Connie Rice (top row, far left) with some of the mothers of murdered children in the Alliance.

Program's Mission:
End the gang violence epidemic in Los Angeles.

Grant:
$25,000 General Community Grant received in 2008 for their Alliance of Mothers of Murdered Children project.

About the Program:
While most of Los Angeles is very safe, gang wars continue to rage in the city's poorest communities. The Advancement Project is dedicated to ending the gang violence epidemic in Los Angeles County by ensuring schools, communities, city and county representatives are all actively involved in the solution.

Thanks in part to a $25,000 General Community Grant from The Foundation, the Advancement Project created the Alliance of Mothers of Murdered Children-a group of mothers who lost children to gang violence and are committed to ending gang violence in their communities.

The Advancement Project will use this grant money to train the mothers on how to organize and how to navigate the policy-making process. These mothers will learn how to advocate for laws that help victims of gang violence and fight for more funding in city and county budgets to end gang violence. They will help other parents learn how to resist gangs, make sure young children stay out of gangs and help keep their schools and parks safe.

According to Connie Rice, co-director for the Advancement Project, these mothers are the moral voice for this cause. "Politicians can ignore lawyers like me," said Rice. "They can not ignore the mother of a murdered child." The Alliance of Mothers of Murdered Children is similar in concept to the Mothers against Drunk Driving (MADD) organization. They want to become a national force to end an epidemic.

"This grant by The Foundation is one of the founding grants of this alliance," said Rice. "Without it the Advancement Project would not have the resources to help these women create their own vehicle and take off."

The Advancement Project hopes to give the women the training and support they need to function on their own in the next 18 to 24 months. But this is just the beginning. Rice says the true mark of success will come when Los Angeles reports that not a single child has died of gang violence.

"We are very appreciative of The Foundation caring about a problem that is not in their backyard," said Rice. "They care about children who are in this region and who are suffering with this violence."