Institute for Nonviolence Chicago

What Institute for Nonviolence Chicago does

Institute for Nonviolence Chicago is a 501(c)(3) community violence intervention nonprofit founded in 2016 by Teny Gross, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with three physical offices in Austin, West Garfield Park, and Back of the Yards. The organization directly serves individuals at highest risk of involvement in gun violence through a holistic suite of six core service lines: 24/7 street outreach, victim support, employment and job readiness, education and nonviolence training, mental and behavioral health, and case management and life coaching. Services are delivered through street outreach workers and program specialists recruited from the communities served, and the model is explicitly trauma-informed, integrating Cognitive Behavioral Intervention (CBI) for Nonviolence, Kingian nonviolence principles, and the SC2 Life Coaching intensive case-management program. Specialized offerings include a paid Workforce Development Program, a Reentry Program for individuals returning from incarceration, and a 'Healing Our Healers' staff wellness initiative supported by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois and RUSH University Medical Center.

The organization's underlying technology stack is non-proprietary: a trauma-informed care and Kingian nonviolence framework layered with supplemental data from a research partnership with Northwestern University's Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research & Science (CORNERS). No software products, APIs, mobile applications, or AI/ML systems are disclosed. The organization is a node in the Chicago CVI ecosystem, formally partnered with Breakthrough, Chicago Cred, CP4P, New Life Centers, PSPC, PBMR, MPI, Northwestern CORNERS, RUSH University Medical Center, and BCBS Illinois.

Revenues are not commercially earned; the organization is funded through donations, philanthropy, and government grants, and all participant services are provided at no cost. Headcount is over 100 staff including outreach workers, victim advocates, reentry specialists, behavioral health specialists, nonviolence trainers, and case managers. There is no public revenue disclosure; based on headcount, three operating offices, and a multi-program service portfolio, current operating budget is estimated in the $10M-$25M band with low confidence. The organization reports 4,070 participants engaged and 6,759 conflict mediations conducted since 2016, with documented neighborhood-level shooting reductions of 72% in Austin, 48% in West Garfield Park, and 74% in Back of the Yards.

Name

Institute for Nonviolence Chicago

Legal name

Institute for Nonviolence Chicago

Website

https://nonviolencechicago.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Institute for Nonviolence Chicago is a 501(c)(3) community violence intervention nonprofit, founded in 2016, providing 24/7 street outreach, victim support, employment training, mental health, and case management to individuals at highest risk of gun violence in Austin, West Garfield Park, Back of the Yards, and Brighton Park. Services are free to participants, funded by grants and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Violence Intervention Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Gun Violence Prevention & Public Safety Policy Advocacy (BPAGAFAM), Domestic Violence & Abuse Support Services (BPAGAEAD), Threat Assessment, Violence Prevention & Behavioral Intervention Support (EDAEACAH)

Keywords

• Community violence intervention
• Street outreach services
• Victim advocacy support
• Conflict mediation training
• Trauma-informed counseling

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Philanthropy: The organization operates as a non-profit and raises funds through donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate partners. Services are provided free of charge to participants.
2. Government Grants: Funding from government sources including grants from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois and other public funding sources for violence intervention programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Institute for Nonviolence Chicago provides community violence intervention services that prevent, intervene in, and reduce gun violence in Chicago's highest-risk neighborhoods. Its six core services—24/7 Street Outreach, Victim Support, Employment & Job Readiness Programs, Education & Nonviolence Training, Mental & Behavioral Health Services, and Case Management & Life Coaching—are delivered free of charge to high-risk individuals in Austin, West Garfield Park, Back of the Yards, and portions of Brighton Park. Programs are built on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s nonviolence principles and trauma-informed cognitive behavioral interventions, and are supported by data analytics through Northwestern University's CORNERS research partnership.

