Uncornered
Since its launch, Boston Uncornered has helped drive
a 40% decrease in shootings over six years
In 2023, the city recorded its lowest number of murders in over 20 years—
with neighborhoods engaged by Core Influencers
experiencing crime rates three times lower than similar areas
In Boston, 85% of gunshot injuries occur within a single network of people representing less than 6% of the city’s total population (BPD). Uncornered (formerly known as College Bound Dorchester) harnesses the power of “Core Influencers of violence” at the heart of communities and offers them a different path.
Uncornered provides these Core Influencers with the support and resources they need to positively shift their influence. Core Influencers receive financial and mental health support with regular stipends to cover basic needs and provide stability; college and career resources to re-engage their education pathways for employment opportunities in their neighborhoods; and coaching and mentorship from former Core Influencers with similar lived experiences.
Uncornered has successfully proven that redirecting the entrepreneurial, networking, and leadership skills of Core Influencers from violence and incarceration to educational pathways and employment shifts social norms across their neighborhoods.
The impact of the model is clearly show through their results:
A research study by Bain & Company revealed that incidents of crime were 3X less prevalent in neighborhoods where Uncornered Core Influencers are engaged
Boston shootings have decreased 40% in just 6 years, and in 2023, Boston had its lowest number of murders in over 20 years.
Since Partnering with The Lynch Foundation
The Lynch Foundation is proud to have supported Uncornered since 2014, starting with a multi- year grant to pilot a hiring and training pipeline for mentors who were former Core Influencers to facilitate program growth and increase impact on students. The investment in staff capacity had an immediate impact as their students saw higher matriculation and retention rates than the national average for GED recipients. In 2017, with another multi-year investment from The Lynch Foundation and strategic support and coaching through Bridgespan’s Leading for Impact Program, they transitioned from College Bound to Uncornered, further refining focus on Core Influencers and deeping investments in their talent.
In March 2021, the Foundation provided a grant to help expand Uncornered beyond Boston. The grant provided a signal of local support to national funders and unlocked significant grants from The Barr Foundation and Stand Together to expand to Providence and Kansas City. Today, Uncornered is in three cities and is determined to continue to grow and reduce violence and make a nationwide impact.
To learn more information about Uncornered visit their website.
