Phoebus Criminal Justice Initiative Grant

The Phoebus Criminal Justice Initiative Grant, provided by the Bread & Roses Community Fund, supports organizations engaged in community organizing for criminal justice reform. It aims to address pressing issues such as police accountability and racially biased sentencing. By fostering collective action among marginalized communities, the initiative empowers groups to create sustainable change within the criminal legal system. Eligible organizations must demonstrate a commitment to justice and community leadership, ensuring long-term impact and engagement.

Grantmaking
Bread & Roses makes grants to organizations that use community organizing to create sustainable social change.
Examples of community organizing include:
Civil disobedienceMass protestMobilizing community members to voice community concerns by attending meetings with or writing letters, sending emails, and making phone calls to public officialsMobilizing community members to pressure individual public officials to change their position on an issueHosting town hall meetings and conducting listening projects or using other methods to gather community input on a particular issue with the intention of building a base of community members and taking collective action to create change at the policy or institutional levelTraining community members to disrupt harmful practices that government or corporate entities are using to maintain the existing systemBuilding alternatives to existing government or corporate practices that are harmful and making those alternatives available in ways that have a measurable impact on the larger communityProviding space for political education that builds the leadership and skills of members of an affected community, enabling them to analyze harmful systems and develop strategies for change
About the Phoebus Criminal Justice Initiative
The Phoebus Criminal Justice Initiative provides grants to organizations using community organizing for criminal justice reform. Grantees target issues that include (but are not limited to) police accountability, racially biased sentencing policies, growth of the for-profit prison industry, criminalization of youth, and the death penalty.
The Phoebus Criminal Justice Initiative makes grants to community groups that are building a base for taking collective action against injustices within the criminal legal system and have a long-term vision and engage strategies that promote justice within the criminal legal system.
The Phoebus Criminal Justice Initiative makes grants to groups that:

• Have a long-term vision and engage strategies that promote justice within the criminal legal system
• Are led by people most affected by injustice, and build broad membership and leadership bases that can survive when key leaders step down

Understand power differences based on identity and can talk about how they are trying to challenge those power imbalances both within their organizations and in their communities
Have a shared vision for what that change looks like and can articulate that vision
Prioritize ongoing education/consciousness raising for constituents and allies that broadens their membership base
Have a plan, including short term and long term goals that are specific, achievable, and relevant to criminal justice
Are knowledgeable about other organizations working on the same issue, and are able to work in coalition across movements, issues, and communities to amplify impact
Are less likely to be funded by more traditional funders, because of their commitment to challenging power and prioritizing the leadership of marginalized people.Therefore, a grant from Bread & Roses Community Fund is critical to seeding or sustaining their work
Are building a base for taking collective action against injustices within the criminal legal system and have a long-term vision and engage strategies that promote justice within the criminal legal system.

Eligibility

The Phoebus Criminal Justice Initiative makes grants to groups that:Meet all basic eligibility requirements and funding criteria, (below)Are led by people most affected by injustice, and build broad membership and leadership bases that can survive when key leaders step downAre less likely to be funded by more traditional funders, because of their commitment to challenging power and prioritizing the leadership of marginalized people. Therefore, a grant from Bread & Roses Community Fund is critical to seeding or sustaining their workOrganizations must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible for a grant from Bread & Roses:Must be located in Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, or Camden countiesMust be designated by the IRS as a 501(c)3 organization or have a fiscal sponsor that is designated by the IRS as a 501(c)3 organization or have documentation of a pending 501(c)3 application with the IRSMust be current with all grant progress reports from previous Bread & Roses grantsMust submit a complete applicationMust be using community organizing to create sustainable social changeGroups who have received grants from the Phoebus Criminal Justice Initiative in the past may reapply in the following grant cycle.

Ineligibility

Bread & Roses does not provide funding for:Direct service work/social services, self-help/empowerment programs, educational programs, or advocacyResearchSchools or educational programsCapital campaigns or building projectsScholarships, fellowships, or grants to individuals