PUBLIC WELFARE FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES TENNESSEE AS NEW JURISDICTION

THE FOUNDATION WILL INVEST IN WORK THAT ADVANCES TRANSFORMATIVE JUSTICE ECOSYSTEMS IN TENNESSEE

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, January 31, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — Public Welfare Foundation (PWF), the country’s only endowment fund dedicated exclusively to investing in transformative approaches to youth and adult criminal justice, announced today that it has expanded its grantmaking portfolio to Tennessee. Since 2018, PWF has anchored its grantmaking approach in key districts that are ripe for transformation, funding an ecosystem of innovative solutions and investing in the leadership of those most proximate to the issues surrounding the criminal justice system.

Previously, the Foundation had a presence in eight jurisdictions throughout the country including Colorado; Georgia; Jackson, Mississippi; Louisiana; Michigan; Milwaukee, Oklahoma; Wisconsin; and Washington, DC. In Tennessee, PWF’s ninth jurisdiction, the Foundation will help foster and support ecosystems of reform and uplift community-based work already underway.

Tennessee faces many of the deep systemic issues that are mirrored across the country: extreme poverty, underperforming schools, food and housing insecurity, and a broken justice system calcified around historical practices of racism. But with its burgeoning local advocacy community, the state is positioned for change.

“The best ideas bubble up from communities. Tennessee has promising community-based work underway, strong pipelines of emerging leaders, the potential for systems change, and partnerships that are ripe for collaboration,” said Candice C. Jones, President and CEO of Public Welfare Foundation. “Tennessee, like each of our jurisdictions, has partners on the ground driving change who are committed to ensuring that justice becomes a reality in the places where they live and work.”

The decision to add Tennessee as a new jurisdiction comes as part of PWF’s strategy to dedicate the full balance of its resources to criminal legal reform and youth justice. It also reinforces the organization’s commitment to fostering transformative local ecosystems driven by the communities most marginalized and oppressed by the justice system where its resources have the biggest potential to catalyze change.

“Our new partnership with Public Welfare Foundation is especially encouraging because they recognize the transformative potential of our approach to the problems presented by the criminal legal system,” Josh Spickler, Executive Director of Just City, one of PWF’s Tennessee grantees, said. “We share their belief that meaningful reform and lasting change are possible when advocacy and harm reduction strategies are leveraged for the benefit of entire communities. Public Welfare Foundation’s investment in Tennessee is hopeful news, and we are incredibly grateful for their support.”

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About Public Welfare Foundation

For 75 years, Public Welfare Foundation has supported efforts to advance justice and opportunity for people in need. In its 75-year history, the Foundation has made over 5,700 grants totaling more than $700 million. Today, the Foundation’s efforts focus on catalyzing a transformative approach to justice that is community-led, restorative, and racially just through investments in criminal justice and youth justice reforms. For more information visit www.publicwelfare.org.

Follow PWF on the following social channels:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PublicWelfare

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/publicwelfare/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/publicwelfarefdn

Jennifer McIntosh
MARC Global Communications
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