For Funders
See the whole field —
and move it
The network gives funders one view of the field and one place to put dollars where
they work. Detroit is live. More cities are coming.
The network gives funders one view of the field and one place to put dollars where they work. Detroit is live. More cities are coming.
The Challenge
What funders are dealing with
Fragmented field
CVI organizations operate city by city with no common language, no shared data, and no coordinated entry point for funders who want to invest at scale.
Hard to measure
Violence that didn't happen is difficult to count. Funders want evidence — and most CVI organizations don't have the infrastructure to produce it.
No replication
What works in Detroit doesn't automatically work in Houston. Without a framework, every new city is starting from scratch.
The Solution
What the network gives you
One entry point. Qualified organizations. Common language. Cross-city data. The
infrastructure CVI funding has been missing.
One entry point. Qualified organizations. Common language. Cross-city data. The infrastructure CVI funding has been missing.
One entry point
Instead of sourcing and vetting organizations city by city, funders engage the network once and access the entire portfolio of qualified chapters.
Pre-qualified organizations
Every chapter has passed through the Power Map qualification process. The network has already done the diligence — funders can move with confidence.
Common language
The Build Peace Framework gives every chapter a shared vocabulary. Funders can compare across cities using the same framework and the same metrics.
Cross-city data
As chapters report into the platform, funders see aggregate impact across the network — not just a single city's numbers but the pattern across many.
Engagement Models
Three ways to invest
Network Level
Fund the backbone — the platform, qualification process, toolkit, and coordination infrastructure. Your investment multiplies across every chapter in the network.
Chapter Level
Fund a specific city — the organizations inside a chapter, the coordinator, the service map. Place-based investment with network-level accountability.
No replication
What works in Detroit doesn't automatically work in Houston. Without a framework, every new city is starting from scratch.
Fiduciary
Cities United backstops the network
The Emerging Leaders National Network is incubated with Cities United as fiduciary — giving funders an established, trusted institution to flow dollars through.
This is not a startup asking for trust from scratch. It is a network incubated inside an institution that has been in the field for decades.
What that means for you
Fiscal sponsorship
Established 501(c)(3) pass-through
Accountability
Reporting and compliance infrastructure
Field credibility
Cities United's national relationships
Transition path
Network becomes independent over time
Ready to put dollars where they work?
Start the conversation. Tell us what you're trying to achieve and we'll show you
where the network can move it.
Start the conversation. Tell us what you're trying to achieve and we'll show you where the network can move it.
A national engine for community safety. Qualifying chapters, coordinating across regions, and delivering the next generation of CVI — city by city.
Incubated with Cities United as fiduciary.
Get Involved
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