Chicago CRED

What Chicago CRED does

Chicago CRED (Create Real Economic Destiny) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2016 by Arne Duncan, former U.S. Secretary of Education, that targets gun violence in Chicago through a holistic intervention model rather than a discrete product. The organization engages individuals most at risk of shooting or being shot — predominantly young adults aged 18-35 on the South and West Sides, with parallel Women's (2019) and Youth (2021) programs — and supports them through an 18-24 month pathway integrating street outreach (24/7 violence interruption), licensed therapy using cognitive behavioral intervention, life coaching, education via a Penn Foster partnership for online high school diplomas, and workforce development through the CREDWorks employer-partner network (Pullman Sugar, Blommer Chocolate, F.H. Paschen, Laine's Bake Shop). An ongoing research partnership with Northwestern University's Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research & Science (Corners) produces published impact evidence, including a roughly 50% reduction in likelihood of being shot or rearrested for participants.

Operationally, CRED runs multiple community-based program sites and hubs (including three in North Lawndale and a Women's Center in Roseland), deploys outreach workers from the same neighborhoods as participants, and operates the FLIP Program (Flatlining Violence Inspires Peace) — which places trained participants in 80-90 of Chicago's most violent hot spots during evenings and weekends, now scaled year-round across 14 communities. A blended CRED-Metropolitan Peace Initiative (SC2) team extends the model into additional neighborhoods (Austin, Garfield Park, North Lawndale, South Lawndale, Greater Englewood, New City, etc.). Policy & Advocacy work is credited with supporting the Illinois Reimagine Public Safety Act and the creation of the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention.

The revenue model combines four streams: individual donations via the Give Lively platform, foundation and private funding through the Partnership for Safe and Peaceful Communities coalition of more than 50 foundations, public/government grants (state, city, federal CVI funding, including the $250M Reimagine Public Safety Act pool), and corporate partnerships that absorb CRED graduates into workforce pipelines. Services are provided free of charge to participants; CRED itself is supported by approximately 11-50 employees, an experienced leadership team including former City of Chicago officials (Susan Lee, Samantha Fields, Jacob Nudelman), and data infrastructure built on Salesforce. The underlying technology stack is conventional rather than proprietary — outcome tracking via Salesforce, evaluation through Northwestern — with no disclosed AI/ML or platform technology product.

Name

Chicago CRED

Legal name

Chicago CRED, Inc.

Website

https://chicagocred.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Chicago CRED is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2016 that delivers a holistic gun-violence intervention model — street outreach, therapy, life coaching, education, and workforce training — to high-risk residents of Chicago's South and West Side neighborhoods, with research-validated outcomes and mixed private and public funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Violence Intervention Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Gun Violence Prevention & Public Safety Policy Advocacy (BPAGAFAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM), Reentry & Justice-Involved Support Services (BPAGAEAN)

Keywords

• Gun violence prevention
• Community violence intervention
• Trauma therapy services
• Workforce development programs
• Youth outreach programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Palo Alto

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Chicago CRED accepts financial donations from individuals through its website (Give Lively platform) and check donations mailed to its office. The organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, making all donations tax-deductible.
2. Foundation and Private Funding: Chicago CRED receives funding from private foundations including the Partnership for Safe and Peaceful Communities (50+ foundations). The organization started with private funding and has expanded to public funding.
3. Public/Government Funding: Since 2017, public funding has increased as a share of overall funding. State, city, and federal grants support CVI work. The Reimagine Public Safety Act established the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention with $250 Million over three years in grants to local CVI providers.
4. Corporate Partnerships: Workforce development partnerships with Chicago companies provide job placement opportunities for participants. Companies benefit from trained workers while CRED participants gain employment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Chicago CRED delivers a holistic, free, community-based anti-violence program for Chicago residents at the highest risk of gun violence. Its core services combine 24/7 street outreach, licensed trauma therapy, individualized life coaching, GED preparation through Penn Foster, and workforce development and job placement (CREDWorks), supported by specialized programs for women, youth, and alumni and by the FLIP hotspot-presence initiative. The goal is to reduce shootings and recidivism among participants through an integrated 12–24 month model.

