In order to build on the trailblazing work CJI has carried out over its 20 years of revolutionary philanthropy, CJI is rolling out a fresh, new logo design. CJI new logo was conceived to more fully capture our grantmaking philosophy, who were are as a community, and how we function as the country’s first Black woman-led philanthropy to pioneer trusting the lived experiences and movement goals of our grantees fighting against rampant criminalization and mass incarceration on the ground.
We started with CJI’s original green logo—a deep, light green representing a bright future that awaits us defined by restorative justice achieved by freeing our people, restructuring support services, and fostering community healing. Then we visually represented CJI’s de-centralized organizational structure: we are literally composed of many circles, all supporting each other within and without as we ensure our grantees have the assistance they need to complete the entire process from working through the grant application to submitting their final report.
In addition to “CJI green,” we drew upon every color in the rainbow and every earth tone to suggest a sunrise and the morning light of a new dawn that banishes darkness. Finally, our new logo looks like the ripples made by a pebble as it enters the water, expanding outward as it moves to the left.
We wish to thank the members of CJI’s Steering Committee and Leadership Circle, and also CJI staff members, consultants, supporters, and friends for all their help, ideas, and guidance throughout this process. We look forward to making new waves and “good trouble” as we work to spread the word about CJI’s brand of truly inclusive grantmaking to new audiences.