The Newark philanthropic community

Problem: The Newark philanthropic community was concerned that their investments in public safety programming are not yielding results. The City’s budget deficit, coupled with the USDOJ’s oversight of the police department are hindering the City’s ability to develop a comprehensive plan for public safety.

Anticipated Consequence: The philanthropic community plans an off-site, two day, cross sector retreat to discuss problems and solutions.

Role: Amplify is hired to plan and facilitate the retreat.

Action: At the beginning of the retreat, Amplify creates a visual inventory of public safety initiatives operating in the City. The participants are stunned by the lack of coordination and the lack of awareness about the existing programs.

Results: Amplify is recruited to plan and manage the Safer Newark Council, a standing body of executive leadership from major Newark corporations, foundations, and other anchor institutions that will pool resources and deliver public safety strategy guidance and expertise, identifying needs and gaps to drive better coordination and collaboration among public safety initiatives in Newark, encompassing both advising and accountability functions. The Safer Newark Council officially began operations, under Amplify’s facilitation, in June, 2015.