The Health Foundation for Western & Central New York has awarded more than $140,000 in grants to 15 community-based organizations in western and central New York through its new program, Imagine Nonviolence. A two-pronged approach, Imagine Nonviolence (IN) funds initiatives that are working toward safer, healthier communities through programs to raise awareness of firearm safety, reduce gun violence, and equip community members with needed knowledge, skills, and resources.
“Gun violence has been a worsening public health crisis for decades, and we know that safer communities are healthier communities,” said Nora OBrien-Suric, PhD, Health Foundation President. “Through Imagine Nonviolence, our goal is to support the phenomenal work that is already being done in the communities we serve, strengthen our partnerships with those organizations, and support new initiatives that can have a significant impact.”
Launched in April 2024, Imagine Nonviolence is the Health Foundation’s first program that specifically addresses violence or injury related to firearm use, one of many social determinants that can adversely affect a person’s health.
Imagine Nonviolence: Close the Gap Grant Recipients
The first phase of Imagine Nonviolence, Close the Gap, focuses on closing the financial gaps for established programs that receive public funding but lack coverage for certain costs due to funding restrictions. Seven organizations received grants of $5,000 each, and one organization received a $4,000 grant.
Central New York
Patrick L. Johnson Community Youth Center (PLJCYC) – Utica, NY ($5,000)
PLJYCY serves as a deterrent to gang recruitment, street violence, and gun violence among youth. The center’s Rebuilding the Village program conducts outreach to children and their families. Funding will provide financial incentives to engage and support parents who are struggling with day-to-day expenses.
Integrated Community Alternatives Network (ICAN) – Utica, NY ($5,000)
ICAN’s program is SNUG Utica. The name SNUG is the word ‘guns’ spelled backwards, symbolizing the power to reverse the trend of gun violence. SNUG works with individuals who are at the highest risk for causing violence, addresses the root causes, and educates the community on how violence is spread. Funding will enable ICAN to engage program participants, community members, and key stakeholders in a neighborhood beautification project called SNUG the Block.
Western New York
VOICE Buffalo – Buffalo, NY ($5,000)
Led by formerly incarcerated individuals, the Street Certified Coalition offers a restorative space so members can heal, share their lived experiences, and examine the systemic injustices related to mass incarceration. VOICE originally budgeted for 15 participants each month, but an increase in demand for the program’s services put a strain on financial resources. Funding will enable VOICE to make up for the shortfall.
P.E.A.C.E., Inc. (Parents Encouraging Accountability and Closure for Everyone) – Buffalo, NY ($5,000)
The Violence Prevention Youth Summer Program offers a structured, safe, and therapeutic experience. Activities encourage life skills, positive socializing, and violence prevention. Funding will provide a stipend for a youth coordinator to manage the summer program. It will also enable participating youth to take part in all activities, including healthy meals and education about nutrition, at no cost.
Most Valuable Parents of Buffalo (MVP) – Buffalo, NY ($4,000)
MVP’s Neal Dobbins Inner City Restorative Basketball League helps youth develop life skills related to leadership, sportsmanship, and conflict resolution. Before being eligible to play, each participant must attend a Restorative Circle and Life Skills workshop for personal growth. Funding will help MVP create a more holistic and impactful experience for participating youth, with the goal of reducing gun violence and improving the quality of life for the entire community.
Back to Basics Outreach Ministries – Buffalo, NY ($5,000)
The Buffalo Peacemakers program provides direct mentoring. Yellow-vested Peacemakers go out into the community to develop trusted relationships with at-risk youth outside public high schools, at transit stops, the downtown library, shopping malls, and public events. Funding will cover the cost of annual training for Peacemakers, who are often carrying their own trauma. They will learn how to avoid re-traumatizing themselves and help youth build trauma resiliency skills.
Suicide Prevention Coalition of Erie County (SPCEC) – Buffalo, NY ($5,000)
SPCEC’s promotional campaign, Locks and Socks, provides outreach to hunters in collaboration with Cabela’s. Each hunter receives a gift bag with a free gun lock, a pair of warm socks, a QR code linked to a firearm storage map, and information on suicide prevention and how to seek help during a mental health crisis. Funding will cover the cost of supplies such as outdoor performance socks and reusable branded bags.
ECMC Foundation – Buffalo, NY ($5,000)
Few resources exist for women impacted by intimate partner violence and gun violence. Community violence only heightens their risk. The BRAVE Trauma Recovery Center at ECMC SNUG (Should Never Use Guns) seeks to fill the gap by providing resources such as food and relocation options and building rapport. Funding will enable BRAVE to provide food and relocation for women in need. It will also support the participation of an embedded credible messenger who specializes in gang violence and intimate partner violence.
Imagine Nonviolence: Expand the Reach Grant Recipients
The second phase of Imagine Nonviolence—Expand the Reach—funds innovative and collaborative programs working to reduce the risk of firearm-related injury and death among pregnant people, children under age 5, and older adults in western and central New York. Seven organizations received grants of up to $15,000 for new projects and programs.
Central New York
Madison County Rural Health Council – Oneida, NY ($13,893)
The council’s Doula Initiatives Program will provide firearm safety training for doulas, nonclinical workers who support pregnant people through pregnancy and birth, to increase their self-protection and the protection of their clients.
REACH CNY – Cayuga, Madison, Onondaga, Oswego counties, NY ($15,000)
REACH CNY’s Community Health Workers, Early Head Start, and Circle of Security programs will focus on firearm safety training for workers and families. The programs will use educational materials from the American Academy of Pediatrics, Be SMART for Kids, and Gun Safety Alliance.
Western New York
Allegany County Community Opportunities & Rural Development (ACCORD) – Allegany, NY ($13,915)
ACCORD will build gun safety awareness through a public campaign for early childhood educators and health care providers. Providers will receive screening tools, gun locks, and safes as needed. They will also receive training in how to talk with families.
Children’s Hospital of Buffalo Foundation – Erie, Niagara, Orleans, Genesee, Wyoming, Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua counties ($13,750)
The Oishei Children’s Hospital Trauma Injury and Prevention Team will purchase gun locks, produce educational materials, and offer lunch and learn sessions hosted by pediatric trauma surgeons to enhance their firearm safety activities. Outreach will take place at OB/GYN pediatrics clinics and hospitals throughout the region.
Erie Niagara Area Health Education Center (ENAHEC) – Erie and Niagara counties, NY ($14,850)
ENAHEC’s Birth Equity Project will train doulas on how to screen for gun violence, domestic violence, and mental health issues while providing resources to increase safety. One of their goals will be to normalize conversations about gun safety.
Healthy Community Alliance (HCA) – Chautauqua, NY ($14,960)
HCA will train home visitors and caseworkers on how to conduct effective outreach to pregnant individuals and families with young children to reduce the risk of firearm violence in the home. The workers will use the Project Child Safe® screening tool and culturally tailored messaging.
Hearts and Hands – Erie and Niagara counties ($14,850)
Staff will be trained in a firearm life plan and help older adults and their families develop a safety plan. Partnerships with conservation organizations, sportsmen, and gun clubs will support conversations around violence prevention and the need to plan for safe firearm transfers.
As part of the development of Imagine Nonviolence, Health Foundation staff partnered with Buffalo-based multimedia artists Edreys and Alexa Wajed of Eat Off Art to create a visual identity for the program. The logo captures the program’s spirit of hope, strength, and collaboration as well as the ultimate goal of a violence-free community.
