What We Fund

What is the mission of the Joyce Foundation?

The Joyce Foundation invests in policies to advance racial equity and economic mobility for the next generation in the Great Lakes region.

What does the Foundation mean by investing in “policies”?

The Foundation seeks through its grant making to improve public policy in, and for the benefit of residents in, the Great Lakes region. Foundation grantees help improve public policy through a range of efforts detailed on the Foundation’s Policy Continuum.

Those efforts include:

• research and analysis;
• policy development;
• communications, media outreach and public engagement strategy;
• policy advocacy;
• coalition and constituency building and grass-roots organizing;
• implementation and enforcement; and
• evaluation.

Does the Foundation fund lobbying activity?

No. Federal tax law prohibits private foundations from funding lobbying activities. As mentioned above, the Foundation may support organizations engaged in public policy advocacy by, for example, providing general operating support or funding educational advocacy such as nonpartisan research, technical assistance, or examinations of broad social issues. To ensure compliance with federal tax laws, we encourage grant applicants to describe the nature of advocacy activities in their grant applications and reports. For further information, grant applicants can view our Advocacy Rules page which includes Lobbying and Advocacy Dos and Don’ts for Grantees.

The Foundation’s mission references goals of “racial equity,” “economic mobility,” and “the next generation.” Can the Foundation offer more detail on how it defines those goals and the role they each play in grant making?

Through its grant making and other policy-focused efforts, the Foundation seeks to:

• Racial Equity: Incorporate the voices of, and achieve more equitable outcomes for, Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) communities in the Great Lakes region.
• Economic Mobility: Improve the ability of individuals in the Great Lakes region to move up the economic ladder within a lifetime or from one generation to the next.
• Next Generation: Incorporate the voices of, and improve outcomes for, the next generation of Great Lakes residents, defined as young people born after 2000.

Must an applicant’s funding request address all three goals—racial equity, economic mobility, and the next generation—in order to be funded? The Foundation is deeply committed to the advancement of these three goals in the Great Lakes region. We therefore strongly encourage and prefer funding requests that articulate the advancement of one or more of the goals. We recognize, though, there may be instances where a project could improve the lives of residents in the Great Lakes region without direct advancement of one or more of these goals. Such a project may be considered for funding.

How does the Foundation define the Great Lakes region? The Foundation funds efforts to address state and local public policy in the Great Lakes region, which we define as Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin; and national public policy designed to have impact on these Great Lakes states. In addition, individual programs may have specific geographic priorities for funding. Please refer to the program-specific guidelines section below for more information.

Are there types of projects the Foundation typically does NOT fund? Yes, there are types of projects the Foundation typically does not fund. For example, other than by direct invitation, the Foundation does not fund:

• Capital proposals
• Endowment campaigns
• Direct service programs
• Commercial ventures
• Religious activities
• Scholarships.

Who can I contact to talk to about my proposal? Please start by reviewing the information below about our core program areas to get a sense of how your proposal may or may not fit with our current funding priorities. If you believe your proposal is a fit, you can visit the How to Apply page and also reach out to the following email address with any application-related questions to the attention of the appropriate program officer: applications@joycefdn.org.

How long does it take from the time I send a proposal until a decision is made whether to fund it?

For information on schedules, please see our review process.

The Foundation is excited to have a new Culture program director, Mia Khimm. In collaboration with a range of stakeholders, Mia is developing a new strategy for the program, which we expect to unveil in the summer of 2021. Until further notice, except for the Joyce Awards, the program is focused on supporting active grantees through the COVID-19 crisis and therefore not inviting applications from new grantees.

Joyce Awards

The Joyce Awards is the only regional program supporting artists of color in major Great Lakes cities, aims to strengthen cross-cultural understanding by bringing diverse audiences together Learn more about the application deadlines below.

