Funders to approach for Wisdom Projects Inc

Wisdom Projects (officially Wisdom Projects, inc.) is an over 15-year old community-led, grassroots, nonprofit organization devoted to violence prevention and peace education for low-income, at-risk youth and families in Baltimore's housing projects in the zip codes most disproportionately affected by high rates of poverty, crime and health disparities. Programs Wisdom Projects' 6 year-round programs prevent violence by educating and organizing youth and families to de-escalate in the face of crises; manage emotions; mediate conflicts without resorting to aggression; overcome trauma; and offer peer support. The 6 programs (in residence at the mckim center where Wisdom Projects serves as the official educational and health services partner) are as follows: 1. A stem & healing arts peacemaking afterschool program (meeting daily (except fridays) in fall, winter, and spring). 2. A youth peacemakers workforce development program for adolescents (daily (except fridays) in fall, winter, spring, and summer). 3. Parent peacemakers workforce deveopment program (meeting monthly in fall, winter, spring, and summer). 4. A summer peacemaking camp in partnership with the mckim center (daily in the month of july during summers). 5. Planet proetectors laboratories: twice monthly environmental justice and literacy labs. 6. Conflict resolution education and services: weekly mediations; monthly amnesty days; and long-term truth & reconciliation sessions. Workforce development is key to all 6 programs. Community members receive monthly stipends for their work as peacemakers. Paid staff train parents in peacemaking methods. Staff and parents cross-train adolescents in peacemaking methods. Adolescents work with staff to train elementary and middle school aged children in peacemaking methods. Adolescents and parents also help with clean-up/set-up and meal service in the afterschool program. Peace education is integrated with stem, civics, art, and health studies in Wisdom Projects' programming. High impact widsom projects' high-impact, family-centered, youth-focused, public health-rooted peacemaking work has eliminated homicides and suicides in our population. Our work has reduced rates of domestic and intimate partner violence from a high of 46 percent to a low of 13 percent. Over the same period, we reduced youth arrests to 4 percent and youth convictions to 1 percent. We have helped our community members disarm and commit to recovery from addiction. So too have we drastically lowered rates of drug abuse, eviction, suspension, expulsion, and truancy, and we are making headways in eradicating robberies, corporal punishment, child abuse, and sex trafficking. Other successes and milestones are documented at…