Impact

Throughout its six years of grantmaking, Art for Justice Fund worked closely with its grantee partners, governing board, and evaluator Engage R+D to measure its impact. The information below comprises key metrics, policy wins, and lessons learned from A4J’s unique model of funding art and advocacy to transform the criminal legal system.

Courtesy of MASS Design Group.

A4J at a glance

  • $127M Total grantmaking
  • 450 Grants
  • 212 Grantees (130 organizations,
    82 individuals)
  • 38 Grantees received over
    $1M in funding

Impact in Priority States

This interactive map highlights a small sample of grantees from A4J’s five priority states: New York, California, Illinois, Ohio, and Michigan. The Fund also invested significantly in additional states, including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Beyond funding state-based work, close to $70M was distributed to organizations and individuals working for national impact.

An orange outline map of the contiental United States. The states of California, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and New York are filled in.
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california

Grants to CA-based grantees 40
Total funding $11.2M
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illinois

Grants to IL-based grantees 40
Total funding $4.5M
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michigan

Grants to MI-based grantees 9
Total funding $2.5M
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ohio

Grants to OH-based grantees 9
Total funding $7.1M
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new york

Grants to NY-based grantees 73
Total funding $9.8M
A black and white photo of two standing women facing you, smiling, heads towards one another.
Donor Alexandra Herzan and A4J board member Sonia Lopez. Photo by Erin Baiano.
A black and white photo of an art piece. The main portion is a rectangular solid, about the size of a shipping container for freight. Its front left corner faces you and it extends to the right. The square left face reads
The Writing on the Wall, a joint project by grantee partners Dr. Baz Dreisinger, Hank Willis Thomas, and MASS Design Group. Photo by Richard Davis.
A black and white photo of three women sitting on the edge of the stay looking at and smiling at you.
Grantee partner Kate Fowle, A4J founder Agnes Gund, and Hammer Museum director Annie Philbin. Photo by Sarah Golanka.
Photo of a group of 17 artists and advocates. Five sit on a sofa in the front row, with one person leaning against the sofa's arm. The othere 11 stand behind the sofa in roughly a row. All face the camera as a group, many smiling.
Donors Tim and Stephanie Ingrassia host A4J grantee partners at the 2021 Spring Hill Arts Gathering in Connecticut. Photo by Erin Baiano.

Jail & Prison Incarceration Rates in A4J Priority States (2016-2021)

Racial Inequality for African Americans in Prisons Compared to All (2021)

Priority states with change from 2016

Case Studies

Key Policy Wins Read more
Advancing New Narratives Through Art Read more
Building an Art and Advocacy Network Read more
Centering Directly Impacted People Read more
Engaging Allied Donors and Funders Read more
Grantmaking for Intersectional Impact Read more
Show all 6

Evaluation documents and reports produced by A4J

Downloads

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