• Joyce Awards Letter of Inquiry (LOI) Deadline: September 14, 2020
• Applicants will be notified about the status of their application by May 2021.
• Artists and arts organizations interested in applying for the Joyce Awards can get more information here.
• A Word document version of the Joyce Awards LOI can be found here.
• Joyce Awards Frequently Asked Questions can be found here.

The Joyce Foundation’s Democracy Program seeks to build a more equitable democracy by investing in policies to protect and expand voting rights, fair representation, and accurate census data. The brief description below explains our approaches to this work and the types of projects we seek to fund as part of our 2021-2025 strategy. For any questions you may have about our work or to inquire about applying for funding, please feel free to reach out to democracy@joycefdn.org.

Our Approach

The Democracy Program pursues its mission to build a more equitable democracy by striving for participation and representation of all people who call the Great Lakes home. This work focuses on three key underpinnings of a functional and equitable democracy.

Voting Rights and Elections

Protecting voting rights and well-run elections are the very heart of a functioning democracy. Elections should be free, fair, accessible, and trusted. Yet, far too often, our elections fall short of that aspiration. We will support two interrelated areas of work within this area: (1) protect and expand voting rights and access to the vote, and promote tested elections best practices; and (2) support research and policy solutions to remedy voting barriers that are a product of systemic racism or have discriminatory impact. Both initiatives will encompass work throughout the policy spectrum – research and testing, public education and engagement, policy and legal advocacy, support for implementation, and evaluation and refinement.

Fair Representation

In a healthy democracy, representation should be determined by the electorate in a fair, transparent, and accountable process. Our approach here involves two initiatives.

First, we will support adoption and implementation of fair redistricting policies and practices within the Great Lakes states. We will support proactive efforts to achieve reform, as well as implementation in states that have adopted redistricting reform to help them run effectively and to learn from their experiences. We will also support defensive work to push back against gerrymandering and other efforts to draw districts behind closed doors.

Second, we will explore the need for reforms to other laws or policies that undermine voters’ ability to determine who represents them. The broader representation work encompassed in this second initiative is likely to begin with research to identify and assess other policies that undermine representation, and then lead to engagement and advocacy once recommended reforms are identified.

Census Data Accuracy

The 2020 decennial census experienced multiple complex problems that impacted census operations and, ultimately, appears to have impacted the quality of census data. The Foundation will support three census-related initiatives: (1) assess the impact of 2020 census problems on data quality, including the extent of any inaccuracies overall and with respect to specific subpopulations; (2) support corrective action to remedy census data integrity and alternative options if census data is too flawed for certain uses; and (3) policy improvements for future censuses gleaned from assessment of the 2020 census.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Joyce fund voter registration or get out the vote work? Yes, but only within certain limitations. Joyce has to follow special rules that apply to private foundations, which generally cannot make project grants to fund voter registration unless the project meets very narrow exceptions – it must take place in five or more states and during more than one election cycle (note a primary and general election for the same office counts as the same cycle). Joyce does support other permissible, related activities including public education about the voter registration process and advocacy to improve voter registration policy. For more information about the voter registration limitations on private foundations, see Bolder Advocacy’s helpful one-pager. Other nonpartisan voter education, engagement, and get out the vote programs conducted by 501(c)(3) organizations may be considered for funding if those programs are part of an overall project aligned with Joyce’s voting rights strategy described above.

Do you support civics education or civic engagement? Mostly no. We do not work on civics education or general civic engagement. The only exception is if a project is part of an education and engagement strategy related to one of our three focus areas (see above) or is focused on addressing barriers to voting that are a by-product of systemic racism. One such example is Democracy Program funding to support implementation of Illinois’ “Unlock Civics” law that incorporates civics and voting education in state corrections settings and removes barriers to voting for returning citizens and citizens held in county jails.

