Overview: Governor Maura T. Healey, the Massachusetts State Legislature, the Secretary of Public Safety and Security Terrence Reidy, and the Restorative Justice Advisory Committee (RJAC) are pleased to announce the FY2024 Commonwealth Restorative Justice Community Grant Program. The Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) and the Office of Grants and Research (OGR), which is responsible for administering this Availability of Grant Funds (AGF), invite eligible applicants to submit proposals for grant funds under the FY2024 Commonwealth Restorative Justice Community Grant. Priority will be given to FY2023 awardees.
Supported Grant Activities and Services:
• Planning: costs associated with meetings, coordination, and future implementation of restorative justice programs (e.g., finding community spaces for facilitation, consultations with experienced restorative justice facilitators, holding educational community forums, etc.). Note: Reasonable costs associated with providing food and beverage while hosting community forums or training will be permitted with prior approval from OGR.
• Training: costs associated with hiring/providing restorative justice experts to train organization staff and participants in such techniques and programming (e.g., hiring experienced restorative justice trainers, etc.). Note: Reasonable costs associated with providing food and beverage while hosting community forums or training will be permitted with prior approval from OGR.
• Programming: costs associated with initiating or expanding restorative justice program capacity, circle participation and the like (e.g., program materials, centerpiece, providing a stipend/fee for speakers such as survivors who are working behind the prison walls to tell their story).
• Equipment/Technology: costs associated with the purchasing of technology and equipment that will be used to support staff in community-based restorative justice programs (e.g., laptops, IT support, virtual meeting platforms (e.g., Zoom), etc.)
None is available.
Preference will be given to organizations that have adopted and understand restorative justice philosophy, are active in low-income communities, are implementing restorative justice programming and wish to expand capacity and/or seek training. OGR encourages collaborative applications to strengthen and build partnerships in furtherance of providing restorative justice services to communities.