Across Maryland, organizers, advocates, and coalitions are tugging the complex state toward justice reform. Encouraged and emboldened by their persistence, Public Welfare Foundation (PWF) is pleased to announce it has expanded its grantmaking to Maryland, rounding out the Foundation’s sites to 10 jurisdictions.
Since 2018, PWF has shifted its resources to focus on adult and youth justice reform. We abide by an ethos that the best ideas bubble up from the communities most harmed by the criminal justice system. That’s why our grantmaking approach is anchored in community-led organizations, where the most promising, restorative, and racially-just solutions are happening.
Despite a few high-profile criminal justice cases, including the murder of Freddie Gray by Baltimore Police in 2015, Maryland is often overlooked for justice reform investments due to a perceived willingness to enact reforms and its proximity to Washington, D.C.
Despite attempts at reform, Maryland still grapples with high rates of incarceration and significant racial disparities; increasing youth detention despite declines in youth crime; and draconian sentencing practices, including the practice of prosecuting children as adults.
We are investing in organizations that are taking those issues on, challenging the status quo, and working towards transformation. From Advance Maryland’s Maryland Youth Justice Coalition’s work to challenge the cruel treatment of young people in the state’s criminal justice system; to Life After Release’s efforts to empower formerly incarcerated people and build self-determination among impacted communities; to the Family Support Network’s community building around those serving extreme sentences and their loved ones; and many more, these organizations are attempting to shift power dynamics across the state and restore communities.
A substantial portion of Maryland’s population is situated near Washington, DC, and the porous borders have enabled highly punitive practices to impact both jurisdictions. PWF’s investment in both sites is a strategic opportunity to connect the dots between the two geographies and support ecosystems of change that inform each other.
We are excited about Maryland’s ecosystem of community members, advocates, and organizers already forming a strong nucleus of transformative justice statewide. We hope you’ll join us in investing in Maryland as active listeners and partners, allowing the most system-impacted communities to catalyze justice that is indeed just.