Do you support high school or college student voter engagement? Yes, both the Foundation’s Democracy Program and Education and Economic Mobility Program support student voter engagement. To qualify for the Democracy Program, we look for projects that seek to remove barriers to student voting or that improve voting and elections policies to make voting more accessible to students. To qualify for the Education and Economic Mobility Program, we look for efforts by college students to improve state higher education policy. If you are unsure which program may be better aligned with your project, please feel free to reach out to the relevant program staff to inquire.

Do you fund litigation? Yes, we do fund litigation if it aligns with our Democracy Program focus areas.

Do you fund work on other democracy subjects such as money in politics, fair courts, government accountability, or civil discourse? No, our Democracy Program work is currently focused on voting rights and elections, redistricting and representation, and census data accuracy only.

If I want to submit a request a funding, what would be an appropriate amount? Ultimately, it's up to each applicant to decide on an appropriate request amount based on the specifics of the project, but we can provide some context that may help inform your request. While there are exceptions, typical Democracy Program grants tend to be in the $25,000-$100,000 per year range for one-time or state-specific projects to approximately $200,000 per year for larger multistate projects. The majority of our Democracy Program grants are for one year or two years. We do not typically provide general operating grants.

Do you support events? Occasionally, if the event is relevant to the Democracy Program’s three focus areas described above. Please contact Democracy program staff to discuss prior to submitting a letter of inquiry.

Below is information explaining the types of projects we fund through our Education & Economic Mobility Program for 2021-2025. For questions, please reach out to EEM@joycefdn.org.

Our Approach

The Education & Economic Mobility Program, through the focus areas below, works to increase the number of historically underserved young people who move up the economic ladder by ensuring equitable access to high-quality education and jobs. We invest in local, state and federal policies that ensure historically underserved young people have effective educators, graduate high school with academic and career momentum, and attain college credentials with economic value. We also support policies that help ensure low-wage workers achieve economic stability, dignity, and mobility. In the short term, we will invest in research, policy development, and advocacy to help the education systems recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Effective Educators

Advance federal, state and district policies to ensure historically underserved students in the Great Lakes region have highly effective, diverse teachers and principals. Efforts include research, policy development, advocacy, and technical assistance to reform teacher preparation, diversify the educator pipeline, build strong pathways from high school into teaching, and overhaul school staffing models to support principals and spread the reach of great teachers. Our investments here are focused on Illinois, Indiana, and Minnesota and on national efforts.

College and Career Readiness

Support federal, state and school district policies that ensure historically underserved young people in the Great Lakes region graduate high school ready for college and career success. Efforts include research, policy development, and advocacy to reform dual-credit and remediation policies, expand access to quality work-based learning opportunities, and align K-12, post-secondary and workforce systems.

Post-Secondary Success

Support federal and state policies to close race- and family income-based gaps in college attainment. Efforts include scaling up proven student support models to improve community college outcomes; preserving access for students of color and rural students to affordable, high- quality public college options and to labor markets that require college degrees; seeking racial and family income representativeness at selective public universities; and supporting advocacy, litigation, and policy development to narrow gaps in post-graduate financial outcomes for students of color and low-income students.

Future of Work

Support state and federal policies to help low-wage workers achieve greater economic stability, dignity, and mobility, with a special focus on technology’s role in the workplace and labor market. Specifically, we will support state policy to ensure employees can access public benefits, refundable tax credit policies, and nascent policy development on issues of technology and the labor market.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Great Lakes states do you focus your state and local district policy work/investments?

In the K-12 portfolio, we focus mainly on Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota at the state level. At the district level, we focus on Chicago, Indianapolis and Minneapolis. We also fund limited college and career readiness work in Ohio. In the post-secondary success portfolio, we focus on Ohio, Minnesota, Illinois, and Michigan, but will consider select grants in Wisconsin.

Do you fund specific programs aimed at helping young people become economically mobile?

No. In general, our investments are focused along the Joyce grant making continuum, strongly emphasizing research, policy development, advocacy and policy implementation. For example, our Educator Effectiveness portfolio seeks to grow high-quality teacher training routes, such as quality alternative certification and residency models. In this issue, we support state and federal policy development and advocacy aimed at ensuring these routes lead to a diverse and high- quality workforce. We do not fund the teacher training programs, themselves, nor do we fund stipends for teacher candidates in the residency programs.

