We believe every individual deserves a life of peace, hope and power.
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Hiking & Cycling Groups
If you desire to experience the ultimate outdoor adventure, our hiking & cycling group provides the perfect opportunity.
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Swimming Group
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Indoor Sports Group
Conveniently located Indoor Sports Facilities. Join Table Tennis, Badminton, Pickleball or Yoga groups.
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Team Sports Group
Would you like to join soccer, football, basketball or other popular sports? We are waiting for you.
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Kids Sports Group
It is our mission to keep kids health by teaching them basic skills and fundamentals through sports.
LA Peacemakers Initiative is a groundbreaking project focused on enhancing community safety.
The initiative, which launched in February 2024, directly funds 18 community violence intervention (CVI) agencies to build organizational capacity, increase the CVI workforce, and provide critical services to LA’s most violence-impacted communities.
Year 1 Report: Process, Impact & Innovation
With this project, Urban Peace Institute (UPI) is administering a combined $9.6 million in joint public and private funding to the Los Angeles Violence Intervention Coalition (LAVIC). LAVIC is one of the largest CVI coalitions in the United States and is composed of 18 Black- and Brown-led community-based organizations (CBOs) across Los Angeles with the goal of increasing CVI capacity and reducing community violence.
LAVIC organizations have operated for decades to protect and empower Los Angeles’ most violence-impacted communities.
Impact By The Numbers
In 2024, the LA Peacemaker Initiative generated tremendous impact across the 18 LAVIC organizations and the communities they serve. Year 1 of the initiative showcased an increase in conflict mediation and a decrease in gun violence and homicides.
Neighborhoods Served
LA Peacemakers Partners
2nd Call
Advocates 4 Peace & Urban Unity
Alliance for Community Empowerment
Arise & Go
Brothers Taking Responsibility of Our Community
Champions in Service
Chapter TWO, Inc.
Community Warriors 4 Peace
Detours Mentoring Group
H.E.L.P.E.R. Foundation
Moving Mountains By Illumination
Paving the Road to Success
Resilient Agency
Southern California Ceasefire Committee
Southern California Crossroads
Strong Shoulders Agency
Toberman Neighborhood Center
Watts Life United
Process and Innovation
Unique Approach
The initiative leverages generations of CVI experience through LAVIC’s established community relationships and its collaboration across organizations to maximize effectiveness.
Pass-Through Process
UPI’s model of equitably administering pass-through dollars ensures that funding gets to our partners quickly to meet urgent community needs and that smaller organizations have the opportunity to grow. By unifying public and private funding under one initiative, UPI assumes administrative responsibilities to allow agencies to focus on on-the-ground efforts. This strengthens our cumulative impact and demonstrates how the model can be used to expand CVI efforts and build a broader public safety infrastructure.
Data Innovation
In partnership with LAVIC, UPI is spearheading the development and implementation of CVI Empowered, a first-of-its-kind independent CVI data system built by and for frontline workers to collect and report community data.
It’s allowed us to send out individuals with lived experience who understand the community and are in- grained in it, so we have a tremendous network. This enables us to get to the source of what’s going on with issues in the community before they happen.
It started right here, in LA. This group of people and organizations got together and made a commitment to the work as a coalition. We just want to continue to rise, to get better, to be accepted in other communities. We want people to believe in it. We are one of the best entities out here.
This is what it was always about — it was to be community-driven; it was to be a safety system rooted in community, practiced by the community; and the rest of us are just trying to help it along.
Now we have more investment in CIWs; now we have communities that will feel safe; now we have more people indigenous to those communities who are trained in violence intervention work. We have an alternative to suppression and police as the only source of public safety. We have a growing peace army. We’re pulling in a new, younger generation of community violence intervention workers.
The LA Peacemakers Initiative: A Public-Private Partnership
UPI serves as the central intermediary, receiving and managing a significant investment from Ballmer Group and a Congressional Earmark grant. Through this public-private partnership, UPI strategically distributes resources to trusted community partners. By bridging private and public funding streams we’re building sustainable infrastructure to advance community safety and decrease violence across Los Angeles
UPI’s Role: Funding the Front Lines
By unifying public and private funding under one initiative, UPI can shoulder the burden of reporting, maximize our cumulative impact, collect data to measure success, and demonstrate how a public-private partnership can be leveraged to support on-the-ground community violence intervention efforts and build a broader public safety infrastructure. This ensures the grant dollars get to our community violence intervention partners more quickly to meet the urgent needs of their communities.
GRYD Data: A Measurable Impact
The LA Peacemakers Initiative supplements the funding provided by the Mayor’s Office of Gang Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD). In 2024, UPI launched the LA Peacemakers Initiative, and simultaneously, the GRYD office received increased investment from the city. As a result, GRYD sites where CVI workers (peacemakers) are present experienced:
- A 45% decrease in gang-related homicides in 2024 compared to the previous year, and a 56% decrease from 2022.
- A 48% drop in the number of victims shot in gang-related conflicts compared to 2023.
FAQ
What is the Duration of the Initiative?
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How is UPI Collecting Data for the Reporting?
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What is Community Violence Intervention (CVI)?
How are the Reporting Agencies Chosen?
What is the Los Angeles Violence Intervention Coalition?
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How is UPI Funding this Project?
What are Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 Organizations?
What Are the Next Steps for Year 2 of the Initiative?
Board Of Directors
Our Board of Directors guides and supports the organization in its commitment to dismantling harmful systems and creating sustainable community safety. The board provides strategic oversight, ensuring that UPI’s work in justice transformation, community violence intervention, and the empowerment of individuals reflects the core values of peace, hope, and power.
Connie Rice
Board Chair
Paula Litt
Vice Board Chair
Susan Lee
Treasurer
Xavier Morales
Secretary
Gerald Torres
Jane Peebles
Alex Johnson
Priscilla Ocen
Shannon Watts
Jane Peebles
Alex Johnson
Priscilla Ocen
We believe that in everything we do, it is an active part
of social, cultural and environmental change.
We touch dozens of lives of everyday people making real differences to people’s physical, mental and emotional health. Here are a few stats:
We are grateful to our awesome sponsors. Thank you!
