Charitable Education • Preparedness • Resident Leadership
3D CAC Community Safety Foundation, Inc.
Carrying Forward 3D CAC’s Public Safety Legacy
3D Safety Foundation strengthens community safety through education, emergency preparedness, resident leadership, youth and family engagement, victim-support awareness, safe passage education, and practical community capacity-building in Washington, DC.
3D CAC Community Safety Foundation, Inc., also operating as 3D Safety Foundation, is an IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) charitable organization. The Foundation is classified as a public charity under IRC Section 509(a)(2).
Contributions may be tax-deductible as allowed by law.
Personal Safety is Public Safety.
A safer community begins with informed residents, trusted relationships, prepared families, trained leaders, and practical tools that help people respond wisely before, during, and after public safety concerns arise.
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Education
Helping residents and partners understand safety concerns, resources, prevention practices, and responsible reporting pathways.
🎒
Preparedness
Supporting families, seniors, youth, and community partners with practical readiness education before emergencies happen.
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Leadership
Building resident leadership, Block Captain readiness, youth leadership pathways, and stronger community relationships.
Education • Prevention • Preparedness • Leadership • Community Capacity
About the Foundation
A charitable and educational foundation for safer, stronger communities.
3D CAC Community Safety Foundation, Inc. was created to expand community safety learning, emergency preparedness, resident leadership, youth and family safety education, and practical public safety resource development in Washington, DC.
3D Safety Foundation carries forward 3D CAC’s public safety legacy by helping residents and partners become more informed, more prepared, and more connected.
Our Mission
To support charitable and educational programs that help communities prevent harm, improve preparedness, build resident leadership, strengthen public safety awareness, and expand access to community safety resources.
Program Areas
What We Do
3D Safety Foundation supports community-centered public safety education and capacity-building for residents, families, seniors, youth, young adults, civic partners, faith communities, businesses, and neighborhood leaders.
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Community Safety Education
Practical learning that helps residents understand safety concerns, prevention strategies, reporting pathways, and available resources.
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Emergency Preparedness
Education that helps households, seniors, youth, and community partners prepare before emergencies and disruptions occur.
🤝
Resident Leadership
Training that supports communication, non-confrontational engagement, de-escalation awareness, and neighborhood leadership.
👨👩👧👦
Youth and Family Safety
Education that helps families understand safety resources, prevention strategies, preparedness steps, and pathways to help.
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Safe Passage Awareness
Awareness education that supports route awareness, youth safety, family communication, and connection to community resources.
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Manuals and Toolkits
Workbooks, resource guides, templates, and digital tools that help communities build safety knowledge and leadership capacity.
Young Adult Leadership Pathway
Junior Block Captain Program
The Junior Block Captain Program is a young adult leadership pathway for ages 18 to 24. It introduces young adults to community presence, peer outreach, event support, safety education, leadership development, and a clear pathway toward future civic and neighborhood leadership.
Accessible Entry Point
Designed to welcome emerging leaders who want to serve, learn, and build practical community leadership experience.
Leadership Pipeline
Builds a bridge from youth and young adult engagement into neighborhood leadership and future Block Captain service.
Community Impact
Strengthens peer outreach, event participation, safety awareness, leadership growth, and long-term community connection.
Why This Work Matters
Communities need more than emergency response. They need preparation, education, leadership, communication, trust, and clear pathways to resources.
When residents understand how to report concerns, prepare for emergencies, support youth, recognize risks, de-escalate conflict, and connect neighbors to help, the entire community becomes stronger.
Our Approach
- Prevention before crisis
- Preparedness before emergencies
- Education before confusion
- Leadership before disengagement
- Coordination before isolation
- Trust before fear
- Capacity before dependency
Who We Serve
3D Safety Foundation serves residents and community partners committed to safer, better-prepared, more connected neighborhoods.
