Health Resources in Action (HRiA) is excited to announce the five Boosting Organizational Capacity for Community Violence Intervention (BoostCVI) Community Partners!
Over the next two years, Community Partners will receive $250,000 to build organizational capacity, deepen and expand reach within their communities, and support their internal infrastructure to strengthen organizational operations and the broader Community Violence Intervention field. BoostCVI (formerly MCVI-CBI) Community Partners were selected from a pool of 33 applicants through a competitive process involving an external review committee. This funding targets grassroots organizations with deep ties in the communities they serve. Community Partners are supported by the Bureau of Justice Assistance of the U.S. Department of Justice.
BoostCVI Community Partners
🟣 Enlace de Familias Holyoke/ Holyoke Family Network Inc (Holyoke, MA): Enlace de Familias’ mission includes the desire to develop, lead, and promote organizing efforts in Holyoke and its neighboring cities. Enlace de Familias will utilize grant funds to implement a CVI approach titled Unidos por la Seguridad (United for Safety).
🟣 Legendary Legacies Inc. (Worcester, MA): Legendary Legacies Inc is a gang rehabilitation and re-entry program whose mission is to equip young men with the tools to discover their purpose and live their passion for the betterment of their community. Legendary Legacies plans to develop in three areas: diversifying funding sources, strengthening fiscal management and operations, and expanding community outreach.
🟣 Lynn Youth Street Outreach Advocacy (LYSOA) (Lynn, MA): The mission of Lynn Youth Street Outreach Advocacy (LYSOA) is to empower the highest risk youth in our community to reach a positive purpose in life.  The awarded funds will assist LYSOA in hiring the following roles: 1) one full-time Outreach Advocate to serve Lawrence; and 2) a mental health counselor with specialization in supporting high and proven risk youth.
🟣 Transformational Prison Project (TPP), a project of Tides Center (Boston, MA): The TPP mission is to provide spaces where those who have been harmed and those who have done harm can come together and engage in dialogue—to build understanding and empathy toward those who have been victims of violent crime. With the awarded funds they seek to take on additional opportunities serving incarcerated adults and youth and expand efforts to support returned citizens.
🟣 Straight Ahead Ministries (Worcester, MA): Straight Ahead Ministries works to break an unforgiving cycle of violence and recidivism for justice-involved youth and young adults, ages 14-24, through authentic relationships and re-integration resources.  With the awarded grant funds, they will locate and train a team of formerly incarcerated youth who have influence and trust within the community stemming from similar life experiences, as Credible Messengers.
BoostCVI Overview
The BoostCVI Grants Program has two primary goals:
- To support organizations building or strengthening their ability to offer the full spectrum of services of violence prevention and intervention.
- To build organizational capacity, deepen and expand reach, and support infrastructure that strengthens organizational operations and broader field sustainability.
The Grant Program will provide grantees up to $250,000 over the course of 24 months to address capacity needs. Grantee organizations will participate in training and other activities as a cohort including leadership and professional development; practitioner and supervisor trainings; communities of practice; capacity assessments and subsequent supports for backend functions including fundraising, financial management, human resources, and other topics; regional and national convenings, and other activities.
Small, Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) doing Community Violence Intervention and Prevention (CVI) work who possess deep roots in the community and make a powerful impact can lack the infrastructure or support to take in large federal or statewide grants. In key informant interviews conducted by HRiA in the field in 2023, CVI leadership shared an urgent need for funding directed toward administrative support, noting that often the organizations led by people with lived experience are influential within their communities but lack the resources to measure impact or manage large streams of funding. Capacity building is essential to build the leadership of the field and ensure that those organizations have the resources they need to thrive and sustain funding.
Amount:
$250,000 total
 Duration:
September 2024 (date TBA) – September 30th, 2026
Resources
Capacity Building Webinars
See below for recordings of two webinars around nonprofit financial development. Anyone is welcome!
About Lisa Thirer: As a consultant and nonprofit strategist, Lisa leads technical assistance services to nonprofit organizations, foundations and local government. Her work focuses on building financial capacity for organizations who are continuously adapting and navigating a changing landscape. She brings a comprehensive perspective to her work that encompasses vantage points as a consultant, service provider, advocate, funder and educator.
 Systems & Operations: preparing your organization for federal grants
Link to Recording: BoostCVI Webinar: Systems & Operations
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- Considerations for compliance, internal controls, and reporting requirements
- Operational structures and systems that your organization might need to have in place if you receive an award
- Assessing your organizations alignment with this funding opportunity
Developing your Budget
Link to Recording: BoostCVI Webinar: Developing your Budget
- How budgets are used as a strategic communication tool
- Considerations when developing a budget for federal funding
- Ongoing financial management after your project is funded
Funding Statement
This grants program, Massachusetts Community Violence Intervention Capacity Building Initiative (15PBJA-23-GK-05187-CVIP), is supported by the Bureau of Justice Assistance of the U.S. Department of Justice as part of a financial assistance award totaling $4,000,000 with 100 percent funded by BJA/DOJ.
