2026 Carceral Systems Organizing Grant
Social Justice Fund Northwest (SJF) is pleased to announce the 2026 Carceral Systems Organizing Grant, open to grassroots organizations in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and/or Wyoming. Please read the following information carefully before beginning your application.
Overview
Grant Awards: One-year grant of $25,000
Focus: Carceral systems organizing in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and/or Wyoming.
Priority Consideration:
- Organizations led by Black, Indigenous, and people of color (51% or more leadership)
- Organizations conducting most of their work with reservation communities, and/or in rural or small towns (as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau)
- Organizations with annual budgets $500,000 USD or less
Application Deadline: Friday, June 19, 2026, 11:59 p.m. PT
Description
The 2026 Carceral Systems Organizing Grant seeks to support organizations working to eradicate carceral systems, create alternative justice solutions, or pursue system reform by addressing systemic criminalization that disproportionately targets Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) and low-income/poor communities across our five-state region.
This grant will fund organizations that meet SJF’s community organizing framework and prioritize communities underrepresented in traditional grantmaking.
We define carceral systems organizing broadly to include all systems that criminalize people’s lives based on race, poverty, gender, immigration status and/or disability. Examples include but are not limited to:
- Abolition, transformative justice, and alternatives to incarceration
- Ending racial profiling and police brutality
- Addressing racial inequities in drug laws
- Child welfare, foster care, child protective services
- Youth incarceration and the school-to-prison pipeline
- Detention and deportation of immigrant communities
- Homeless encampment sweeps and criminalization of survival needs
- Re-entry organizing by and for folks who were recently incarcerated
Some examples of organizing work that is eligible for this grant include:
- 2013 Criminal Justice Grantees
- 2016 Criminal Justice Grantees
- 2018 Criminal Justice Grantees
- 2019-2020 Criminal Justice Grantees
Timeline
- Application Open: Tuesday, May 5, 2026
- Informational Session: Thursday, May 14, 2026, 4 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. MT
- Application Deadline: Friday, June 19, 2026, 11:59 PT
- Grant Award Announcements: September 2026
Eligibility
Eligible organizations must meet the following criteria:
- Organizations that work within SJF’s community organizing framework
- This grant can fund:
- Organizations with 501(c)(3) or 501 (c)(4) status as determined by the IRS
- American Indian/NativeAmerican/First Nation Tribal Government or Agency
- Organizations that are fiscally sponsored by 501(c)(3) or 501 (c)(4) organizations or tribal governments/agencies
- Groups without a fiscal sponsor can apply, but if selected for funding, they will need to confirm a fiscal sponsor before funds can be distributed.
- SJF does not fund individuals, you must be an organized group of people.
- We do not fund direct services unless they are connected to or intertwined with community organizing work.
How to Apply
*Click here to begin your application in our Grants Portal*
Questions?
If you are unsure whether your organization qualifies or have any questions about this grant, please contact the SJF Grantmaking & Impact team at [email protected] as soon as possible. Please note that SJF offices are closed on Fridays.
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