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Foundation for the Improvement of Justice at a glance

· Private foundation

Foundation for the Improvement of Justice

Its FY2024 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$90k
Granted FY2024still arriving
6
Grants FY2024still arriving
6
States reached
$15k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its fieldRead
04Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.

Crime & Legal$385kPhilanthropy$15kEducation$10kHealth$10kHousing & Shelter$10kCivil Rights$10kPublic Benefit$10kYouth Development$10kOther$0
02FY2024 · 6 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$15,000
Median grant
6
States reached
$1.8M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Kidz2Leaders$15,000
For the People$15,000
Sherry Black Foundation$15,000
Last Prisoner Project$15,000
Good Call NYC$15,000
Individual grant recipient$15,000
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Its human-services grants (FY17–23, $70k) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 57% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%Crime Victims United Charitable Found: $10k → 6%Ayuda: $10k → 14%Florida Justice Technology Center: $10k → 19%Hope for Justice: $10k → 14%The First 72: $10k → 23%Elizabeth Smart Foundation: $10k → 8%Disability Rights Washington: $10k → 9%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.

Which US states its grants reach

AK
WA
MI
NY
MA
OH
PA
NJ
CA
UT
CO
MO
VA
MD
AZ
TN
DC
OK
LA
GA
TX
FL
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
03Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Justice Unlocked

Justice Unlocked bridges the gap between those within the community who cannot afford an attorney, but don't qualify for legal assistance.

—
2
Criminal Justice Policy Foundation
—
3
Justice Reform Foundation
—
4
Fair Fight Initiative Inc

Through litigation and community advocacy, fair fight initiative exposes mistreatment in the law enforcement system and works to end mass incarceration.

—
5
The Promise of Justice Initiative

The promise of justice initiative works to create positive change for people in the criminal legal system at the intersection of impact litigation, direct services and community engagement.

Crime & Legal
6
Stopdv

Special team on the prevention of domestic violence

Crime & Legal
7
Nacdl Foundation for Criminal Justice

To preserve and promote the core values of america's justice system guaranteed by the constitution - among them due process, freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, fair sentencing and assistance of effective counsel - by educating…

Crime & Legal
8
Fund for Justice

Fund for Justice is a nationally connected social impact research and advocacy organization that works to achieve fundamental, systemic reform by addressing policies and practicies that prevent individuals from reaching their full…

Crime & Legal
9
District of Columbia Access to Justice

Work with DC courts, private bar & legal services providers to increase legal representations for low & moderate income DC residents, enhance efficiency of legal services, and reduce barriers to the judicial system.

Crime & Legal
10
The Justice Reform

The justice reform is answering the cry for justice by bringing reformation from city to city. we seek to be a voice for the voiceless, bring hope to the hopeless, and bring light into the darkness.

Arts & Culture
11
Sexual Violence Law Center

Sexual Violence Law Center (SVLC) is a nonprofit law firm that protects the safety, privacy, and civil rights of survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in Washington through holistic and trauma-informed practices rooted in race and…

Human Services
12
Legal Aid Justice Center

The legal aid justice center partners with communities and clients to achieve justice by dismantling systems that create and perpetuate poverty.

Crime & Legal
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is KIDZ2LEADERS Inc; the most unlike its peers is Sherry Black Foundation Fka Sherry Black Education Foundation. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

