to the previous two-year period. Originally launched in 2018, the program aims to address the economic barriers to opportunity and to reduce group-related conflicts among those at highest risk for gun violence involvement.
  • MPI launched its Youth Interventions initiative, beginning with the first program: Back to Our Future 2.0. In collaboration with Chicago Public Schools and the Mayor’s Office of Community Safety, MPI supports youth of highest promise, ages 14 to 21, who have a history of chronic absenteeism, are juvenile justice system-involved, and/or have experienced the effects of violence in their communities.
  • Chicago-area CVI groups organized a CVI Rally and Legislative Action Day in Springfield, IL to call for sustained funding in the Reimagine Public Safety Act (RPSA), a bill aimed at reducing gun violence and promoting safety across communities. State Senators Robert Peters, Celina Villanueva, and Elgie Sims were among the elected officials who supported the day of action.
  • MPI was featured in the National Football League’s “Inspire Change” campaign, which aims to reduce barriers to opportunity and create positive change in communities of color. The commercial aired nationwide in over 100 markets, according to Nielsen. Additionally, the NFL and Players Coalition announced the renewal of a grant to MPI that will further efforts to reduce gun violence in Chicago. MPI and nine other nonprofit organizations received grants totaling nearly $2.5 million.
  • MPI and City Club of Chicago hosted a panel titled “Reducing Gun Violence: How the Community and Police Are Working Together.” Moderated by MPI Director of Field Instruction Steve Perkins, the discussion centered on the areas where CVI workers and law enforcement intersect.
  • A delegation of leaders from CP4P traveled to Ghana with support from Crown Family Philanthropies. The group aimed to learn from the country’s rich history and culture while reflecting on their roles in CVI back home in Chicago. Together, they visited historical landmarks, honored their ancestors, and celebrated traditional rituals. Metropolitan Family Services (MFS) President and CEO Ric Estrada called the trip “enlightening, painful, and humbling.”
  • CP4P hosted “March to the Polls” events across Chicago’s South, West, and North sides in an effort to increase civic engagement in neighborhoods most affected by gun violence. Key neighborhoods included Austin, Garfield Park, Humboldt Park, Englewood, Little Village, and Back of the Yards. CP4P is a coalition of 15 local organizations serving 28 Chicago neighborhoods dealing with high levels of gun violence.
  • The Chicago Sports Alliance (CSA) – consisting of the Chicago Bears, Blackhawks, Bulls, Cubs, and White Sox — provided grant funding to MPI for its continued work in keeping city residents safe. CSA’s grant funding specifically supports MPI’s workforce development and behavioral health services.
  • MPI’s Workforce Development team hosted a career fair in collaboration with Skills for Chicagoland’s Future, the Public Safety Task Force from the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and the Cara Collective. The event welcomed employers such as JLL, Hyatt, JewelOsco, and Navy Pier, and some job seekers were hired on the spot for seasonal, part-time, and full-time jobs.
  • CP4P organizations hosted advocacy meetings in their respective neighborhoods to discuss the CVI work being done to help reduce gun violence. These events welcomed community leaders, residents, law enforcement, and elected officials as they explored prevention tactics and the progress they’ve experienced in their areas.
  • Several MPI staff members received advanced degrees and licensure, as a testament to MFS and MPI’s continued interest in learning and professional development. The graduates included Celia Castulo (Master’s in Social Work at the University of Illinois Chicago), Carla Galvan (Bachelor’s in Political Science at DePaul), Marshawnna Howell (Master’s in Social Work at Chicago State University), Caroline Nakahara (Master’s in Social Work at the University of Illinois Chicago), and Dominic Yao (Master’s in Social Work at the University of Illinois Chicago). Additionally, Vaughn Bryant completed the Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management Certificate Program at Harvard Business School and Domonique McCord completed the Leadership Greater Chicago’s 2025 Signature Fellowship Program.
  • MFS CEO Ric Estrada and MPI Executive Director Vaughn Bryant were honored as “Notable Leaders in Philanthropy” by Crain’s Chicago Business. Estrada’s efforts to advance MFS’s 168-year legacy of social service – providing a wide spectrum of wrap-around services spanning education, economic stability, emotional wellness and empowerment/legal aid – have had a major impact on the city. Bryant’s work to help lead the implementation and expansion of CVI in Chicago — through street outreach, behavioral health, workforce development, legal aid, and training through the MPA — has aided in the decrease of gun violence in the city’s most at-risk neighborhoods.
  • During Gun Violence Awareness Month in June, MPI and a coalition of CVI groups under the umbrella of the Illinois Peace Project launched the inaugural Peace Week Chicago. The week-long event builds collective momentum toward a safer city by hosting community events, conferences, social media campaigns, days of action, and more.

PI STATS

324

MPI Behavioral Health

participants served

41

CPRU

deployments

52

MPI Workforce Development

participants enrolled

50

CP4P Justice Corps

clients received expungements

261

Light in the Night

events held

13,312

total number of attendees

at Light in the Night events

7,991

Conflicts mediated

119,338

Street Outreach hours canvassed

120

MPI graduates

52 Street Outreach Workers

30 Case Managers

224,375

Contacts made with key individuals

25 VICTIM ADVOCATES

13 CPRU CRISIS RESPONDERS