Product overview

Chicago CRED (Create Real Economic Destiny) is a nonprofit anti-gun violence organization offering an integrated, holistic approach through multiple interconnected program services. The core offerings include Street Outreach for violence interruption, Therapy for trauma recovery, Life Coaching for participant guidance, Education for GED completion, and Employment & Training (CREDWorks) for job placement. Additional specialized programs include the Women's Program, Youth Program, and Alumni Program. Strategic initiatives include the FLIP Program, Policy & Advocacy work, Court Referral services, and the North Lawndale Collaborative. All programs work together within a 12-24 month comprehensive model to address gun violence reduction through direct intervention, healing, opportunity provision, and systemic change.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Street Outreach Program Direct outreach and violence-interruption service that engages individuals most at risk of gun violence through trusted community outreach workers who are on call 24/7, providing conflict resolution and proactive peace building for adult residents of South and West Side Chicago neighborhoods.
• Therapy Services Licensed trauma counseling, group therapy, one-on-one care, and cognitive behavioral intervention (CBI) that helps adult and youth participants process trauma and build self-regulation habits as part of the 12–24 month holistic program.
• Life Coaching Individualized life-coaching engagement for adult participants over the 18–24 month program, including crisis support, group facilitation, and help with housing, childcare, navigating the legal system, and education goals.
• Education Program GED preparation program delivered through an online high school diploma partnership with Penn Foster, with tutoring assistance and academic support so that participants can earn a high school credential at their own pace.
• Employment & Training (CREDWorks) Workforce-development program offering job training, paid internships, and job-placement services that help participants transition into the legal economy via partnerships with leading Chicago employers such as Pullman Sugar, Blommer Chocolate Company, F.H. Paschen, Laine's Bake Shop, and Pullman Innovations.
• Women's Program Specialized program for women ages 18–35 in the Roseland/Pullman community that pairs female outreach workers, life coaches, and therapists with education support, cognitive behavioral intervention, financial literacy, parenting resources, and arts opportunities.
• Youth Program Prevention-and-intervention program for at-risk Chicago teens offering outreach, life coaching, therapy, and education/employment support designed to keep them in school and out of street life.
• Alumni Program Ongoing support program for former CRED participants who have completed the programmatic phases, including employment opportunities, housing assistance, clinical support, and monthly alumni gatherings.
• FLIP Program (Flatlining Violence Inspires Peace) Hotspot-presence strategy that recruits men and a few women close to street life to occupy 80–90 of Chicago's most violent locations during evenings and weekends to dramatically reduce shootings at those locations.
• Housing Support Temporary housing assistance and rental support to stabilize participants and their families during the 12–24 month program.
• Policy & Advocacy Policy team that educates city and state policymakers on violence prevention, advocates for sustainable funding, and contributed to policy changes including the Reimagine Public Safety Act and its $250 million commitment to community violence intervention.
• Court Referral Program Partnership with the judicial system that provides alternatives to incarceration for individuals at high risk of gun violence involvement, channeling them into Chicago CRED's holistic program.
• North Lawndale Collaborative (SC2) Multi-organization collaborative in the North Lawndale neighborhood designed to scale community violence intervention to a tipping point that dramatically reduces gun violence community-wide, including a CVI Dashboard covering Austin, Garfield Park, Humboldt Park, Little Village, North Lawndale, South Lawndale, Greater Englewood, and New City.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% reduction in likelihood of being shot or rearrested compared to not being in the program
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core, primary, secondary and minor.

