The United States is suffering from a drug overdose epidemic. In November 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released provisional data from its National Center for Health Statistics showing that more than 100,000 drug overdose deaths occurred in the U.S. over a 12-month period ending in April 2021. Precipitated in part by…
CJI is seeking new members for our FreeHer and Starving the Beast Circle funds. In recent years, CJI has enjoyed a period of sustained growth in grantmaking, staffing, and support from our community. As the unique needs of our movement grow, so does our need for more Circle members! Each funding Circle housed at…
One year ago, Executive Director Aleah Bacquie Vaughn stood in the rotunda of New York City Hall to bear witness as the city’s Landmarks and Preservation Commission formally conferred historic landmark status on 227 Abolitionist Place (formerly 227 Duffield Street), a site on the Underground Railroad. CJI’s offices are located just a few steps away.…
On Wednesday, December 8th, CJI and our partners at A Little Piece of Light—a CJI grantee, the Brooklyn Nets, and Salon 718 hosted a holiday toy drive in Brooklyn’s historic Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. More than 100 attendees cheerfully gathered to make our community’s holiday season a little warmer. The event featured raffles, free haircuts, makeovers,…
By all accounts, and despite a second year of pandemic-related restrictions on work and travel, 2021 has been a banner year for CJI, our Circle Members, and grantees. CJI met its goal of making $1 million in Leadership Circle grants, and was able to disburse 25 Strategic Opportunities Support (SOS) Rapid Response Circle grants in…
We are thrilled to announce that our circle has expanded! In November, CJI added Jordan Moeller to the Development and Communications Department as an associate. Jordan will be working under the direction of Raquel Marion-Virgo and Isaac Skelton to advance fundraising and communications efforts, as well as broadening CJI’s capacity to launch new key projects…
CJI’s Capacity Building Program finished the year strong with a non-stop slate of free-of-charge grantee and prospective grantee programming. The overarching goal of the CJI Capacity Building Program is to develop the overall strength of our grantee organizations, focusing on their inner workings, thereby making them more effective and ultimately better able to serve…
Justice Teams Network—a Leadership Circle 2020 grantee ($15,000) and 2021 SOS Rapid Response ($5,000) grant recipient—succeeded this year in winning two enormous legislative victories in California that will combine to improve thousands of lives. Now signed into law, the CRISES Act (AB118) provides $10 million to fund non-police response to crises on California streets in…
CJI proudly announces the award this month of our 600th grant since launching in 2000. Combined with a slate of recent FreeHer grants, CJI’s Strategic Opportunities Support (SOS) Rapid Response Circle added to our totals to push our awardee list over the line. It’s an important milestone for Circle for Justice Innovations, which began…
CJI’s FreeHer Circle proudly announces its roster of grantees for 2021. The list of organizations approved to receive a FreeHer grant was released in August, with a total of $500,000 in grants. This new round of grants—only the program’s second—will now fuel the organizing efforts of 25 grassroots organizations working in seven states to eliminate…