Foundation for Louisiana is proud to launch a new grant opportunity through the Louisiana Justice Fund.  

The Louisiana Justice Fund (LJF) is a pooled fund housed at FFL that supports projects that reduce incarceration, improve reentry outcomes, and remove barriers to economic mobility for individuals disproportionately affected by the criminal legal system. The Fund strategically invests resources to drive meaningful and lasting change. LJF values collaboration, capacity building, and strategic advocacy in its efforts to bring about lasting change in Louisiana's criminal legal landscape. LJF aims to achieve this through strategic investments in north Louisiana, central Louisiana, southwest Louisiana, Greater New Orleans, and Greater Baton Rouge areas through three grantmaking goals: 1) strengthen the ecosystem of criminal legal system reform organizations, 2) invest in organizations to shift narratives on safety, crime, and accountability, and 3) increase economic mobility for criminal legal system impacted folks.

LJF's Narrative Change grants support development and dissemination of counternarratives to criminality of youth, communities of color, immigrants, unhoused and poor people in Louisiana, as well as defensive and affirmative communications and narrative strategies that shift narratives on safety, crime, and accountability prioritizing prevention, equity, and restoration and contributing to an enabling environment for legal policy and social change.

What the Grant Supports:

Examples of the type of work LJF will support include, but are not limited to:

• counternarrative and message development;
• polling, public opinion research, spokesperson development, story-gathering, and collateral (marketing and promo materials) development;
• coordinated message deployment and use;
• dissemination and amplification of counternarratives and messages (earned media, digital campaigns, owned media, and social media); and
• training and technical assistance to strengthen the overall communications capacity and skill sets of the ecosystem.

Eligibility: 

Applicants must either have federal tax-exempt/501(c)3 status or have a fiscal sponsor with federal tax-exempt/501(c)3 status.

Applicants with leadership that includes system-impacted individuals or those from communities most affected by criminalization and incarceration are encouraged.

Selection Criteria:

Organizational Eligibility and Mission Alignment

• The organization’s mission, programs, or advocacy efforts demonstrate a commitment to justice reform, racial equity, and systemic transformation.
• Preference given to organizations led by or centering directly impacted communities (youth, communities of color, immigrants, unhoused, or low-income people).
• Applicant shows a track record of communications, advocacy, or narrative work relevant to criminal legal reform and community safety.

Narrative Strategy and Systems Understanding

• Clear understanding of prevailing narratives that criminalize target populations (youth, communities of color, immigrants, unhoused, poor).
• Demonstrates a thoughtful narrative analysis that identifies root causes, harmful tropes, and opportunities for intervention.
• Outlines a strategic theory of change—how storytelling, framing, and message development will contribute to systemic or policy shifts.
• Connects narrative work to broader social and legal change goals (e.g., decarceration, restorative justice, equitable safety).

Program Design and Implementation Plan

• Clearly defined activities and outputs, such as:
  • Counternarrative and message development
  • Polling and public opinion research
  • Spokesperson training and story-gathering
  • Collateral and digital content production
  • Dissemination through earned, owned, or social media
• Realistic timeline, milestones, and deliverables.
• Identifies key audiences and communication channels for impact.
• Demonstrates a plan for collaboration and coordination with other organizations or coalitions in the narrative ecosystem.

Community Leadership and Centering of Impacted Voices

• Meaningful inclusion of system-impacted individuals in the design, production, and dissemination of messages.
• Demonstrated partnerships with community-based organizations, youth leaders, or grassroots media creators.
• Narrative work reflects authentic community storytelling and not extractive or externally imposed perspectives.

Communication Capacity and Technical Proficiency

• Demonstrated experience in communications, digital strategy, or narrative development.
• Adequate staff capacity, expertise, and technology to manage content creation and distribution.
• Plans for training, mentorship, or technical assistance to strengthen in-house communications capabilities.
• Ability to measure reach and engagement across communications channels.

Potential for Narrative Shift and Broader Impact

• Clear articulation of target audiences and desired shifts in perception or behavior.
• Evidence-based or research-informed messaging strategy.
• Potential for measurable narrative or discourse change, such as:
  • Increased public support for prevention- and equity-based safety policies
  • Reduced stigmatization of system-impacted individuals
  • Greater visibility of alternative narratives around justice and accountability
• Plan for tracking and evaluating narrative outcomes (media mentions, engagement metrics, public sentiment, coalition impact).

Equity, Inclusion, and Intersectionality

• Explicitly addresses how race, class, gender, immigration status, or disability intersect in criminalization narratives.
• Center voices that are often marginalized within advocacy spaces (e.g., women, youth, LGBTQ+, immigrants).
• Demonstrates internal organizational commitment to equity in staffing, partnerships, and storytelling.

Evaluation, Learning, and Sustainability

• Defines clear metrics and learning goals, such as audience reach, message resonance, or media coverage.
• Plans for reflection, evaluation, and iteration based on audience feedback or data insights.
• Demonstrates ability to sustain narrative work beyond the grant through partnerships, funding diversification, or institutional integration.
• Willingness to share learnings and outcomes with LJF and peer grantees.

Grant Amounts:

Up to 10 organizations will be awarded up to $75,000 each, and may be renewed for up to one year.

Timeline:

• October 24: Application opens
• November 12: Informational webinar
• December 5: Applications due by 11:59 pm CT
• January 5-30, 2026: Review period
• February 2, 2026: Notification of award
• February 9, 2026: Anticipated grant start date

To Apply:

We use Submittable to accept and review our submissions.  Please access the application here.

This application has five sections:

1. Contact Information & Organization Overview
2. Narrative
3. Budget
4. Supporting Documents
5. Project Support

More Information:

An FAQ with more information about eligibility and funding range can be found here.

Resources and support for our online application portal, Submittable, are available here.

Download a PDF of this RFP here.

For questions about this opportunity, eligibility, or how to prepare your application materials. Email us at ljfsupport@foundationforlouisiana.org.

Want to learn more about how our application has been designed to be inclusive of Louisianans with disabilities?  Learn more here. To discuss accommodations, please contact Jamie Schmill at jschmill@foundationforlouisiana.org or call us at (225)383-1672.  Please refrain from calling or emailing except to discuss accommodations.

Foundation for Louisiana follows an equal opportunity employment policy, hiring personnel without regard to race, creed, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, age, physical or mental ability, veteran status, military obligations, criminal legal background, or marital status.