Justice Action Network Foundation (JANF) is a national bipartisan 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to improving the criminal justice system and public safety outcomes at the state and federal levels by building durable movements for continued reform, identifying bipartisan policy opportunities, providing education on best practices, and convening stakeholders to achieve sustainable criminal justice policy change.
Justice Action Network Foundation centers criminal justice reform as a systems-change effort, with grants in 2024 reaching think tanks, advocacy groups, legal organizations, and faith-based or public-safety groups across the country. The largest recent award on file was $150,000 to Due Process Institute for criminal justice reform work, followed by $100,000 grants to Prison Fellowship Ministries and Human Rights for Kids for the same purpose. That mix suggests a funder working across multiple parts of the reform ecosystem rather than backing a single strategy. The foundation’s 2024 grant list also includes established policy organizations such as Center for American Progress and R Street Institute, alongside state-focused groups like The Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions, Kansas Appleseed Center for Law & Justice, and The Fund for a Healthier Colorado. Public-facing legal and community organizations also appear, including Community Legal Services Inc and Youth Rights & Justice. The recurring grant purpose is consistent: support of criminal justice reform work. With annual grants of $1,010,000 and assets of $3,998,332, the foundation operates at a focused but meaningful scale within policy advocacy and legal reform support.
Criminal justice reform is the thread connecting the foundation’s recent giving. It awarded $75,000 to Families Against Mandatory Minimums Foundation for support of criminal justice reform work, showing interest in sentencing policy and reform advocacy. Public safety and policy analysis also appear in the portfolio. The foundation gave $50,000 to The Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions for criminal justice reform work, pairing a state-level policy organization with the same reform objective. It also backs legal and community-facing work. Community Legal Services Inc received $50,000 for support of criminal justice reform work, while Youth Rights & Justice received $25,000 for the same purpose. Those grants indicate attention to direct legal support and youth-related justice issues within the broader reform agenda.
The typical grant size is very consistent: p25, median, and p75 are all $50,000, which points to a standardized grant-making pattern. Recent awards range from $25,000 to $150,000, with one larger grant standing above a cluster of mid-sized awards. The grant list shows repeated support for the same general purpose across multiple recipients, but only 2024 grants are provided here, so recurrence across years cannot be established from the available data. Justice Action Network Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization, does not fund individuals, and does not make program-related investments. No application process is listed in the data.
$1M
$4M
$5.9M
$3.2M
Most grants fall between $50K and $50K, with a median of $50K.
25th Percentile
$50K
Median
$50K
75th Percentile
$50K
About 35% of grants go to recipients in OH.
Lauren Krisai
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Grants are national, with recipients in 17 U.S. awards recorded and 35% of grants going to recipients in Washington, DC. The strongest state concentration by count is Ohio, even though the foundation itself is headquartered in Washington, DC. Recent recipients are spread across several cities, including Washington, DC; Columbus, OH; New Orleans, LA; Oakland, CA; Philadelphia, PA; Lawrence, KS; Atlanta, GA; Denver, CO; Lehi, UT; and Portland, OR. This pattern shows a mix of DC-based policy groups and organizations in other major regional hubs.
Its recent grantees include policy organizations, legal service providers, advocacy groups, and public-safety or reform-focused nonprofits. Examples in the 2024 list include think tanks, law-and-justice organizations, and groups working on criminal justice reform, public safety, lawmaker education, and state and federal advocacy.
The distribution is tightly centered on $50,000: p25 is $50,000, median is $50,000, and p75 is $50,000. Recent grants also show a wider range, from $25,000 up to $150,000.
By recipient count, Ohio is the top state, while Washington, DC receives 35% of grants. The 2024 recipient list also includes organizations in Virginia, Louisiana, California, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Georgia, Colorado, Utah, and Oregon.
Yes. Every recent grant in the provided list is described as support of criminal justice reform work, including awards to Due Process Institute, Prison Fellowship Ministries, Human Rights for Kids, and several other organizations working on reform-related policy and legal issues.
No. The foundation’s profile indicates that it funds organizations rather than individuals, and the recent grants are all made to nonprofits and policy organizations.
2024
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2024.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Due Process Institute | Washington, DC | $150,000 | 2024 | Support of criminal justice reform work |
| Prison Fellowship Ministries | Lansdowne, VA | $100,000 | 2024 | Support of criminal justice reform work |
| Human Rights for Kids | Washington, DC | $100,000 | 2024 | Support of criminal justice reform work |
| Families Against Mandatory Minimums Foundation | Washington, DC | $75,000 | 2024 | Support of criminal justice reform work |
| Center for American Progress | Washington, DC | $50,000 | 2024 | Support of criminal justice reform work |
| Pelican Institute for Public Policy | New Orleans, LA | $50,000 | 2024 | Support of criminal justice reform work |
| National District Attorneys Association | Arlington, VA | $50,000 | 2024 | Support of criminal justice reform work |
| The Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions | Columbus, OH | $50,000 | 2024 | Support of criminal justice reform work |
| Dream Corps | Oakland, CA | $50,000 | 2024 | Support of criminal justice reform work |
| R Street Institute | Washington, DC | $50,000 | 2024 | Support of criminal justice reform work |
| Community Legal Services Inc | Philadelphia, PA | $50,000 | 2024 | Support of criminal justice reform work |
| Kansas Appleseed Center for Law & Justice | Lawrence, KS | $50,000 | 2024 | Support of criminal justice reform work |
| Americans of Faith | Atlanta, GA | $50,000 | 2024 | Support of criminal justice reform work |
| The Fund for a Healthier Colorado | Denver, CO | $50,000 | 2024 | Support of criminal justice reform work |
| Libertas Institute | Lehi, UT | $35,000 | 2024 | Support of criminal justice reform work |
| Tholos Foundation | Washington, DC | $25,000 | 2024 | Support of criminal justice reform work |
| Youth Rights & Justice | Portland, OR | $25,000 | 2024 | Support of criminal justice reform work |
Due Process Institute
$150,000Support of criminal justice reform work
Prison Fellowship Ministries
$100,000Support of criminal justice reform work
Human Rights for Kids
$100,000Support of criminal justice reform work
Families Against Mandatory Minimums Foundation
$75,000Support of criminal justice reform work
Center for American Progress
$50,000Support of criminal justice reform work
Pelican Institute for Public Policy
$50,000Support of criminal justice reform work
National District Attorneys Association
$50,000Support of criminal justice reform work
The Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions
$50,000Support of criminal justice reform work
Dream Corps
$50,000Support of criminal justice reform work
R Street Institute
$50,000Support of criminal justice reform work
Community Legal Services Inc
$50,000Support of criminal justice reform work
Kansas Appleseed Center for Law & Justice
$50,000Support of criminal justice reform work
Americans of Faith
$50,000Support of criminal justice reform work
The Fund for a Healthier Colorado
$50,000Support of criminal justice reform work
Libertas Institute
$35,000Support of criminal justice reform work
Tholos Foundation
$25,000Support of criminal justice reform work
Youth Rights & Justice
$25,000Support of criminal justice reform work