Are there important education and economic mobility issues that are not addressed by Joyce’s Education & Economic Mobility Program?

• Yes. With limited resources, we are focused on the challenges described in the program guidelines above. Topics that fall outside our priorities include:
• Pre-K programs aimed at children birth to five. Our education grant making is focused on policies in the kindergarten through post-secondary space;
• Scholarships, school voucher programs, and similar programs that primarily benefit individuals. Our focus is on district, state, and federal policy and system change;
• Capital campaigns directed at improving public schools; and
• Job training programs. We do not focus investments on efforts to promote employment without some connection to post-secondary education and training.

Do you fund government agencies and programs?

We generally make grants only to nonprofit organizations. However, we occasionally fund government initiatives that promise to lead to school district/statewide system or policy changes.

Do you support efforts to improve diversity within a college or university department?

We focus our higher education investments on state and federal policy rather than faculty or student diversity initiatives within college or university departments.

Do you fund state and federal efforts that seek to make college free or cancel debt?

Our goal is to close race and family income-based gaps in college attainment. We believe some free college proposals are geared more toward this goal than others, and we think that some problems are not fully addressed by many free college plans. Some of these problems include race/income disparities in the student bodies of selective public universities, disparities in the resources at various colleges, and the integration of student success programs that can double graduation rates at community colleges. We consider funding that relates to public policy areas like free college and debt cancellation through this lens.

Does Joyce fund education research?

We focus on applied public policy research. The research must be geared towards informing how district, state or federal policymakers might approach a significant problem. Often, this means researching whether a specific district, state, or federal policy has been—or would be effective— in helping students and/or what might be the unintended consequences of the policy.

For questions, please reach out to EEM@joycefdn.org.

Our Approach

The Education & Economic Mobility Program, through the focus areas below, works to increase the number of historically underserved young people who move up the economic ladder by ensuring equitable access to high-quality education and jobs. We invest in local, state and federal policies that ensure historically underserved young people have effective educators, graduate high school with academic and career momentum, and attain college credentials with economic value. We also support policies that help ensure low-wage workers achieve economic stability, dignity, and mobility. In the short term, we will invest in research, policy development, and advocacy to help the education systems recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Effective Educators

Advance federal, state and district policies to ensure historically underserved students in the Great Lakes region have highly effective, diverse teachers and principals. Efforts include research, policy development, advocacy, and technical assistance to reform teacher preparation, diversify the educator pipeline, build strong pathways from high school into teaching, and overhaul school staffing models to support principals and spread the reach of great teachers. Our investments here are focused on Illinois, Indiana, and Minnesota and on national efforts.

College and Career Readiness

Support federal, state and school district policies that ensure historically underserved young people in the Great Lakes region graduate high school ready for college and career success. Efforts include research, policy development, and advocacy to reform dual-credit and remediation policies, expand access to quality work-based learning opportunities, and align K-12, post-secondary and workforce systems.

Post-Secondary Success

Support federal and state policies to close race- and family income-based gaps in college attainment. Efforts include scaling up proven student support models to improve community college outcomes; preserving access for students of color and rural students to affordable, high- quality public college options and to labor markets that require college degrees; seeking racial and family income representativeness at selective public universities; and supporting advocacy, litigation, and policy development to narrow gaps in post-graduate financial outcomes for students of color and low-income students.

Future of Work

Support state and federal policies to help low-wage workers achieve greater economic stability, dignity, and mobility, with a special focus on technology’s role in the workplace and labor market. Specifically, we will support state policy to ensure employees can access public benefits, refundable tax credit policies, and nascent policy development on issues of technology and the labor market.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Great Lakes states do you focus your state and local district policy work/investments?

