The United States incarcerates its residents at a higher rate than any other major country. We believe that local, state and federal governments can significantly reduce the use of incarceration and criminalization, averting substantial human and economic costs, while making communities safer. We believe that this issue presents an unusual degree of political opportunity, due to a recent confluence of progressive and conservative interest in reform and the increasing public attention to the problem.
If you are a funder interested in criminal justice reform, we are happy to work with you to identify the best giving opportunities. We are eager to work in partnership with other funders and share information to help resources go to the best work. If interested, please email [email protected].
Illustrative grants
A complete list of our grants in the area of Criminal Justice Reform can be found here. Grants include:
- Just Impact — Safely Reducing Incarceration
- Alliance for Safety and Justice — General Support
- Voice of the Experienced — General Support
- National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls — General Support (December 2019)
- JusticeLA — General Support
- The Ahimsa Collective — “Life Comes From It” Fund Administration (2020)
Strategy and information
- Our Criminal Justice Reform Program Is Now an Independent Organization: Just Impact
- Criminal Justice Reform Strategy
- Job Openings at Open Philanthropy CJR Partners
- Criminal Justice Reform Newsletter Archive
Writing and speaking on criminal justice philanthropy
- The Washington Post: Money can’t buy criminal justice reform. But it can fuel a movement.
- Minneapolis and Beyond: recommendations for giving
- Vox: A criminal justice expert’s guide to donating effectively right now
- Philanthropy Now podcast: How donors and philanthropists can support criminal justice reform
- Bad With Money podcast: Making Your Donations Count with Chloe Cockburn
- One for the World: Effective Giving and Black Lives Matter with Chloe Cockburn