Fund for Nonviolence

The foundation says it believes nonviolence can inspire progressive social change and that violence—including violence built into social structures—obstructs human potential. Its programs are Reimagining Public Safety; Death Penalty Abolition; Reparations, Accountability & Healing; and Braiding Indigenous Futures.

For Reimagining Public Safety, the foundation seeks non-punitive responses to violence that treat people with dignity. Its program supports community-driven approaches to safety, healing, and accountability, including restorative and transformative justice and responses to the effects of structural racism and state violence. The Reparations, Accountability & Healing program supports work to broaden public understanding of, and increase accountability for, historical and ongoing structural racism and state violence experienced by Black communities in the United States.

The foundation prioritizes social justice for marginalized communities and elevating their voices and leadership. It looks for movements, networks, and organizations that shift narratives, center people directly impacted by violence and harm, build coalitions, pursue structural change, and involve affected communities in their work. It also values collaboration, strategic campaigns, reflection and adaptation, and consistency between an organization’s means and ends.

Among the organizations supported in 2024, PolicyLink describes itself as a national research and action institute working toward multiracial democracy, an equitable economy, and thriving communities. Equal Justice USA says it works to transform the justice system by advancing responses to violence that break cycles of trauma and elevate healing and safety over retribution. The Center for Death Penalty Litigation says it provides direct representation to people on death row in North Carolina, along with consulting, research, and training for attorneys representing people facing the death penalty.