In the K-12 portfolio, we focus mainly on Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota at the state level. At the district level, we focus on Chicago, Indianapolis and Minneapolis. We also fund limited college and career readiness work in Ohio. In the post-secondary success portfolio, we focus on Ohio, Minnesota, Illinois, and Michigan, but will consider select grants in Wisconsin.

Do you fund specific programs aimed at helping young people become economically mobile?

No. In general, our investments are focused along the Joyce grant making continuum, strongly emphasizing research, policy development, advocacy and policy implementation. For example, our Educator Effectiveness portfolio seeks to grow high-quality teacher training routes, such as quality alternative certification and residency models. In this issue, we support state and federal policy development and advocacy aimed at ensuring these routes lead to a diverse and high- quality workforce. We do not fund the teacher training programs, themselves, nor do we fund stipends for teacher candidates in the residency programs.

Are there important education and economic mobility issues that are not addressed by Joyce’s Education & Economic Mobility Program?

• Yes. With limited resources, we are focused on the challenges described in the program guidelines above. Topics that fall outside our priorities include:
• Pre-K programs aimed at children birth to five. Our education grant making is focused on policies in the kindergarten through post-secondary space;
• Scholarships, school voucher programs, and similar programs that primarily benefit individuals. Our focus is on district, state, and federal policy and system change;
• Capital campaigns directed at improving public schools; and
• Job training programs. We do not focus investments on efforts to promote employment without some connection to post-secondary education and training.

Do you fund government agencies and programs?

We generally make grants only to nonprofit organizations. However, we occasionally fund government initiatives that promise to lead to school district/statewide system or policy changes.

Do you support efforts to improve diversity within a college or university department?

We focus our higher education investments on state and federal policy rather than faculty or student diversity initiatives within college or university departments.

Do you fund state and federal efforts that seek to make college free or cancel debt?

Our goal is to close race and family income-based gaps in college attainment. We believe some free college proposals are geared more toward this goal than others, and we think that some problems are not fully addressed by many free college plans. Some of these problems include race/income disparities in the student bodies of selective public universities, disparities in the resources at various colleges, and the integration of student success programs that can double graduation rates at community colleges. We consider funding that relates to public policy areas like free college and debt cancellation through this lens.

Does Joyce fund education research?

We focus on applied public policy research. The research must be geared towards informing how district, state or federal policymakers might approach a significant problem. Often, this means researching whether a specific district, state, or federal policy has been—or would be effective— in helping students and/or what might be the unintended consequences of the policy.

The Joyce Foundation makes grants for projects that fit within the Environment Program’s strategy for 2021-2025. That strategy is outlined below. If you have questions about whether your work fits within the strategy or other questions about applying for an environmental grant from the Joyce Foundation, please contact environment@joycefdn.org.

Our Approach

The Environment Program works to solve long-term environmental challenges that threaten the next generation in the Great Lakes region. The program has two focus areas: Climate Solutions and Great Lakes & Drinking Water.

Climate Solutions

The Climate Solutions focus area supports efforts to put Joyce states on a path to achieve just, equitable, carbon-free electric power systems by 2040. This includes work to secure long-term state commitments to transition to carbon-free electricity; achieve full implementation of near- term state energy efficiency and renewable energy policies; and support policy innovation to achieve complete, equitable decarbonization that closes the gap between the reductions that can be driven by current clean energy policies and 100 percent decarbonization.

Grants in this focus area support work across the Joyce grantmaking continuum, strongly emphasizing state policy advocacy and implementation. Projects in Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota receive the most support, with lesser funding available for work in Ohio and Wisconsin and for efforts at the regional level in the Great Lakes/Upper Midwest.

