Community Capacity Grant

The Community Capacity Grant is offered by the City of Philadelphia Office of Public Safety through its Division of Community Grants. It is one of the City's Anti-Violence Community Partnership Grants, together with the Targeted Community Investment Grant and Community Expansion Grant. The Office of Public Safety supports community-based violence and substance misuse prevention and intervention efforts intended to improve public safety, increase opportunities for self-development and care, and strengthen communities in neighborhoods affected by gun violence and substance misuse. Philadelphia's public safety strategy emphasizes Prevention, Intervention, and Enforcement, with the Office of Public Safety focusing particularly on prevention and intervention and recognizing community-based organizations as sources of trusted relationships, local knowledge, and community-rooted expertise. The Community Capacity Grant is specifically intended for former Targeted Community Investment Grant-funded organizations that are ready to expand their organizational and programming capacity. The grant provides a single award level of $75,000. Appropriate applicants are organizations that are at least three years old and have experience managing cumulative funding of at least $40,000. Funded organizations must have been Targeted Community Investment Grant grantees in 2024, 2025, and/or 2026, and their prior Targeted Community Investment Grant spend reports must have been submitted on time and in good order. Prior funded programming must also have been completed in alignment with the organization's funding proposal and Office of Public Safety approval. Community Capacity Grant-funded programming must represent an expansion and/or increase of programming previously funded through the Targeted Community Investment Grant. Programming must take place in Philadelphia, serve Philadelphia residents, and occur during the March through December 2027 Community Capacity Grant period. The program announcement states that programming must occur during at least six months of the grant period. Funded organizations must have operational budgets of $250,000 or less. The broader Office of Public Safety grants support prevention and intervention programming and services addressing violence, particularly gun violence, through proven interventions, diversion activities, and community-based efforts. Examples of Office of Public Safety-supported programming include resource fairs, outreach events, job training and career development, neighborhood and community beautification, education events and workshops, and community engagement. No matching or cost-share requirement is stated for the Community Capacity Grant. The broader Office of Public Safety grant announcement identifies eligible applicant structures including individuals, nonprofits, fiscally sponsored organizations, LLCs, S-Corps, and B-Corps. For the Community Capacity Grant, applicants must additionally satisfy the grant-specific requirements for prior Targeted Community Investment Grant funding, organizational age, funding-management experience, prior grant performance, operational budget, Philadelphia programming, and expansion of previously funded programming. The program is therefore geographically focused on Philadelphia: programming must occur in Philadelphia and serve Philadelphia residents. The source does not identify a broader statewide or nationwide eligibility area for this grant. Applications are submitted through the Submittable platform using the common application for the Office of Public Safety grants. Applicants must create a free Submittable account to use the platform. The application opened on August 28, 2026 at 12:00 PM and the deadline is September 28, 2026 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time. Applicants for the Community Capacity Grant may be invited to an interview. Additional information, including a full programming calendar and budget narrative, may be requested at the interview stage. Interview invitations, award notifications, and other Office of Public Safety communications are delivered through Submittable, and applicants and grantees are expected to check their Submittable messages regularly and respond promptly. Selection for Community Capacity Grant funding is based on the combined application and interview score. The source directs applicants to the scoring rubric for additional application details and notes that not every application item is required from every applicant. All applicants will receive written notification of the funding decision, and organizations selected for funding may be required to provide additional information or documentation. Virtual information sessions are offered during the application period, including sessions on September 2, 8, 10, 14, 16, 22, 24, and 28, 2026. The Community Capacity Grant performance period is March 1 through December 31, 2027. For additional information, applicants may contact the Office of Public Safety grants program at AntiViolenceGrants@phila.gov. No individual program contact or telephone number is provided in the supplied material.

Demonstrate that the proposed programming is an expansion and/or increase of prior TCIG-funded programming; document qualifying TCIG grantee history from 2024, 2025, and/or 2026; ensure prior TCIG spend reports were submitted on time and in good order; demonstrate that prior TCIG programming was completed in alignment with the funding proposal and OPS approval; establish at least 3 years of organizational history and at least $40,000 in cumulative funding-management experience; confirm an operational budget of $250,000 or less; monitor Submittable messages and respond promptly.