• Northwestern University - Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research & Science (Corners)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner evaluating CRED's programs, measuring impact on participants and communities. Corners research shows participants are 50% less likely to be shot or rearrested. They also help outreach workers understand how community networks drive violence and foster peace.
• Partnership for Safe and Peaceful Communities (PSPC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of more than 50 foundations and funders in Chicago working together to battle gun violence as a public health challenge. PSPC funds community organizations in 22 neighborhoods working to reduce violence.
• Youth Peace Center of RoselandprimaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerInspires youth to reach their fullest potential at school, at home, and in the community. Key partner in Roseland community.
• Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN)primaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAddresses spectrum of structural and systemic injustices impeding dignified quality of life for marginalized communities. Provides community space and programming.
• MAAFA Redemption ProjectprimaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerBelieves in the promise and genius of young Black & Brown men in Chicago, exists to educate and empower them to lead to better days.
• After School MatterssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerChicago CRED has funded nearly 10,000 summer jobs since 2016 for at-risk teens who participate in summer-long Peacemakers Program.
• UCANsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerServes and impacts over 21,000 at-risk children, youth, and families across Illinois through compassionate healing, education, and empowerment.
• Children First FundsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunded rehabilitation of more than 90 Chicago Public School auditoriums with work performed by at-risk students on South and West sides.
• ContextossecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough partnership with Chicago CRED, more than 100 men have written and published memoirs—developing self-reflection, critical thinking, camaraderie, and positive self-projection to author new life narratives.
• Institute for Nonviolence ChicagosecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrants provided to support expanded street outreach efforts in the Austin and West Garfield Park neighborhoods.
• Chicago Parks FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupports team basketball leagues in high-needs communities. Over the past three summers more than 5,500 youths participated.
• KaboomminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn partnership with Chicago White Sox, Kaboom constructed a new community-designed playground in the Pullman neighborhood.
• Penn FosterprimaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerOnline high school diploma program that CRED has worked with since 2017. Participants work at their own pace to complete exams and graduate in about nine months.
• Pullman SugarsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmployer partner providing professional experience to CRED participants. General Manager Mike Boonstra noted participants demonstrated spirit and hard work.
• Blommer Chocolate CompanysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkforce partner employing CRED graduates in chocolate manufacturing.
• F.H. PaschensecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerConstruction company workforce partner employing CRED graduates.
• Laine's Bake ShopsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood service workforce partner employing CRED graduates.
• F.H. PaschensecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerConstruction company workforce partner.
• Pullman InnovationssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkforce development partner in Pullman area.
• Metropolitan Peace Initiative (MPI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRED leads a blended CRED and MPI team to support neighborhoods in scaling CVI efforts. Jorge Matos leads this collaborative effort.
• Power to Anti-Violence Employees (PAVE)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerInitiative creating a robust workforce for CVI by convening violence intervention experts to explore worker-first approach to workforce development, defining career paths and compensation ranges.
• Illinois Peace ProjectsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerInitiative supported by partner organizations with shared vision for reducing gun violence in Illinois.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• After School Matters: Long-standing Chicago youth development nonprofit running the Peacemakers Program funded by CRED for nearly 10,000 at-risk teens; comparable prevention focus but broader youth-development scope.
• UCAN: Chicago-based nonprofit serving over 21,000 at-risk children, youth, and families through healing, education, and empowerment; operates a broader child welfare footprint that intersects with CRED's youth and trauma work.

Direct peers

• Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN): Chicago-based nonprofit addressing structural injustices for marginalized communities, including a Green Re-Entry program that overlaps with CRED's reentry and workforce offerings.
• Roca: Massachusetts-based nonprofit serving highest-risk young adults with street outreach, cognitive behavioral intervention, education, and workforce programming at significant scale; the closest national CVI peer to CRED's holistic model.
• READI Chicago: Operates a similar community violence intervention model with cognitive behavioral therapy and workforce training for men at highest risk of gun violence involvement in Chicago, sharing talent, funders, and evaluation frameworks with CRED.
• MAAFA Redemption Project: Chicago nonprofit educating and empowering young Black and Brown men to lead their communities, a direct peer and partner of CRED in violence prevention programming.
• Institute for Nonviolence Chicago: Chicago-based nonprofit providing street outreach, violence interruption, and reentry services in Austin and West Garfield Park, directly overlapping with CRED's CVI program model and funding pools.
• Metropolitan Peace Initiative: Chicago coalition-based CVI initiative that partners directly with CRED to scale violence interruption across neighborhoods, sharing street outreach methodology and Blended CRED/MPI teams.
• Cure Violence (formerly Ceasefire): National violence interruption public-health model founded in Chicago and replicated globally, using outreach workers to mediate conflicts and reduce shootings; CRED's street outreach is a direct methodological descendant.

Others

• National Network for Safe Communities: Johns Hopkins-affiliated intermediary advancing the Group Violence Intervention model that underpins much of CRED's street outreach approach; an ecosystem peer shaping funding and evaluation standards.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/chicagocred
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCMIdpnnUWiJN6pspwk6_TJA
• Facebookfacebook.com/chicagocred
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chicagocred
• Instagraminstagram.com/chicago.cred

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chicago CRED