Great Lakes & Drinking Water

The Great Lakes and Drinking Water focus area includes two initiatives. First, we seek to address major threats to the health of the Great Lakes by supporting efforts to reduce polluted runoff in rural and urban areas; improve water infrastructure performance, management, and funding, with a focus on remedying water system disparities in communities of color; prevent the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species; prevent unsustainable diversions from the Great Lakes by enforcing the Great Lakes Compact; prevent groundwater depletion; and reduce the risk of oil spills from oil transport by continuing to support closure of the Enbridge Line 5 oil pipeline. Second, to help make certain that the next generation in our region has access to safe, affordable drinking water, the Environment Program supports equitable water policy that ensures that water systems and infrastructure provide safe, affordable water services for everyone, focusing on efforts to develop and support utility, municipal, state, and federal policies that reduce the risk of lead exposure in drinking water and ensure high quality, affordable water services.

Most grants in this focus area are aimed at state and local policy in Ohio, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin. The federal policy priorities are largely limited to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, water infrastructure, and invasive species prevention. In both Great Lakes & Drinking Water initiatives, the Environment Program will support research, policy development, coalition building, communications, advocacy, policy implementation, policy enforcement, and evaluation.

Frequently Asked Questions

How competitive is the application process for Environment Program grants? The Environment Program provides multi-year funding for many projects, so a significant share of its annual budget is pre-committed each year. There is a lot of competition for the limited number of new grants we are able to make. So we can provide feedback and guidance, we strongly encourage new applicants to send an email to environment@joycefdn.org briefly outlining your project idea before submitting a letter of inquiry. Here is additional information about the availability of new funding in the Environment Program’s two focus areas:

1. Climate Solutions: For work related to long-term power sector decarbonization and implementation of near-term clean energy policies, the Environment Program prioritizes supporting organizations that are working in collaboration with other groups through strategic policy advocacy campaigns. For work on equitable deep decarbonization policy innovation, the Environment Program is not currently accepting unsolicited grant requests.
2. Great Lakes & Drinking Water: As the Great Lakes & Drinking Water portfolio has expanded, the grant program has become very competitive. At this time, for organizations new to the program, we are prioritizing applications from organizations led by people of color and bringing the experiences and perspectives of Black and Brown people to water policy work. We also are not inviting proposals for new work related to groundwater or the closure of the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline.

How is the Joyce Foundation’s mission of advancing racial equity and economic mobility for the next generation in the Great Lakes region reflected in the Environment Program’s grants? All communities face climate and water challenges, but the most severe impacts often fall on people from communities that have lacked investment because of structural racism or other barriers. The Environment Program is particularly interested in climate and water policy solutions that also increase equity by improving utility affordability, creating jobs for people in disadvantaged communities, and reducing exposure to pollutants, especially those like lead that are particularly harmful to children. In addition to the importance of equitable outcomes, it is critical that policies are developed through genuinely inclusive processes. We prioritize supporting projects that are grounded in, and guided by, the perspectives of people impacted by the environmental issues being addressed.

Are there important climate and Great Lakes issues that are NOT addressed by Joyce’s Environment Program? Yes. With limited resources, the Environment Program is focused on the specific challenges and opportunities described in the program guidelines, above. Issues that fall outside Joyce’s priorities include:

• Anti-fossil fuel campaigns, including efforts to shut down or prevent construction of new fossil fuel facilities or infrastructure, except as integral parts of broader 100 percent clean electricity campaigns or otherwise specified in the program guidelines;
• Projects related to fluctuating lake levels, forest management, terrestrial invasive species, mining, toxic pollutants (including Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances [PFAS]), or other Great Lakes environmental problems not specifically noted in the program guidelines; and
• Local community climate action or climate resilience, including development or implementation of municipal plans, with limited exceptions for our home community of Chicago.

Are there whole types of environmental projects the Foundation does NOT fund? Yes. The Environment Program generally does not fund:

• Environmental education, whether through educational institutions or aimed at the general public;
• Conferences or other public events, except as part of broader policy-focused initiatives supported by the Foundation;
• Local conservation or cleanup projects, including efforts to preserve individual species or to purchase, restore or remediate land;
• Basic scientific research related to environmental problems or solutions;
• Physical infrastructure, including lead service line replacement, community solar power installations, etc.; or
• Pilot projects to demonstrate the effectiveness of emerging technologies.

