Racial Justice Fund: 2023 Impact Report

In 2021, The Sentencing Project established its Racial Justice Fund (RJF) to support state advocacy partners. These targeted grants provide our partners with the support needed to build their capacity and increase the scope of their impact with rapid response funding for time sensitive projects. The results are stronger organizations who are better equipped to sustainably advance racial justice in their local communities.

In 2023, we provided 18 grants to grassroots organizations in 15 states – a 47% increase from the previous year. 

Grants supported a wide range of projects including hiring and training community organizers, launching public education campaigns, hosting community events, and supporting the attendance of directly impacted individuals at conferences and convenings.

Organizations supported included:

• Initiate Justice
• Full Citizens Coalition
• Chicago Votes
• New Jersey Institute for Social Justice
• OLÉ (Organizing in the Land of Enchantment)
• Oregon Justice Resource Center
• The PennFranchise Project
• Youth Law Center
• Connecticut Justice Alliance
• Advance Maryland Education Fund
• Oklahoma Appleseed
• ACLU of Rhode Island
• Florida CURE
• Release Aging People in Prisons (RAPP)
• Center for Community Alternatives
• Nebraskans for Prison Reform
• Drop LWOP National Conference
• The Massachusetts Campaign to End Life Without Parole (CELWOP)
  

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Spotlight Projects

Youth Law Center: Our partners at the Tennessee Youth Law Center (YLC) used their RJF grant to invest in strategic communications and public education efforts in support of their work preventing the criminalization and incarceration of youth. In addition, the grant supported leadership training for directly impacted youth, which increased their participation in subsequent YLC activities.

Florida CURE:  In Florida, an RJF grant was used to found a new CURE chapter. Funds helped the group develop a website and social media presence; produce educational resources; and covered the cost of travel to prisons throughout the state to build support and momentum for policies that will provide those serving long sentences in Florida with a second look.

New Jersey Institute for Social Justice: The Institute used their RJF grant to provide stipends to members of their Reform Alliance for Civic Engagement (RACE) Council, who are all formerly incarcerated. Stipends support members’ time and efforts attending bi-weekly meetings, conducting organizing activities, and leading education efforts aimed at increasing civic engagement and participation.

Testimonials

“The Sentencing Project’s generous grant helped Release Aging People in Prison expand our community organizing and public education efforts in key areas of New York State around ending extreme sentences…This has been of critical importance during a period when conservative forces are weaponizing false notions of ‘public safety’ against ending such sentences.”
— Laura Whitehorn, Co-Founder and Organizer, Release Aging People in Prison

“A generous grant from The Sentencing Project was vital to kick-starting our Corrective Clemency Campaign… In addition to providing us with the necessary resources for this project, the grant provided a huge boost of confidence to our incarcerated members by showing them that people across the country believe in them.”
—Shari Stone-Mediatore, Advocate, Parole Illinois

“The funding provided by TSP has been essential for our efforts to address extreme sentencing… It is the foundation upon which we can organize directly impacted people in the community, many of whom are already living in poverty or on the financial edges of our society. [It] has been the conduit for incarcerated voices to be heard by the outside world. Without it, the lines of communication would truly be silent, and they would remain forever invisible.”
—Dr. Brashani Reece, Co-Founder, Drop LWOP New England