Criminal Justice Philanthropy News
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Agnes Gund Was Much More than Your Archetypal “Old World” Arts Patron
The collector and philanthropist, who passed away this month at 87, launched the Art for Justice Fund to reduce mass incarceration in the U.S.
This Philanthropic Partnership Aims to Reduce Youth Incarceration in L.A. How Is It Faring?
With a renewed contract and an injection of philanthropic dollars, Ready to Rise will continue its work to support youth in Los Angeles for another seven years.
Meet a New Billion-Dollar Fund from a Billionaire Crypto-Science Power Couple
With a distinctive funding process and asset base, the Navigation Fund offers one more glimpse at where the giving of the rising mega-rich may be headed. Also, it’s looking into sentient AI.
The Elevate Prize Foundation: From Humble Beginnings to “Making Good Famous”
Joseph Deitch discusses his philanthropy and how it aims to build visibility for social sector leaders, in part by just “giving them the ball” and letting them run with it.
Many Boys and Men of Color Struggle. This California Funder Network Is on the Case
California Funders for Boys and Men of Color has been around since 2014 and has notched wins in the state, despite ongoing national setbacks.
Crankstart Steps Up to Defend Immigrants in San Francisco
Chalk up the billionaire-backed grantmaker as one that’s willing to act amid Trump’s mass deportation campaign.
The Roy and Patricia Disney Family Foundation’s New Era of Intergenerational Philanthropy
One of the most prominent Disney clan philanthropies has gone through a generational changing of the guard over the past several years. We dig into how this family grantmaker is evolving.
Mellon and Haymarket Books Back Justice-System-Impacted Writers
The foundation and the nonprofit book publisher are partnering to expand the Writing Freedom Fellowship — positive news as federal funding for the arts is gutted.
ReImagine Freedom Wants to Move Past “Nonprofiting Our Way to Freedom”
Thanks to a recent partnership with the Liberty Hill Foundation, the group is getting into impact investing and incubating local businesses to benefit and empower formerly incarcerated young women and girls.
Arnold Ventures’ Grand Experiment in Making Prison Less Awful
The funder is backing research into alternative ways of treating incarcerated people, including a more Scandinavian approach to imprisonment.
The Just Trust Is Becoming a Justice Reform Funding Intermediary
Approaching the end of its five-year, $350 million commitment from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, The Just Trust is pivoting to intermediary funding and other efforts.
Meet the Midwest’s Four Largest Criminal Justice Funders
Foundations active in Indiana, Michigan and Nebraska are funding nonprofits in this often philanthropically overlooked region.
Philanthropy Has a Key Role to Play in Reimagining Public Safety
Guest authors Quintin Williams and Vikrant Reddy make a cross-ideological case for alternative first response as a path forward for public safety giving.
The Real Story Behind the San Francisco DA’s Spats with Foundation Funders
An inflammatory open letter from the San Francisco DA’s office to the MacArthur Foundation was just the tip of the iceberg.
Incarcerated Firefighters Spark Redoubled Effort to End Prison Slavery and Slave Wages
California’s incarcerated firefighters are playing a vital role in combating the L.A. wildfires. Funders and nonprofits are looking for ways to support them and prison workers more generally.
25 Philanthropy Predictions for 2025
“May you live in interesting times,” goes the old proverb. Here we offer some of our best guesses about what the year has in store.
How the Laughing Gull Foundation Backs Progressive Work in the Deep South
Drawing on a savvy Berkshire Hathaway investment, the family foundation aims to spend down all its assets by 2036. Here’s what family members and leaders had to say.
Four Questions for Barry Segal, Founder of the Segal Family Foundation
We sat down with octogenarian Barry Segal, the force behind three foundations, to ask about what drives his giving, why he’s critical of DAFs, his advice for other wealthy people, and more.
Are Smaller Funders the Future of Criminal Justice Giving?
Focus for Health Foundation and Ashley Pettus started their criminal justice giving when the field was the next hot new thing for funders. Unlike others, they’ve kept giving.
Glenn and Amanda Fuhrman Give for the Arts, Justice Reform and More
The financier and his wife are major art collectors, and the visual arts are a big focus for them — along with giving for justice reform, education and film.
This Quiet Network of Criminal Justice Funders Moved $500 Million Last Year
In a field where philanthropic spending has plummeted recently, the Criminal Justice Funders Forum is a low-radar hub for grantmakers that move a substantial portion of all national support.
How a New Microgrant Project Is Empowering Incarcerated People
The Inside Impact Fund, a collaboration between two California criminal justice nonprofits, is distributing its first round of grants to support projects designed by and for people living in California prisons.
Gender-Based Violence Organizations Are Scalable: An Urgent Call for Philanthropy
With philanthropy contributing relative pennies toward addressing gender-based violence, guest author Kavita Mehra calls for funders to push through a glass ceiling limiting organizations’ growth.
The Foundations Behind a Crime Survivors’ March Against “Tough On Crime” Policies
With the support of philanthropic funders like the Ford Foundation and the Just Trust, the Alliance for Safety and Justice is assembling thousands of people from 200 organizations to combat the backlash to criminal justice reform.
Two Big Reasons Why Criminal Justice Reform Funding Took a Dive — and Hasn’t Recovered
Conversations with criminal justice reform leaders reveal some broad reasons why funding fell dramatically after hitting an all-time high in 2020 — and that there’s some hope for a more sustainable way forward.
Half of Criminal Justice Reform Funding Goes to Nonprofits Based in Just Two States
Candid data shows that roughly 50% of criminal justice giving goes to organizations in New York and California. That isn’t ideal for nonprofits working in states with comparatively higher levels of mass incarceration.
Once a “Juvenile Lifer,” This Foundation Leader Works to Elevate an Overlooked Population
As head of the New Breath Foundation, Eddy Zheng draws on his own past experience to raise awareness and resources for an overlooked group: AANHPI people impacted by the U.S. criminal justice and immigration systems.
Funding for Criminal Justice Reform: A Quick Rise Followed By a Hard Fall
After growing quickly starting in 2016, philanthropic commitments for criminal justice reform peaked in 2020 before falling steeply. We’ll be digging into the how, the why, and what the longer-term ramifications might be.
In Her Latest Round, MacKenzie Scott Zeroed in on the Criminal Legal System and its Human Fallout
Yield Giving’s first open call provided broad support for at-risk youth, those leaving prison, and the families of those in carceral system. We take a look at the grantees, including a group supporting children of incarcerated parents.
Towards Greater Community Safety: The Case for Community-Based Violence Intervention
In this guest piece, Ford President Darren Walker and program officer david rogers say funders should lean into community violence prevention strategies — to make policing “both less necessary and more effective.”