Do you fund environmental justice work? Yes, we support environmental justice organizations working to improve policies related to the climate and water issues identified in our guidelines. We prioritize organizations grounded in and accountable to communities impacted by unfair implementation and enforcement of environmental policies. We do not provide funding for campaigns to block or close specific facilities, clean up polluted sites, or for general operating support.

Given your focus on the Great Lakes region, do you give grants to national organizations? Yes. The Joyce Foundation makes grants to national organizations whose work in the Great Lakes region advances the Foundation’s Climate Solutions or Great Lakes & Drinking Water priorities.

Do you provide in-state grants in New York and Pennsylvania? No, we do not make grants for work in New York or Pennsylvania. Our grant portfolio is focused in the Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

Here is information explaining our work and the types of projects we seek to fund as part of our 2021-2025 strategy. For any questions you may have, please feel free to reach out to GVPJR@joycefdn.org.

Our Approach

The mission of the Gun Violence Prevention & Justice Reform Program is building safe and just communities in the Great Lakes region. Our grant making approach encompasses three focus areas: (1) reducing gun violence in the Great Lakes region; (2) reforming the justice system in the areas of policing, and alternatives to arrest and incarceration; and 3) advancing violence intervention policy and practice as a gun violence prevention strategy, and an alternative to arrest and incarceration.

Reducing Gun Violence in the Great Lakes Region

Gun violence remains one of the central health and safety challenges of our time, with more than 110,000 Americans injured or killed by guns every year. Gun violence in all its forms—community violence, domestic violence, mass shootings, suicide, and accidental gun deaths and injuries— undermines the ability of the next generation to thrive. The evidence is clear that reducing gun violence requires reducing the easy availability of guns. To reduce deaths and injuries from gun violence, the Foundation supports projects to: (a) strengthen gun violence prevention policies in the Great Lakes region; (b) conduct research and improve data collection to inform policy development, implementation, and advocacy; (c) educate young people about the risks of guns; (d) use the courts to advance and defend gun violence prevention policies; and (e) engage funders in supporting gun violence prevention.

Reforming the Justice System

Racial equity is at the core of the Foundation’s focus on justice system reform, where police violence and mass incarceration disproportionately impact young Black and Hispanic males. We take an intersectional approach which seeks to reduce racial disparities in policing and incarceration by rethinking the standard response to gun crime of aggressive policing, arrests, and incarceration of young gun possessors. Our funding supports projects that: (a) reform policing through building police-community trust and legitimacy, reducing the use of force by police officers, and increasing police accountability; (b) develop alternatives to arrest and incarceration for young people who commit non-violent gun offenses; and (c) reimagine the future of public safety.

Violence Intervention

Community-based gun violence disproportionately impacts young Black and brown people, and is highly concentrated within neighborhoods and social networks. Victimization increases the likelihood that an individual will be victimized again or become a perpetrator of gun violence themselves. A growing body of evidence supports community-based violence intervention as a strategy that can break this cycle and contribute to individual and neighborhood safety and reduce reliance on the criminal justice system. The GVPJR Program will support violence intervention through: (a) research to identify best practices for design, delivery and funding of violence intervention programs; (b) professional development and technical assistance for the community of public and private sector violence intervention practitioners; and (c) support for policies to secure public sector support for violence intervention.

Frequently Asked Questions

Please tell me more about your focus on policy and systems change.

We focus our grant making on initiatives that promise to inform policy development, advocacy and implementation, and that seek to improve the public sector institutions that impact gun violence and the criminal justice system. That includes advancing the public debate about important policy issues, most notably those that reduce access to firearms by those at greatest risk of violence and those that improve the fairness of the justice system, through original research and analysis; public education and engagement; and coalition and constituency building, among other tactics. We believe such policy initiatives can lead to broad, systemic changes that affect the most people over the long run.

