Macon‑Bibb and Community Foundation award $400,000 in local violence‑prevention grants; mayor credits declining homicides to community work

Macon‑Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller and the Community Foundation of Central Georgia on Monday highlighted multi‑year community efforts to reduce violent crime and announced 16 local grants totaling $400,000 through the Making Violence Prevention (MVP) program.

The mayor framed the program as a community‑led response launched in 2021 to a rise in homicides and urged continued investment in prevention programs, mental‑health services and youth mentorship rather than relying solely on policing. "Every life is precious," Miller said, adding that the initiative grew from neighborhood meetings, door‑to‑door outreach and faith‑based partnerships.

Catherine Dennis, representing the Community Foundation of Central Georgia, described MVP as a sustained, collaborative grant program that pairs financial support with evidence‑based strategies and nonprofit capacity building. Dennis said the foundation has invested about $3,000,000 in the MVP effort and that, through the first three grant cycles, the foundation has awarded roughly $2.5 million to 53 organizations. She announced 16 recipients this cycle that will share $400,000 in community grants and asked representatives to come forward for a group photo.

The awardees named by Dennis include 100 Black Men of Macon and Middle Georgia; Appleton Episcopal Ministries; Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Heart of Georgia; the Central Georgia Council of the Boy Scouts of America; Crisis Line and Safe House of Central Georgia; Diamonds on Our Mind Foundation; Epsilon Beta Lambda Foundation; Family Counseling Center of Central Georgia; Girls Dig Deeper Initiative; Lead with Literacy; Living Bread Restoration Outreach; Making Hope; Men About Change; Next Level Community Development Center; and PACE Center for Girls. Dennis said grant making includes training, collaborative learning exchanges and other supports intended to improve grantees' long‑term sustainability.

Speakers at the event described how MVP funds are being used locally. Christy Henry, executive director of the Family Counseling Center of Central Georgia, said MVP funding supports trauma‑informed therapeutic care, mentoring and coordinated services delivered in neighborhood settings. "This work is about prevention, not punishment," Henry said, adding that services intentionally engage both youth and caregivers and include measurement and ongoing evaluation.

Kizzy Lott, principal of Charles H. Bruce Elementary School, credited mentorship programs with improving attendance, classroom behavior and students' confidence. Lott said more than 150 students participated in formal etiquette training and that the program helped fund educational trips and other enrichment activities.

Miller reiterated a series of figures he said show progress: he recalled a peak of 71 homicides in a recent year and said the count declined to 40, then 39 and then 29 in the most recent year. He also described targeted actions — including closing problematic convenience stores and deploying cameras — and said crime in one area was "down over 60%." The Community Foundation and the county presented these efforts as complementary: local enforcement, nonprofit services, schools and faith leaders working together.

The county event did not include a formal vote or policy action; speakers emphasized continued funding, monitoring and community partnership. Organizers asked grantee representatives to join for a photograph and said the MVP program will continue to operate as a long‑term effort.

Conflicting figures on total investment were present in the remarks: Dennis cited the foundation's investment of about $3,000,000 and prior awards of roughly $2.5 million, while Mayor Miller later said $20,000,000 has been directed toward making violence prevention efforts since 2021. The article reports both statements as made at the event without independent reconciliation of the totals.

The Community Foundation said it will support grantees with learning exchanges and nonprofit training, and local leaders said they will press for continued resources and partnership across agencies and neighborhoods.