Circle for Justice Innovations

What Circle for Justice Innovations does

Circle for Justice Innovations (CJI) is a Brooklyn-based 501(c)(3) national philanthropy organisation founded in 2000 that supports grassroots criminal justice reform. CJI's stated mission is to end mass criminalization and incarceration by building and strengthening the infrastructure of the grassroots criminal justice movement, with grantmaking leadership anchored in donors, donor-activists, and community organisers — many with direct experience of incarceration — who participate in shared decision-making.

CJI operates four participatory grantmaking circles: the Leadership Circle (flagship, with grantee organisations operating under $1M budgets), Until She's Free (women-led, trans-inclusive organisations addressing state-sanctioned violence and incarceration), the Strategic Opportunities Support (SOS) Rapid Response Circle (microgrants of up to $7,500 to organisations under $750K budgets, reviewed twice monthly), and Legacy Programs (including the Quest for Democracy partnership with the Formerly Incarcerated, Convicted People and Families Movement). All programs deliver unrestricted general operating support through consensus-based funding panels. Over its 20-year history CJI has awarded more than $10 million in grants to 275+ grassroots nonprofits across 39 states and Washington D.C., and reported a nine-fold increase in grantmaking between 2016 and 2020.

The organisation does not develop technology products. Its core asset is the participatory grantmaking methodology and a 20-year track record of being an early funder across defining movement issues (trans advocacy, ending shackling of incarcerated women in childbirth, private prison divestment, school-to-prison pipeline work). Revenue is sourced from donations and charitable contributions from institutional and individual donor-activists; grant outflows in 2020 exceeded $3M to 90+ grantees and 2021 Leadership Circle outlays reached $1M. CJI is currently securing its own independent 501(c)(3) status, having previously operated under the Funding Exchange, and is led by a four-person staff with board oversight.

Name

Circle for Justice Innovations

Legal name

Circle for Justice Innovations

Website

https://cjifund.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Circle for Justice Innovations is a Brooklyn-based 501(c)(3) national philanthropy that uses participatory grantmaking circles to fund grassroots criminal justice reform organisations led by directly impacted communities across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropy and Grantmaking Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC)

Keywords

• Participatory grantmaking
• Criminal justice philanthropy
• Grassroots movement funding
• Social justice grants
• Nonprofit grantmaking foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: CJI operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that raises funds from donors and philanthropist-activists to distribute as grants to grassroots criminal justice movement organizations. The organization moves resources to advance movements to dismantle the carceral ecosystem through participatory grantmaking circles.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Circle for Justice Innovations (CJI) is a national 501(c)(3) philanthropic foundation that operates participatory grantmaking circles to award grants to grassroots nonprofit organizations working to end mass criminalization and incarceration. The organization runs four distinct grant programs—Leadership Circle, Until She's Free, SOS Rapid Response, and Legacy Programs—that collectively distribute unrestricted and capacity-building support to criminal justice movement organizations led by directly impacted communities.

Product overview

Circle for Justice Innovations operates as a national philanthropy organization that does not offer a single unified product but rather manages a suite of four distinct participatory grantmaking circles/programs. The core offerings include the Leadership Circle (flagship fund), Until She's Free (women-led organizations focus), SOS Rapid Response Circle (microgrants for urgent needs), and Legacy Programs (archived allied funds). All programs are collectively operated consensus-driven funding circles that incorporate the experiences of those most impacted by over-policing and mass incarceration in the grantmaking process.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Leadership Circle: CJI's flagship fund - an innovative grantmaking panel comprised of donors, donor-activists, and community organizers, most of whom have experienced incarceration. Focuses on ending mass incarceration and supporting grassroots criminal justice movement organizations.
• Until She's Free
• Strategic Opportunities Support (SOS) Rapid Response Circle
• Legacy Programs

