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.

The LJF Reentry & Economic Mobility grant supports Louisiana-based organizations conducting workforce advocacy and providing reentry services with a systems analysis that addresses economic mobility, workforce development, expanded and coordinated services for formerly-incarcerated persons (FIPs) and families of system-involved folks.

What the Grant Supports:

Louisiana-based organizations implementing programs or initiatives that aim to improve employment opportunities for FIPs through direct services with an ecological systems analysis of the criminal justice system in Louisiana, policy advocacy, or integrated advocacy with direct services.

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

• “clean slate” legislative advocacy and connecting that work to the national movement;
• removing barriers to vocations and fixing the gaps in reentry services that create unnecessary barriers to living-wage employment (e.g., occupational licensure);
• strategies to ensure implementation of existing policies and laws facilitating access to employment, housing, voting, healthcare, etc., for formerly incarcerated persons; 
• policy advocacy to improve employment opportunities and economic mobility for FIPs integrated with direct services);
• services/programs/policy advocacy to mitigate the economic burden on families of detained or incarcerated folks.

Eligibility: 

Applicants must be based in North Louisiana, Central Louisiana, or Southwest Louisiana. Applicants based in the greater New Orleans and greater Baton Rouge areas are eligible if their work includes north, central, and/or southwest Louisiana communities.

 

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:

Systemic and Ecological Analysis

• The proposal reflects an ecological systems analysis of Louisiana’s criminal justice and workforce systems.
• Demonstrates understanding of structural barriers to economic mobility (e.g., criminal records, occupational licensing, housing discrimination, healthcare access).
• Identifies points of policy leverage and opportunities for reform at multiple levels (state, local, institutional).

Program Design and Approach

• Program or initiative aligns with one or more of LJF’s supported activities:
  • Workforce or “clean slate” legislative advocacy;
  • Policy efforts to remove employment or licensing barriers;
  • Implementation of reentry-related laws and policies;
  • Economic mobility and reentry service coordination;
  • Policy or services mitigating the economic burden on families of incarcerated individuals.
• Clear description of activities, partnerships, and expected outcomes.
• Integration of direct services and advocacy (where applicable) to create systemic impact.
• Demonstrates coordination with community-based, government, or workforce partners to maximize reach.

Community Leadership and Engagement

• Applicants meaningfully engage FIPs and families in design, implementation, and evaluation.
• Evidence of community trust and collaboration with grassroots organizations or networks.
• Center lived experience and community leadership in advocacy and decision-making structures.

Policy Advocacy and Systems Change Potential

• Clear policy or advocacy strategy that complements direct service efforts.
• Focus on removing systemic barriers (e.g., occupational licensing, criminal record expungement, access to employment and housing).
• Demonstrates capacity to engage in legislative, administrative, or coalition-based advocacy.
• Builds or contributes to statewide or cross-sector coalitions advancing reentry and economic justice for system-impacted persons.

Equity, Intersectionality, and Impact Measurement

• Approach explicitly addresses racial, gender, and economic inequities within the criminal legal and workforce systems.
• ncorporates intersectional analysis (e.g., recognizing impacts on women, LGBTQ+ individuals, rural communities, immigrants, etc.).
• Includes metrics and evaluation tools to measure outcomes related to reentry success, employment, and systemic change.
• Demonstrates capacity to track progress and use data for learning and adaptation.

Organizational Capacity and Sustainability

• Clear governance structure, financial health, and staffing capacity to implement the proposal.
• History of fiscal responsibility and compliance with grant requirements.
• Plan for sustaining the initiative beyond the grant term (through diversified funding, partnerships, or institutionalization of programs).

Grant Amounts:

Up to eight (8) Louisiana-based organizations will be awarded up to $100,000 each, and may be renewable 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.