Product overview

The Institute for Nonviolence Chicago operates a holistic suite of six core community violence intervention services focused on gun violence prevention, intervention, and reduction in Chicago's highest-risk neighborhoods. The organization provides a unified service model centered on 24/7 Street Outreach, Victim Support Services, Employment & Job Readiness Programs, Education & Nonviolence Training, Mental & Behavioral Health Services, and Case Management & Life Coaching. These services are delivered through evidence-based, trauma-informed frameworks including cognitive behavioral interventions (CBI) for Nonviolence and the Scaling Up (SC2) Collaborative life coaching program. The organization also operates workforce development and reentry programs, with an internal staff wellness initiative called 'Healing Our Healers' to support frontline workers. Services target high-risk individuals in Austin, West Garfield Park, Back of the Yards, and portions of Brighton Park communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 24/7 Street Outreach Round-the-clock community-based outreach in which trained outreach workers from the same neighborhoods engage with individuals at highest risk of gun violence to build trust, promote nonviolence, and prevent shootings.
• Victim Support Services Hospital-based victim advocacy providing immediate emotional support, emergency relocation, legal aid, funeral planning, and long-term counseling for shooting victims and their families.
• Employment & Job Readiness Programs A 12-week job readiness program teaching communication, problem-solving, resume building, interviewing, and soft skills to help participants obtain and retain employment.
• Education & Nonviolence Training Training programs grounded in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s principles that teach participants nonviolence philosophy, conflict mediation skills, and social-emotional learning.
• Mental & Behavioral Health Services Trauma-informed mental health services including cognitive behavioral interventions (CBI), counseling, grief support groups, and wellness programs for participants and staff.
• Case Management & Life Coaching Individualized support services including goal setting, mentorship, resource referrals, and life coaching that help participants build stable, violence-free lives.
• Cognitive Behavioral Intervention (CBI) for Nonviolence Intervention that fuses coping and trauma resiliency skills with the principles of nonviolence, equipping participants with skills to build resiliency against anxiety, stress, trauma, and depression while leveraging supportive relationships as a source of healing.
• Workforce Development Program Paid, trauma-informed 12-week job readiness program with weekly stipends, providing skills training and career advancement support for participants.
• Reentry Program Services supporting individuals returning from incarceration to successfully reintegrate into the community through mentorship, employment assistance, and nonviolence training.
• SC2 Life Coaching Intensive life coaching for high-risk individuals within the Scaling Up (SC2) Austin Collaborative, providing case management, court support, employment assistance, and mentorship.
• Healing Our Healers Staff wellness program created in 2021 to increase staff resiliency against the impact of trauma and to build the organization's capacity to deliver behavioral health services.

Quantifiable outcome

• 72% decrease in shootings in Austin neighborhood
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Northwestern University Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research & Science (CORNERS)coreTechnology or IntegrationResearch partnership providing data and analytics to assist outreach teams in identifying and targeting high-risk individuals for intervention. CORNERS provides supplemental data to concentrate life-saving efforts on those most at risk.
• BreakthroughsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the CVI network working collaboratively to reduce gun violence in Chicago.
• Chicago CredsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the CVI network working collaboratively to reduce gun violence in Chicago.
• CP4PsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the CVI network working collaboratively to reduce gun violence in Chicago.
• New Life CenterssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the CVI network working collaboratively to reduce gun violence in Chicago.
• PSPCsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the CVI network working collaboratively to reduce gun violence in Chicago.
• PBMRsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the CVI network working collaboratively to reduce gun violence in Chicago.
• MPI (Metropolitan Peace Initiatives)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the CVI network working collaboratively to reduce gun violence in Chicago.
• RUSH University Medical CentersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerWellness partner providing support for the Behavioral Health and Wellness initiative.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Heartland Alliance: Heartland Alliance is a Chicago-based anti-poverty nonprofit providing violence prevention, behavioral health, and reentry services. It overlaps with INC on victim services and reentry programming in the same geography.
• Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN): IMAN runs community-based violence prevention, reentry, and healing programs on Chicago's South Side. It is a regional peer addressing similar at-risk populations through trauma-informed community models.

Direct peers

• Safe Streets Baltimore: Safe Streets is a hospital-anchored violence intervention program using outreach workers to mediate conflicts in Baltimore's highest-violence areas. It is a direct peer in the national Cure Violence-derived CVI portfolio.
• Chicago CRED: Chicago CRED is a fellow Community Violence Intervention (CVI) partner organization working to reduce gun violence in Chicago through street outreach, life coaching, and economic opportunities for highest-risk individuals. Both organizations collaborate within the same Chicago CVI ecosystem.
• Cure Violence Global: Cure Violence (formerly CeaseFire) is the original health-based violence interruption model, training street outreach workers to mediate conflicts and change behavior norms. It operates globally and is the closest methodological peer to INC's community-based violence intervention model.
• Advance Peace: Advance Peace runs Neighborhood Change Agent (NCA) programs providing stipends, mentorship, and life coaching to highest-risk individuals in Oakland, Sacramento, and other cities. It is a direct operational peer to INC's intensive life-coaching and street-outreach model.
• Metropolitan Peace Initiatives (MPI): MPI coordinates the Chicago CVI collaborative ecosystem and works on collective impact across CVI partner organizations. It is a listed INC partner and the structural convener of the same intervention network.
• Roca Inc. Roca is a Massachusetts-based nonprofit that works with highest-risk young men through street outreach, cognitive behavioral intervention, and workforce development. It shares INC's trauma-informed CBI methodology and employment-readiness program design.
• Institute for Nonviolence in Providence (now Nonviolence Institute): Founded by Teny Gross before INC, this Providence-based organization pioneered the Kingian nonviolence street-outreach model that INC directly extends into Chicago. Same methodology, same founder lineage, same intervention philosophy.

Others

• Blue Shield of California / Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation: BCBS foundations (including BCBS-IL, an INC partner) are major funders of trauma-informed violence intervention and behavioral health programs nationally. They are ecosystem participants and potential scale-up funders rather than direct operators.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nonviolencechi
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC6Gyyr6qReQEMaMjs9O6IMQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/nonviolencechi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institute-for-nonviolence-chicago
• Instagraminstagram.com/institutefornonviolencechicago

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Institute for Nonviolence Chicago