Capacity-Building Grants for Justice Focused CBOs

JUSTICE CARE OPPORTUNITY

County Spending Category
1.6 Direct Community Investments
Federal Expenditure Category
Assistance to Impacted Nonprofit Organizations (Impacted or Disproportionately Impacted
Project Launch Date
10/02/2023
Anticipated End Date
05/01/2025
Project Contacts Indicators & Metrics Target Populations Project Description Goals & Objectives

Project Contacts

Indicators & Metrics to Date

  • Number of Non-Profits Served
    0
  • Executed Contract with Amity Foundation
    1
  • Conduct outreach efforts by leveraging the existing network of Justice Based CBOs in contact with the Department and County
    1
  • Workshops about the funding opportunity to encourage applications, and other necessary support tasks
    0
  • Provide funds to justice-based CBOs, especially those focused on marginalized communities and those most impacted by the Pandemic
    0
  • 350 clients served overall by organizations receiving funds
    5543

Target Populations

  • Systems Impacted Individuals
  • Systems Involved Individuals
  • Small Businesses

Project Description

One of the biggest strategies implemented from the onset of the COVID 19 pandemic was the strategy of social distancing and isolation. Social distancing has been proven as a strong and effective strategy in mitigating the spread of the disease among the population. This strategy has been implemented in all levels of life, even in our prisons. From the beginning of the Pandemic to its height in 2020 and 2021, COVID 19 has led to prisons and law makers adopting decarceration and social isolation strategies (Brandy, 2020). This means that during the pandemic, more individuals were being released from prisons and reintroduced into society. There are resources available to these individuals to help them with their transitions back into the community and to remain outside of prison. One such resource found in all communities are the justice-focused CBOs. These CBOs work to help these individuals and have been doing so prior to COVID. With the onset of the Pandemic many of these CBOs were highly impacted due to the effect of the pandemic on their resources, staffing, and ability to serve their community. Not only did the Pandemic limit their capacity to serve the community, but now that decarceration strategies were implemented, their clientele has increased and thus their capacity is even more exacerbated and stretched thin. This project will distribute relief and recovery grants to support justice-focused community-based organizations to support strategic planning and assessment of post-pandemic programmatic operations, as well as strengthening fiscal, development, and fundraising capacity. In April 2020 during the pandemic, the unemployment rate in California increased to 14,8% - the highest rate observed since data collection began in 1948. In May 2021, unemployment remained higher (5.8%) than it had been in February 2020 (3.5%). Although all demographic groups were affected, persons identifying as Black or Hispanic, and younger workers generally experienced relatively higher peaks in unemployment. Statistics show that unemployment increases crime. This program will not only assist justice focused CBOs to respond to a potential increase in crime but will also allow the CBOs to resume operations at a pre-pandemic level.

Goals & Objectives

Goal Description Ensure that 17-85 CBOs can serve 350 # of clients over 2 years.

Objective Description By October 30, 2022, the department will distribute grants to 17-25 justice-focused CBOs to support their recovery from the COVID 19 Pandemic.

Activity Description The program has contracted with a third-party administrator, Amity Foundation, who will provide assistance with grant outreach, online grant applications, review, and adjudication as well as contracting with eligible awarded grantees.
Indicators
# Type Name Baseline Target
1 Performance Provide funds to the same justice-based CBOs from Tranche 1 8.00
10 Service Delivery Executed Contract with Amity Foundation 1.00 1.00
11 Performance Conduct outreach efforts by leveraging the existing network of Justice Based CBOs in contact with the Department and County 0.00 1.00
12 Performance Workshops about the funding opportunity to encourage applications, and other necessary support tasks 0.00 4.00
13 Performance Provide funds to justice-based CBOs, especially those focused on marginalized communities and those most impacted by the Pandemic 0.00 8.00
15 Performance 350 clients served overall by organizations receiving funds 0.00 350.00

Outcome Description The program would have increased the capacity of 85 Community-Based Organizations to serve the justice involved in communities impacted by Covid-19 and individuals living in high to highest-need areas.