National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform

About National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform

National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform concentrates on reducing incarceration and violence while strengthening the organizations that serve system-involved youth and adults. In 2024, its largest recent awards went to Thomas Ridely's 1 Like Me Inc and Community Action of Greater Indianapolis, each at $80,000 for general support, showing a preference for flexible funding to community-based groups working in local public safety efforts. Other recent grants reached organizations in Oakland, Indianapolis, Washington, DC, and Atlanta, with support extending to frontline violence-reduction and justice-reform work. The foundation’s giving is tied to community violence intervention, youth violence intervention, positive youth justice, justice system reform, and training and capacity building. It also uses pass-through and subaward structures in active programs, including federally funded support for selected organizations and capacity-building support for grassroots CVI groups. Across the grant list, the emphasis is on general support rather than restricted project funding, and the recipients include both local service organizations and public-safety intermediaries. NICJR’s work sits at the intersection of violence prevention, justice reform, and organizational strengthening.

What National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform Funds

A core theme in the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform’s work is community violence intervention. Through the Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative, NICJR selected five community-based organizations in 2024 for $250,000 subawards to implement or expand community violence intervention strategies. The foundation also supports grassroots capacity building. In the Coalition to Advance Public Safety, NICJR provides training, technical assistance, and pass-through funding for grassroots CVI organizations in participating cities, with more than $2 million in Giving Initiative awards to 21 organizations. Its youth and justice reform interests are reflected in the broader grant list. Youth Alive in Oakland received $60,695 for general support, and Advocate 4 Peace and Urban Unity in Los Angeles received $7,200 for general support, both fitting NICJR’s focus on violence reduction and community-based prevention. General support is the dominant grant purpose in the recent list.

How National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform Gives