Products and services

• Leadership Circle CJI's flagship grantmaking panel for grassroots organizations engaged in movement-building for systemic change across criminal justice issues; organizations with budgets of $1M or less are eligible. In 2021, the Leadership Circle awarded $1 million to 48 grassroots advocacy groups.
• Until She's Free Participatory grantmaking circle supporting women-led organizations addressing state-sanctioned violence against women and girls, including trans women and gender-nonconforming people, and their criminalization and subsequent incarceration. Awards grants of $20,000 each; awarded $900,000 across 45 grants in its first two years.
• Strategic Opportunities Support (SOS) Rapid Response Circle Microgrant fund providing flexible grants of up to $7,500 to eligible organizations addressing urgent strategic calls to action and emergency community needs related to criminalization and state violence. Open to organizations with budgets under $750,000; applications reviewed on the 15th and 30th of each month.
• Legacy Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• $10 million+ awarded over 20 years to 275+ organizations in 39 states
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Unfunded ListminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021CJI collaborated with Unfunded List as a co-review partner in 2021. Unfunded List reviews funding proposals twice annually from small and mid-size nonprofits, providing feedback from 200+ philanthropy experts and circulating best proposals to foundations and philanthropists.
• Formerly Incarcerated Convicted People and Families Movement (FICPFM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018CJI partnered with FICPFM to conduct the Quest for Democracy (Q4D) grants program on FICPFM's behalf. FICPFM is a network of more than 50 civil and human rights organizations led by people with conviction histories. CJI provided Q4D grants evaluation, administration, and financial management, disbursing over $1,086,000 in $25,000 grants plus $250,000 in emergency COVID-19 rapid response grants.
• NEO PhilanthropycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEO Philanthropy served as CJI's fiduciary partner, providing critical grants evaluation, administration, and financial management for the Q4D grants program. This partnership enabled CJI to operate its grantmaking while maintaining compliance and financial oversight.
• Funding ExchangecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCJI was originally founded under the auspices of the Funding Exchange, a progressive donor collaborative. The founding group of donors and activists joined together under the Funding Exchange to create a new source of support for criminal justice reform when advocacy groups were receiving minimal philanthropic funding.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• MOVE to End Violence: A program of the NoVo Foundation that supports movement leaders ending gender-based violence, including in the criminal justice context. Its focus on women of color-led movement leadership overlaps with CJI's Until She's Free constituency and approach.

Direct peers

• Third Wave Fund: A feminist fund that mobilizes resources for gender justice activism led by young women, transgender, and gender non-conforming people of color. Its participatory grantmaking and focus on marginalized youth-led organizing aligns closely with CJI's Until She's Free Circle and movement-resourcing approach.
• Solidaire: A donor collaborative that moves resources to movements for racial justice, gender justice, and indigenous sovereignty. Its pooled, donor-activist funding model and focus on Black-led organizing parallels CJI's participatory grantmaking circles.
• Resist: A foundation supporting grassroots movements for social justice through rapid-response and general support grants. Its long-standing commitment to directly affected leadership and responsive grantmaking aligns closely with CJI's participatory circles and SOS Rapid Response microgrants.
• Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights: A feminist fund providing rapid-response grants to women and transgender human rights defenders facing urgent threats. Its rapid-response grantmaking model and focus on directly impacted communities mirrors CJI's SOS Rapid Response Circle approach.
• Borealis Philanthropy: A foundation specifically focused on resourcing and building power within Black, Indigenous, and People of Color-led social justice movements. Borealis uses participatory grantmaking approaches targeting racial justice — directly comparable to CJI's participatory, movement-led criminal justice grantmaking model.
• Akonadi Foundation: A racial justice foundation funding organizing led by communities of color in the Bay Area and beyond. Its focus on Black-led movement infrastructure and policy advocacy aligns with CJI's criminal justice movement-building mission and participatory grantmaking ethos.

Broad incumbents

• Common Counsel Foundation: A foundation that incubates and houses social justice funds and philanthropic partnerships. Its role as a fiscal sponsor and partner in movement-aligned grantmaking overlaps with CJI's relationship to NEO Philanthropy and its philanthropic partnership structure.
• Ms. Foundation for Women: A national women's foundation funding movements for gender equity, including criminal justice reform affecting women and girls. While broader in scope, its women-led movement-building grantmaking overlaps significantly with CJI's Until She's Free Circle.
• Open Society Foundations – U.S. Criminal Justice Fund: A major institutional funder of criminal justice reform and decarceration efforts in the US. While significantly larger and not participatory in model, OSF funds many of the same grassroots CJI partners and operates in the same funding space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cjifund
• Facebookfacebook.com/cjifund
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/circle-for-justice-innovations
• Instagraminstagram.com/cjifund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Circle for Justice Innovations