- Residents and families
- Seniors
- Youth and young adults
- Block Captains
- Emerging community leaders
- Reentry Centers, Correctional Facilities
- Social Service Agencies
- Faith communities
- Neighborhood associations
- Small businesses
- Civic partners
- Community organizations
3D Safety Foundation helps turn community safety into a structured learning and leadership system.
Programs and Services
Adult Literacy and GED Training
Education is not a privilege. It is the foundation every person deserves to stand on.
The 3D Community Safety Foundation delivers direct Adult Literacy and GED preparation instruction to individuals who are rebuilding their lives, returning to their communities, and reaching for new beginnings. This is not a referral service. Our Executive Director, Karen Gaal, is a certified Adult Literacy tutor who brings decades of civic leadership, educational training, and community service directly into the learning space.
We serve returning citizens, DC residents seeking foundational education support, community members at every stage of their educational journey, and institutional partners seeking a trusted, credentialed provider for their clients. If you are looking for a partner who will show up, we are ready.
For Returning Citizens
A GED opens doors. Employment, housing applications, higher education, and civic participation all begin here. We meet you where you are and walk with you toward where you are going.
For DC Residents
Whether you are completing your GED for the first time or strengthening foundational literacy skills, our program provides structured, supportive, judgment-free instruction designed around your schedule and your goals.
For Institutional Partners
We partner with reentry centers, correctional facilities, social service agencies, and community organizations to bring certified Adult Literacy and GED instruction directly to your clients. We integrate seamlessly into your existing service continuum.
Why the 3D Safety Foundation
“This is not a referral to another organization. We can be in the room.”
The 3D Community Safety Foundation is the 501(c)(3) charitable arm of 3D CAC, the Third District Citizens Advisory Council of the Metropolitan Police Department, which has served Washington, DC for 45 years. With 500 plus trained volunteers, a nationally recognized Block Captain program, a Pastoral Clergy Coalition, and deep roots across eight Police Service Areas serving 180,000 plus residents, we bring community infrastructure that no other provider can offer. Education delivered here is connected to belonging, civic identity, and a full continuum of community support.
What Our Program Includes
Certified Adult Literacy instruction delivered by our Executive Team
GED preparation across all four subject areas: Reasoning Through Language Arts, Mathematical Reasoning, Science, and Social Studies
Foundational reading and comprehension skill building for adult learners
On-site instruction available at partner facilities across Washington, DC
Connection to the full 3D CAC community safety network including Block Captain pathways, Pastoral Clergy Coalition, and civic leadership opportunities
Institutional partnership agreements available for reentry centers, correctional facilities, and social service agencies
Ready to bring Adult Literacy and GED Training to your community or organization?
We welcome inquiries from individuals, families, community organizations, reentry programs, and institutional partners. Let us know how we can serve you.
Programs and Services
Block Captain Training
A Block Captain is not a title. It is a declaration that this block, these neighbors, and this community matter.
The 3D Community Safety Foundation delivers structured, credentialed Block Captain Training that transforms community members into recognized civic safety leaders. Built on 3D CAC’s 45-year legacy of community engagement across eight Police Service Areas, this program is the most direct pathway from resident to neighborhood leader in the Third District of Washington, DC.
We are training 200 certified Block Captains. Every block. Every neighbor. Every time.
For Returning Citizens
Becoming a Block Captain gives returning citizens a visible, credentialed leadership role in their own neighborhood. You are no longer invisible. You are known, trusted, and leading. That shift changes everything.
For DC Residents
If you want to make your block safer, stronger, and more connected, Block Captain Training gives you the tools, the certification, and the network to lead where you live. No prior experience required. Just a commitment to your community.
For Institutional Partners
Reentry programs, correctional facilities, and social service agencies can partner with us to enroll their clients directly into the Block Captain pathway. Certification gives your clients a civic identity and a structured community role from day one of their return.
The 3D CAC Difference
“Safety is not something that happens to a community. It is something a community builds together.”