Do you fund initiatives outside the Great Lakes region?

We fund national projects, including research and policy advocacy, that are likely to have an impact on gun violence prevention, justice reform or violence intervention policy or practice in the Great Lakes region. Our state and local work is concentrated in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. The Gun Violence Prevention & Justice Reform Program also makes grants to select initiatives in Pennsylvania. Applicants for projects in Ohio should consult with a member of the program team before submitting a letter of inquiry.

Do you make grants to law enforcement agencies?

While we do not make grants to support law enforcement operations, we do support projects that engage law enforcement leaders in gun violence prevention, justice system reform, and violence intervention. We also support law enforcement/researcher partnerships to identify best practices.

What types of projects do you support in the justice reform focus area?

In the areas of policing, alternatives to arrest and incarceration for young people who commit non-violent gun offenses, and reimagining public safety, we are interested in funding projects including:

• research, including evaluations of promising models,
• pilot initiatives in the Great Lakes region,
• policy development,
• federal, state or local policy advocacy,
• law enforcement-researcher partnerships,
• communications and narrative change, and
• public and stakeholder education and engagement, including grassroots organizing and convenings.

Does your justice reform work target specific age groups?

The GVPJR Program’s grants to develop alternatives to arrest and incarceration should target young adults who commit non-violent gun offenses. Our grant making to reform policing and reimagine public safety is not limited to specific age groups, although we are most interested in projects that will advance racial equity.

Do you fund school or community-based programs in violence prevention and intervention (i.e. direct service)?

No, we generally do not fund direct service programs. Our funding for violence intervention is focused on research, advocacy, and support for national or regional communities of practice.

Does your justice reform work support prison reform or re-entry programs?

No, we do not support prison reform or re-entry programs. The GVPJR Program’s justice reform grant making is focused on identifying alternatives to arrest and incarceration to keep young adults from entering the system.

The brief description below explains our approaches to supporting journalism and the types of projects we seek to fund as part of our 2021-2025 strategy. For any questions you may have about our work or to inquire about applying for funding, please feel free to reach out to journalism@joycefdn.org.

Our Approach

The Joyce Foundation’s Journalism Program seeks to deepen the impact of Foundation programs’ investment in policy by supporting journalism that shines a light on conditions we hope to change, policies we support, and success stories that present solutions to problems. We support high-quality investigative, public affairs journalism in the Great Lakes region, as well as local, state and national media – primarily nonprofit – covering issues related to Joyce program areas. We also support public affairs journalism training for early career journalists, particularly journalists of color.

Frequently Asked Questions

What types of journalism grantmaking do you support?

We primarily support nonprofit journalism organizations that cover issues in the Great Lakes region related to Joyce program areas. We also selectively fund national media coverage of critical issues in our region. Funded platforms have included digital news organizations, radio, and podcast.

What are examples of the journalism you support?

Among recent recipients of our Journalism grants is Report for America, a nonprofit service program that places emerging journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues. In 2019, the Foundation provided funding for six reporters to be based in statehouses in the Great Lakes region for 18 months.

Another grant recipient is Bridge magazine, a nonprofit news organization operated by the Center for Michigan. Our funding has supported Bridge’s coverage of the environment and other key issues behind public policy and civic life in Michigan.

A third grantee is The Trace, a non-partisan, nonprofit newsroom dedicated to shining more light on the country’s gun violence crisis. With our funding, The Trace has reported on gun violence impacts and gun safety legislation and policies in Chicago and the Great Lakes, collaborating with regional media partners.

Do you provide general operating support for news organizations?

No, our journalism funding is issues and project based.

Do you fund documentary filmmaking?

No, we do not support documentary filmmaking.

Do you fund journalism education?

We do not support general education for journalism students. We have supported professional development for working journalists focused on important issues, such as understanding the census.