Omaha council hears plan to direct $1.06 million federal violence-prevention grant to Empowerment Network

The Omaha City Council on Monday heard a public presentation from the African American Empowerment Network on a proposed agreement to administer $1,057,287 in federal Community Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative grant funds to community-based organizations.

Willie Barney, CEO and founder of the Empowerment Network, said the award is intended to build capacity at grassroots organizations that provide violence-intervention and prevention services. "I respectfully urge the council to continue moving this funding forward," Barney said.

Nadia Spurlock, the network's community engagement, policy and fund-development specialist, described two years of planning and emphasized that much of the money will flow to neighborhood groups. "This moment should be a point of celebration. It is years in the making and long overdue," Spurlock said, adding that over 85% of the Empowerment Network's grant budget is planned for direct support to grassroots partners.

Council members used the hearing to press for specifics. Councilwoman Johnson asked for clarification about the geographic scope and the partners who will receive money; Barney and Spurlock said the initiative has focused on North Omaha partners but that the funded work will operate citywide and the first phase will concentrate resources where partner capacity already exists. Council members requested a publicly shareable list of partner organizations and brief descriptions of their roles before the council votes.

The Empowerment Network provided several line items during questioning: an administration or coordinator position budgeted at roughly $50,000, a vendor budget of about $65,000 for data management and evaluation, and an allocation of about $49,500 for cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) programming. Barney and Spurlock said the grant is multi-year (the network's portion covers years two and three of the federal award) and that the first hires and vendor contracts would follow city-council approval; they expected recruitment for an administrative coordinator within two to three months after approval.

Speakers at the hearing included neighborhood partners who praised the emphasis on grassroots capacity. Roscoe Wallace of Viable Healing said the funding would allow trusted neighborhood providers to build on existing work. Several public commenters expressed support; others—including longtime community advocate Ben Salazar—urged the network and the city to ensure outreach and funding include South Omaha's Latino community and other groups that Salazar said were underrepresented in the application materials.

Council members asked for a written list of partners and a short description of what each will do, a timeline for posting and hiring the administrative coordinator, and a clearer description of how data collection and evaluation will be shared with neighborhood groups. Barney agreed to supply that information and to meet with council members who requested follow-up discussion.

No final council vote was taken at the hearing; the item was presented and discussed at length and will return for a vote at a future meeting. Council members stressed the need for transparency about partner selection and for outreach to neighborhoods that raised equity concerns during public comment.

Looking ahead, council members asked the Empowerment Network to provide: (1) a partner list with short descriptions, (2) a public posting schedule for the coordinator position, and (3) a short plan for data-sharing and community reporting so neighborhoods can see how funds are spent.