February 22, 2023 Why Mellon Is Boosting Art That Confronts the Criminal Justice System February 22, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe The leading funder of the humanities committed $125 million to lift up the artistic voices of those directly impacted by American legal system. It’s a big influx of cash for this field, and one that Mellon hopes will have broad impacts. Read More
February 13, 2023 The Power of Reentry: New Grants Demonstrate the Potential of Holistic Support for Returning Citizens February 13, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe New backing from the Michigan Justice Fund shines a light on the unmet needs of people reentering society after incarceration — and how attention to this area could help funders address a whole range of social ills.Read More
January 17, 2023 This Fund Wants to Dial in on Discriminatory Justice Policy in Massachusetts. Can It Succeed? January 17, 2023/ Connie Matthiessen The New Commonwealth Fund is on a mission to tackle systemic racism and the racial funding gap. Its latest grants include a data-driven effort to show how criminal justice policy in the Bay State adversely affects youth of color.Read More
January 09, 2023 This CZI Spinoff's New Funding Tells a More Nuanced Story About Criminal Justice Reform January 09, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe The Just Trust’s new Safer Communities Accelerator is getting behind groups “working within the system and outside of it.” The trust’s overall approach involves funding direct services as well as broader justice reform advocacy.Read More
July 12, 2022 This Major Funder Hopes to Break the Link Between Homelessness and Incarceration July 12, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen A new partnership run by the MacArthur Foundation and the Urban Institute aims to disrupt the connection between housing instability and time in jail — starting in four communities across the country.Read More
May 31, 2022 How This Star-Studded Justice Reform Outfit Rakes in Big-Donor Support May 31, 2022/ Ade Adeniji REFORM Alliance and its all-star board have notched a number of big wins on the ground. We catch up with donors Michael Novogratz and Laura Arnold about why they back the justice reform organization.Read More
April 28, 2022 Five Causes We'd Like to See Conservative Funders Support More Often April 28, 2022/ Philip Rojc We find plenty to criticize in conservative philanthropy, but that doesn’t mean a publication like IP can’t find some common ground with right-leaning donors. Here are some important causes we’d like to see them focus on. Read More
April 11, 2022 Crowdfunding Criminal Justice: Lots of Promise, Lots of Pitfalls April 11, 2022/ Philip Rojc Taking advantage of the exponential growth of genealogical databases, donors are zeroing in on decades-old cold cases and funding DNA analysis in the hopes of resolving them. It’s an appealing prospect, but it comes with caveats.Read More
March 28, 2022 Critical Funding Gaps in Criminal Justice Reform Hit the South and Midwest Hardest March 28, 2022/ Allana Jackson and Alexandra Williams, Guest Contributors Though the Southeast and Midwest have some of the nation’s highest incarceration rates, justice reform philanthropy lags. Guest authors Allana Jackson and Alexandra Williams make the case for more attention.Read More
March 24, 2022 Round Four: Here’s What You Need to Know About MacKenzie Scott's Latest List of Gifts March 24, 2022/ Philip Rojc At long last, our two-time winner for Philanthropist of the Year has dropped another Medium post—this time with the names of grantees included. Here are some key takeaways. Read More
March 04, 2022 CZI’s Justice Reform Spinoff Has Ambitious Goals. Here’s Where Its First Grants Are Headed March 04, 2022/ Katherine Don The Just Trust spun off from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative last year with $350 million in funding. Now that its inaugural grants have gone out, we checked in with CEO Ana Zamora about its goals and outlook.Read More
January 21, 2021 Behind a Funding Push for Boys and Young Men of Color, Lived Experience and Trust in Grantees January 21, 2021/ Dawn Wolfe A coalition of 14 California foundations has been working at the nexus of racism, the criminal justice system and poverty. Several of the philanthropy leaders who are part of this collaborative know these challenges first-hand.Read More
August 25, 2020 Fault Lines: How a Leading Criminal Justice Funder Is Navigating a Historic Moment August 25, 2020/ Philip Rojc Facing the COVID-19 outbreak, Arnold Ventures promised to double down on a reform agenda in its criminal justice giving. What does that look like in the midst of a reinvigorated racial justice movement and calls for systemic change?Read More
June 17, 2020 Unprecedented: Why a Modest Health and Equity Funder is Digging Deep for Democracy June 17, 2020/ Philip Rojc The Langeloth Foundation traces its origins back over a century. But this month, it made its largest commitment ever in an area it doesn’t even focus on. Here’s the story behind this low-profile funder’s $10 million democracy commitment.Read More
May 14, 2020 A New Normal? Amid COVID-19, Criminal Justice Reform Funders Dare to Hope May 14, 2020/ Philip Rojc Housing 2.3 million in close quarters, the corrections system has been a deadly incubator for the virus. Funders are rushing to provide protective gear and bail people out, while looking ahead to a status quo of less incarceration.Read More