22 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 22 of the 44 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
6
Early backer (in before they grew)
21/22
Grantees still filing
11/22
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Individual grant recipient: $15,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipientIndividual grant recipient: $10,000 · OtherEnd Violence Against Women: $10,000 · OtherOhio Crime Victim Justice Center: $10,000 · OtherSTARTING RIGHT NOW: $10,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $10,000 · OtherSuffolk U Law Sch Legal Innovation & Tech Lab: $10,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $10,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $10,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $10,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $10,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $10,000 · OtherFamily & Feiends of Wrongfully Convicted: $10,000 · OtherCayley's Calling: $10,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $10,000 · OtherBerkeley Law Policy Advocacy Clinic: $10,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $10,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $10,000 · OtherTuscon Family Advocacy Program: $10,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $10,000 · OtherParabon NanoLabs Inc: $10,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $10,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $10,000 · OtherFOR THE PEOPLE: $15,000 · Crime & LegalFOR THE PEOPLELAST PRISONER PROJECT: $15,000 · Crime & LegalLAST PRISONER PROJECTSHERRY BLACK FOUNDATION FKA SHERRY BLACK EDUCATION FOUNDATION: $15,000 · Crime & LegalSHERRY BLACK FOUNDATI…Good Call NYC: $15,000 · Crime & LegalGood Call NYCCourthouse Dogs Foundation: $10,000 · Crime & LegalCourthouse Dogs Found…TZEDEK DC INC: $10,000 · Crime & LegalTZEDEK DC INCFLORIDA JUSTICE INSTITUTE INC: $10,000 · Crime & LegalFLORIDA JUSTICE INSTI…CRIME VICTIMS UNITED CHARITABLE FOUNDATION: $10,000 · Human ServicesCRIME VICTIMS UNITE…AYUDA INC: $10,000 · Human ServicesAYUDA INCHope for Justice Inc: $10,000 · Human ServicesHope for Justice In…THE PATH Childrens Advocacy Center Inc: $10,000 · Human ServicesTHE PATH Childrens …The First 72: $10,000 · Human ServicesThe First 72DISABILITY RIGHTS WASHINGTON: $10,000 · Human ServicesDISABILITY RIGHTS W…Florida Justice Technology Center Inc: $10,000 · Human ServicesFlorida Justice Tec…Elizabeth Smart Foundation: $10,000 · Human ServicesElizabeth Smart Fou…BARD COLLEGE: $10,000 · EducationUniversity of Maryland Medical System Foundation Inc: $10,000 · EducationKIDZ2LEADERS INC: $15,000 · ReligionTHE MILESTONE CHARITABLE FOUNDATION: $10,000 · Public BenefitNEW JERSEY CRIME VICTIM LAW CENTER INC: $10,000 · Public Safety & DisasterAlaska Native Justice Center: $10,000 · Civil Rights
Other$235,000Crime & Legal$90,000Human Services$80,000Education$20,000Religion$15,000Public Benefit$10,000Public Safety & Disaster$10,000Civil Rights$10,000

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetFOR THE PEOPLE: $15,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetLAST PRISONER PROJECT: $15,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetSHERRY BLACK FOUNDATION FKA SHERRY BLACK EDUCATION FOUNDATION: $15,000 over 1y, 2.8% of budgetGood Call NYC: $15,000 over 1y, 1.6% of budgetKIDZ2LEADERS INC: $15,000 over 1y, 1.0% of budgetCourthouse Dogs Foundation: $10,000 over 1y, 7.1% of budgetTZEDEK DC INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetSTARTING RIGHT NOW: $10,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetCRIME VICTIMS UNITED CHARITABLE FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 6.1% of budgetTHE MILESTONE CHARITABLE FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 5.2% of budgetBARD COLLEGE: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNEW JERSEY CRIME VICTIM LAW CENTER INC: $10,000 over 1y, 3.2% of budgetAYUDA INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetHope for Justice Inc: $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetFLORIDA JUSTICE INSTITUTE INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetUniversity of Maryland Medical System Foundation Inc: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE PATH Childrens Advocacy Center Inc: $10,000 over 1y, 3.9% of budgetThe First 72: $10,000 over 1y, 1.8% of budgetDISABILITY RIGHTS WASHINGTON: $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetAlaska Native Justice Center: $10,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetFlorida Justice Technology Center Inc: $10,000 over 1y, 1.1% of budgetElizabeth Smart Foundation: $10,000 over 1y, 1.8% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

Shell USA Company Fou…Morgan Stanley Global…Paypal Charitable Giv…Vanguard Charitable E…American Endowment Fo…American Online Givin…National Philanthropi…Natl Christian Charit…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Shell USA Company FoundationTX10.4× affinity4 shared granteesties to 10 of 10Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Shell USA Company Foundation · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Paypal Charitable Giving Fund · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · American Endowment Foundation · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · Natl Christian Charitable Fdn Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Amazonsmile Foundation

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization Foundation for the Improvement of Justice funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Foundation for the Improvement of Justice. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 20%1%3%6%10%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    2get no government money at all
    7report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    typical government reliance, FY20–25
    How this is measured
    Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.
    04Through Plinth

    Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

    How do I get to Foundation for the Improvement of Justice?

    Find your warmest path to Foundation for the Improvement of Justice through trustees and officers whose names appear on both boards. Search for your organization and Plinth traces the shortest route it can evidence.

    Each link is a name appearing on two organizations’ public IRS 990 filings, matched on that name and, where the filings support it, on location. A same-state match has geographic support, which is a second matching feature rather than confirmation that the two are one person; a cross-state one is the likeliest to be two people who share a name. Every hop shows its tier, low-confidence and distant paths are held back rather than guessed, and it is worth confirming the person before you use the introduction.

    On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 44 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

    How this is measured
    Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

    Generated from the IRS Form 990-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Foundation for the Improvement of Justice’s filings →

    More from the funding graph

    The unnamed billions
    grants reported with no recipient in the public record
    The regranting layer
    51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
    The DAF merry-go-round
    $9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
    The endowment market
    who holds foundation money, and what just moved
    The camps
    funders cluster by geography, not ideology
    By state
    where grant money is based, and what stays home