$400K granted to these orgs to cut violence after homicides dropped again in Macon

Macon Violence Prevention announced Thursday it would grant $400,000 to organizations helping to cut crime in Macon-Bibb County, after local homicides declined again in 2025.

There were 29 violent deaths in 2025 in Macon, which was the least since 2016, according to Mayor Lester Miller. Homicides decreased from 71 in 2022, 40 in 2023, and 39 in 2024, according to Miller and records from the Bibb County Coroner’s Office.

He and other community leaders attributed the decline in violent deaths to efforts of Macon Violence Prevention, which launched in 2021 after an uptick in crime “attributed to the impact of (the COVID-19 pandemic),” Miller said.

MVP announced grants totalling $400,000 Thursday to 16 Middle Georgia organizations focused on intersectional issues including mental health, marginalized communities, education and youth.

The organization has given almost $3 million to over 50 organizations since it launched in 2021, according to Chris Floore, chief communications officer of Macon-Bibb County.

Katherine Dennis, president of the Community Foundation of Central Georgia, which organizes funds from donors, said MVP “pairs financial investment with evidence-based strategies” to reduce violence, Dennis said.

Many of the organizations focus on mental health and youth because they’ve “absolutely” been heavily impacted or involved in local crime, according to Jeremy Grissom, the coordinator of MVP.

Most of the groups “provide services (and) supervise youth during high-crime times,” Grissom told The Telegraph. “Of course, when the kids are unsupervised, they don’t make smart decisions.”

Christy Henry, executive director of the Family Counseling Center of Central Georgia, said the grant funds will benefit those they serve because counselors will “not just respond after harm has occurred,” but also address unresolved issues.

“Most often, it is the outcome of unresolved trauma, chronic stress, unmet mental health needs and instability within families,” Henry said. “And very often, poverty is the common thread that runs through all of it.”

Kizzie Lott, principal of Charles H. Bruce Elementary School, said 100 Black Men, one of the organizations receiving MVP funds, has positively changed the school climate and mindset of her students.

The group gave students “joy, dignity and a message that someone believes in you,” she said.

The organization also gave her students many first-time experiences.

The group afforded more than 150 students to participate in a formal dinner to learn etiquette skills, financial literacy and professionalism. Over 60 kids got new bicycles for Christmas, and others flew to Washington D.C. and New Orleans to learn about cultural and political history.

“These trips … helped our students see themselves as capable leaders, with a place in the world beyond their immediate community, and also afforded them the experience of flying for the first time,” Lott said.

She hopes the violence prevention funding will decrease crime around her school in south Macon.

“With this continued support, we will build even more greatness on Houston Avenue, which will outweigh the negativity that may be on Houston Avenue,” Lott said.

Recipients of the grant funds include: 100 Black Men of Macon and Middle Georgia, Appleton Episcopal Ministries, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Heart of Georgia, Campus Clubs, the Central Georgia Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Crisis Line & Safe House of Central Georgia, Diamonds on Our Mind Foundation, Epsilon Beta Lambda Foundation, the Family Counseling Center of Central Georgia, Girls Dig Deeper Initiative, Lead with Literacy, Living Bread Restoration Outreach, Men About Change, Macon Hope/First Tee Middle Georgia, Next Level Community Development Center and Pace Center for Girls.

This story was originally published January 15, 2026 at 2:31 PM.