3D CAC has served the Third District of Washington, DC for 45 years. Our Block Captain program is backed by MPD partnership, 500 plus trained volunteers, and a Pastoral Clergy Coalition bridging faith leaders and law enforcement across PSAs 301 through 308. When a returning citizen becomes a Block Captain through our program, they enter a network that is already trusted, already active, and already making a difference across 180,000 plus DC residents.
What Block Captain Training Includes
Certified Block Captain designation recognized by 3D CAC and the Metropolitan Police Department
Community safety awareness and neighborhood engagement training
De-escalation fundamentals drawn from four nationally recognized frameworks
Emergency preparedness and CERT community readiness orientation
Integration into the 3D CAC volunteer network and Pastoral Clergy Coalition ecosystem
Ongoing support, monthly public safety meetings, and leadership development opportunities
Ready to become a certified Block Captain or enroll your clients in the program?
We welcome individuals, community members, returning citizens, and institutional partners. Take the first step toward leading where you live.
Foundation@3DCAC.org | 202-854-1620 | www.3DCAC.org/Foundation
Programs and Services
Civic League and Community Engagement
Belonging is the missing piece. We build the bridge between people and the communities that are waiting to welcome them home.
The 3D Community Safety Foundation connects individuals to the living fabric of their communities through a robust civic engagement infrastructure that no other organization in Washington, DC can offer. Through our Pastoral Clergy Coalition, 500 plus trained volunteers, Block Captain network, and monthly public safety meetings, we create structured pathways for people to move from being residents to being neighbors, from being neighbors to being leaders.
This is community engagement as a public safety strategy. When people belong, communities are safer. When people lead, neighborhoods thrive. We have been proving that for 45 years across eight Police Service Areas in the Third District of Washington, DC.
For Returning Citizens
Stability is where reentry begins. Belonging is where it is completed. Our civic engagement network gives returning citizens a structured, supported pathway into the community life of the neighborhoods where they live, work, and rebuild.
For DC Residents
Whether you want to volunteer, attend a public safety meeting, connect with a faith leader in our coalition, or simply know your neighbors better, the 3D CAC civic network is your entry point into a community that is organized, informed, and engaged.
For Institutional Partners
Connect your clients to a civic infrastructure that is already active and trusted. From faith leader referrals to Block Captain integration to volunteer certification opportunities, we offer institutional partners a full community integration continuum for the people they serve.
Our Network
“180,000 residents. 500 plus volunteers. 45 years of showing up.”
The 3D Community Safety Foundation is anchored by the Third District Citizens Advisory Council of the Metropolitan Police Department, one of the most established community public safety organizations in Washington, DC. Our Pastoral Clergy Coalition bridges faith leaders and law enforcement. Our Block Captain network spans every Police Service Area from PSA 301 through 308. Our monthly public safety meetings bring residents, command staff, and community stakeholders together in real dialogue every single month. This is not a program. This is an ecosystem.
What Civic Engagement Through the Foundation Includes
Access to the 3D CAC volunteer network and certification as a recognized community volunteer
Connection to the Pastoral Clergy Coalition for faith-based mentorship and support
Monthly public safety meetings connecting residents directly to MPD command staff
Block Captain pathway for individuals ready to take on a formal neighborhood leadership role
Documentation of volunteer/community service hours recognized by DC DHS, DC Superior Court, CSOSA, US Probation, DCPS, and DCHA
Community resource referrals across public safety, housing, education, health and wellness, economic development, transportation, and disability and accessibility services
Ready to connect your community or your clients to the 3D CAC civic network?
We welcome individuals, returning citizens, faith leaders, community organizations, and institutional partners. The network is active, the door is open, and the community is ready.
Foundation@3DCAC.org | 202-854-1620 | www.3DCAC.org/Foundation
Partner With the 3D Safety Foundation
We welcome conversations with funders, agencies, civic partners, community organizations, faith communities, training partners, neighborhood leaders, businesses, residents, and volunteers committed to safer and better-prepared communities.
3D CAC Community Safety Foundation, Inc. | Washington, DC | foundation@3dcac.org | 3dcacfoundation@gmail.com
Personal Safety is Public Safety.