April 11, 2023 Is MacKenzie Scott the Leading Social Justice Funder? Yes and No April 11, 2023/ Michael Hamill Remaley MacKenzie Scott has moved huge sums to social justice groups, but should we think of her chiefly as a social justice funder? What exactly is a social justice funder, anyway? We took at close look at 20 grants in search of answers. Read More
April 05, 2023 Is “Tech for Good” Actually Good? A New Framework Seeks to Help Funders Vet Proposals April 05, 2023/ Martha Ramirez Philanthropy is often approached to fund tech that will make the public sector more effective or equitable, but such projects often have unintended outcomes. Ford released a new report to help funders navigate proposals. Read More
March 27, 2023 Funders Back an Organization that Puts People Impacted by the Justice System in Front March 27, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe The MacArthur Foundation and Blue Meridian Partners are some of the major national funders supporting JustLeadershipUSA’s efforts to give people who’ve experienced the criminal justice system a voice in its reform.Read More
March 08, 2023 How a 75-Year-Old Foundation Dramatically Increased Funding for Groups Led by People of Color March 08, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe In 2019, Public Welfare Foundation announced a plan to move the vast majority of its grantmaking resources to Black and POC-led nonprofits. Its leadership unpacks the process and shares its results to date.Read More
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
January 05, 2023 Nine Questions for Lourdes J. Rodríguez, the David Rockefeller Fund’s New CEO January 05, 2023/ Mike Scutari Dr. Lourdes J. Rodríguez recently took the helm at the David Rockefeller Fund, which is undergoing a “generational evolution.” We spoke about how she’s approaching the job, changes at the fund, and great science fiction.Read More
December 20, 2022 With a Broad Agenda and A-List Backers, Sandy Hook Promise Is a Fundraising Powerhouse December 20, 2022/ Susan Barnett, Guest Contributor Sandy Hook Promise recently held a high-profile benefit in remembrance of the elementary school shooting 10 years ago. The event underscored the group’s success, both in attracting major donors and getting results.Read More
November 29, 2022 Philanthropy Needs a New Normal: Here Are 3 Ways We’re Reimagining Our Grantmaking November 29, 2022/ Andrea Fionda, Guest Contributor Nonprofits are responding in the moment to a flurry of fast-moving challenges. In this guest opinion, director of programs at the Langeloth Foundation shares three ways they’ve adapted to meet grantees’ needs.Read More
August 26, 2022 With Backing from Kresge, Operation Restoration Gives Formerly Incarcerated Women a Leg Up August 26, 2022/ Martha Ramirez Upon their release, formerly incarcerated women face steep barriers. Founded by a restorative justice leader who served time herself, Operation Restoration channels philanthropic resources to provide assistance.Read More
August 04, 2022 A Criminal Justice Reform Funder Expands its Footprint, State by State August 04, 2022/ Dawn Wolfe The Just Trust, a criminal justice spinoff of CZI, is adding four more states to its strategy for reform. Here are the details on why the grantmaker is funding where it is, and how it plans to get to all 50 states.Read More
July 27, 2022 What We Learned from Five Years of Funding Community Safety and Transforming Policing July 27, 2022/ Jeree Thomas and Khadeaja Carroll, Guest Contributors The Communities Transforming Policing Fund (CTPF) supports groups fighting police violence and adverse effects of the carceral system. In this guest post, Director Jeree Thomas discusses how its strategy has evolved.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
June 30, 2022 How Public Health Funders Are Taking on the Epidemic of Gun Violence June 30, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen As gun violence in the U.S. grows worse, health funders are adopting a range of strategies to address it as a public health crisis. Can they make a difference?Read More
June 02, 2022 “Avenues for Hope” in Gun Violence Prevention — and a Major Role for Philanthropy June 02, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen The Fund for a Safer Future is working to end the epidemic of gun violence in the U.S., and has grown significantly since it started a decade ago. FSF’s David Brotherton says there’s reason for hope outside of Congress.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
May 26, 2022 Why Philanthropy Has Made Little Progress on Gun Violence — and a Few Reasons for Hope May 26, 2022/ Philip Rojc Another school shooting has once again devastated the nation, this time claiming the lives of 21 people. Gun violence should be a preventable problem, but philanthropy has struggled to make a dent. Why, and what can be done?Read More
May 25, 2022 "An Epidemic Within the Pandemic." How Eight Funders Back Gun Violence Prevention May 25, 2022/ Philip Rojc In this article that originally ran in 2021, in the wake of two mass shootings, IP’s Philip Rojc looked at key funders of gun violence prevention. We are republishing in response to yesterday’s devastating school shooting.Read More