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As 2023 comes to an end, we know that the stakes are high for our movement partners. With the ongoing reality of state violence, backlash from “tough-on-crime” political agendas, and reforms that would undo decades of organizing, California’s grassroots movements for liberation, justice, and safety are as crucial as ever. Now is the time for us to reflect on CCJFG’s contributions to the field of criminal justice philanthropy and recommit to our values of anti-oppression, intersectionality, and trusting the leadership of people directly impacted by criminal-legal systems.
My first executive director position was with MACLA/Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana in San Jose, CA. I distinctly remember the day I started, it was May 7th, 2003 and I had just taken on the role with all the energy and confidence of an almost 28 year old, artist and recent youth center leader can and should have.
CCJFG is creating a three-part podcast, Funding the Yes and we are proud to share the first episode with you! Funding the Yes asks the question: What does funding the yes look like within intersectional aspects of social and racial justice movements? Through conversations amongst funders and movement partners, we focus on strategies to fund building a more just future for our communities and ending systems of injustice. Each episode is co-created by CCJFG members and movement partners.
The California Criminal Justice Funders Group Steering Committee is comprised of powerful and dynamic representatives from various local and statewide foundations and philanthropic institutions. Learn more about the new Committee members, Iris Garcia of Akonadi Foundation and maisha quint of Libra Foundation below.
Our criminal justice system is broken. It disproportionately impacts and targets communities of color and poor communities, and costs California taxpayers billions a year, money that could otherwise be directed towards more fruitful investments in community development, drug treatment, mental health services, education, and jobs. Our system of mass incarceration does not increase public safety, reduce crime, or bring adequate relief to crime survivors
On December 6, 2019, members of the California Criminal Justice Funders Group spent the day building connections with women and transgender people incarcerated in the state’s oldest women’s prison, the California Institution for Women (CIW), as well as women recently released from CIW. Representatives from various foundations attended two events: a panel of formerly incarcerated members of the California Coalition for Women Prisoners, and staff from Time For Change Foundation, as well as a Long-Termers Organization (LTO) meeting inside CIW.
California Criminal Justice Funders Group is honored to welcome our newest Steering Committee member: Karren A. Lane, Director of the Youth Organizing Capacity Building Initiative from the Weingart Foundation. We are grateful for her experience and wisdom. Learn more about Karren below!