SC2 focuses on a second-generation CVI approach that is:
Integrated, high-quality services subject to rigorous, independent academic evaluation.
Locally tailored plans created and led by neighborhood organizations.
Services that match the scale of the need with a goal of reaching a tipping point in communities and the city overall.
Overseen and supported by a seasoned team of experts.
Develop initiative-wide goals, define governance, manage SC2-wide financials, coordinate with public sector partners, mitigate risks, and oversee progress.
Create goals and work plans for each community, track progress, manage coalition financials, and develop CBO capabilities.
Engage with and report to funders, and manage the external communications strategy.
Evaluate the individual, community, and societal impacts of SC2 activities, provide constructive feedback to SC2 staff and community stakeholders, and share the findings.
SC2's evaluation is a multi-year, three-part mixed-methods study with qualitative and quantitative elements. Research objectives are intended to lead to a rigorous understanding of if and how SC2’s innovative approach works—for SC2 and the broader CVI field.
Our evaluation and learning approach goes beyond traditional evaluation to provide continuous, independent insights that inform decision-making, strengthen implementation, refine the initiative’s theory of change, and adapt to evolving community and policy contexts. Through ongoing data collection, stakeholder engagement, and structured reflection with SC2 staff and community coalitions, the process ensures findings are both rigorous and grounded in the experiences of those closest to the work.
Since implementation began in August 2024, we have engaged a Scientific Advisory Panel of three nationally respected scholars in the fields of violence, crime, and public and community safety to advise on evaluation processes, methods, and more: Dr. Patrick Sharkey (Chair), Princeton University; Dr. Shani Buggs, University of California, Davis; and Dr. John McDonald, University of Pennsylvania.
In Spring 2025, we selected Northwestern University’s Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research and Science (CORNERS), Principal Investigator, Dr. Andrew Papachristos, PhD, for the process evaluation to develop a comprehensive understanding of how SC2 is implemented across neighborhoods, how stakeholders collaborate, and how it reaches those at highest risk for gun violence.
In Fall 2025, we selected a team of researchers from Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland to conduct the impact evaluation. With both qualitative and quantitative components, the mixed-methods evaluation will focus on collecting consistent data on CVI participants’ behaviors, experiences, and opinions, and analyzing it to understand the impact of the work at the individual, organizational, and community levels. Joseph Richardson, Jr., PhD, and Daniel Webster, ScD, MPH, are Co-Principal Investigators for the project.