Impact 100, a grassroots foundation initiative formed five years ago by Philadelphia-area women, voted on the winners of the group’s two $100,000 grants Monday evening after hearing from each of the five finalist organizations. From over a hundred applicants, the women selected THE ANTI-VIOLENCE PARTNERSHIP OF PHILADELPHIA FOR A $100,000 GRANT to be utilized in the organization’s Violence Intervention/Prevention (VIP) Project.

The VIP Project is an innovative effort at reducing violent crime in Philadelphia. Based on CDC recommendations, as well as those outlined in the Philadelphia Blue Ribbon Commission on Safe Schools’ Blueprint for Action, the VIP brings together AVP’s expertise in trauma therapy with violence prevention skills training in school classrooms. The project focuses on the Eastern North PHILADELPHIA community, one of the city’s most poverty-stricken and violent communities. VIP’s ultimate goal is to create a community-wide initiative to reduce violence, utilizing its staff’s expertise to train school staff, community leaders and caregivers while providing direct service.

“THE RECENTLY APPROVED ‘DOOMSDAY’ BUDGET FOR PHILADELPHIA SCHOOLS MAKE IT EVEN MORE CRITICAL FOR NONPROFITS TO PROVIDE CRITICAL SCHOOL-BASED SERVICES. THIS AWARD FROM IMPACT 100 WILL BE TRANSFORMATIONAL IN ALLOWING AVP TO ADDRESS VIOLENCE IN OUR MOST HARD-HIT NEIGHBORHOODS,” SAID AVP EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JULIE RAUSCH.

The VIP Project will serve seven schools in Eastern North Philadelphia for a minimum of one school year, beginning in the Fall of 2013. While the majority of funding for the project will come from the Impact 100 grant, the project has also received funding from the Fourjay and Patricia Kind Family Foundations.

IMPACT 100, originally made up of 100 like-minded women, has grown to 284 members who all donate $1,000. This year marks the fifth anniversary of the group and the first year they have been able to award two $100,000 project grants, as well as an additional $75,000 in smaller grants, allowing all five finalists to walk-away with some amount of major funding. The Urban Tree Connection also received a $100,000 grant to fund their project on sustainable gardening in low-income areas; Commonwealth Youthchoirs, Community Learning Center, and Rebuilding Together Philadelphia each received $25,000 for their projects to better Philadelphia communities.