JustVA Fund

The JustVA Fund supports efforts at the intersection of criminal and racial justice in Virginia. Virginia’s history of colonization and slavery have resulted in a longstanding legacy of racism that surfaces in the criminalization of Virginia residents who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color. Through this fund, we seek to support organizations working to make changes across the criminal legal system to advance critical shifts, ones that actively dismantle structural racism within the Commonwealth to create a more equitable and just world for Virginians.

The JustVA Fund Cohort

This is the inaugural grantmaking round of the JustVA Fund. It supports Black, Indigenous, and people of color led and centered organizations working in Virginia across various and intersecting issues in the criminal legal system actively making critical changes toward equity and justice. These organizations take a strong and active approach to anti-racism; uplift truthful narrative and amplify voices of Black, Indigenous, and people of color; center and celebrate the value and dignity of lived experience; intentionally and strategically build the power of Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities; and take a holistic approach to their work around the criminal legal system that is intersectional, responsive to historical and present-day traumas, and allows for collective imagination in this work.

We seek the following outcomes through JustVA:

For our communities

  • Power: System-impacted Black, Indigenous, and people of color are empowered to advance fair and equitable outcomes on criminal legal and racial justice issues they deem most critical for themselves, their families, and their communities.
  • Community Building: Individuals have the connections and relationships they need with people and organizations to work in partnership with others to create transformative changes in the criminal legal system.

For our grantees

  • Systems Change: Organizations engage in community-centered and -led change making strategies that advance fair and equitable laws and practices for Black, Indigenous, and people of color who are system involved.
  • Strength: Organizations are better positioned to build the power and bolster the visibility of Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities who are system involved because they are better resourced to advance their efforts.

For our foundation

  • Understanding: The foundation deepens our knowledge about systems change at the intersection of criminal and racial justice, and partners with organizations and individuals working to advance it.

JustVA Grantee Partners

In December of 2021, the Weissberg Foundation awarded three-year grants to the following organizations. Though each grantee takes a different approach to seeing through criminal legal change, each brings a deep understanding of principles of equity and justice to the work.

Learn more about our JustVA grantees.