Established in 2019, Borealis Philanthropy’s Spark Justice Fund (SJF) proudly resources grassroots groups working to decarcerate, redirect resources from jails to communities, and transform our collective vision of community-led safety and justice. This month, the SJF awarded $1.1 million in flexible general support and organizational development grants to nine grassroots organizations leading powerful work in these areas.
FreeHer protesters march down Tremont St on Saturday, Sept. 14. (Arthur Mansavage/ The Berkeley Beacon)
Over the past several years, we’ve witnessed the dissolution of our fundamental freedoms—from attacks on bodily sovereignty to the uptick of mass surveillance—and heightened criminalization of marginalized communities and protestors of injustice. In their day-to-day work, SJF grantee partners are organizing against not only carceral systems but also the forces that bolster them. These groups’ broad and shared priorities include:
- Policy Reforms and Budget Advocacy: Changing standard operations in the criminal legal system through amending, repealing, or reforming laws—including work to divest from mass incarceration by encouraging city and state officials to prioritize investments in research-backed programs that reduce mass incarceration and increase public safety.
- Jail Closure Campaigns: Closing and stopping the construction of jail facilities, reducing the number of beds, and minimizing the number of individuals who can be incarcerated for low-level offenses in localities.
- Abolishing Cash Bail: Eliminating cash bail to reduce racial and economic inequities in the criminal legal system by allowing courts to ignore one’s ability to pay as a condition of release and instead focus on other factors for pretrial detention.
- Piloting Community-Led Alternatives to Safety: Creating small-scale projects intended to challenge the status quo and prove the viability of reducing incarceration through safe, effective alternatives.
- Mutual Aid and Power Building: Meeting the urgent survival needs of communities impacted by mass incarceration, especially given the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters.
This year’s grantee cohort reflects the incredible wisdom and ingenuity of grassroots leaders who are employing diverse strategies across these areas and more:
These grassroots organizations are working at the regional, state, and local levels. This year, the Fund continued to prioritize groups operating in the Midwest, South, and in rural areas due to a lack of philanthropic dollars being directed towards these communities.
Criminalization and incarceration are wide-reaching issues that intersect with almost every facet of our lives. As we work to sustain our democracy and build towards our collective liberation, funders must listen to, trust, and invest in the leadership of those most impacted, and provide long-term, stable, and flexible funding to sustain and strengthen their work. To learn more about partnering with Borealis Philanthropy’s Spark Justice Fund, please contact SparkJustice@borealisphilanthropy.org.