Michigan Justice Fund Releases Five-Year Annual Report, Announces Next Chapter

Over five years ago, the Michigan Justice Fund (MJF) set out to prove that investing in people, not systems of incarceration, produces safer, stronger communities. Now, the results are documented. At its July Annual Summit, MJF released its 2025 Five-Year Anniversary Annual Report and today it announces a transition to formal fiscal sponsorship under NEO Philanthropy, effective August 24, 2026 — MJF’s next step in building the infrastructure to match its growth.

Since its founding in 2020, MJF has secured over $30 million in funding for work across the state of Michigan and awarded 373 grants to 110 organizations. Michigan’s prison population is now at its lowest point since 1991. The three-year recidivism rate has fallen to a historic low of 22.7%. More than $200 million in public spending has been redirected from incarceration toward prevention, housing, and community-based support — exceeding MJF’s own Phase 2 target of $150 million.

Five Years of Impact

The numbers only tell part of the story. More lies in the cross-sector convenings, narrative shifting, and capacity building stimulated by MJF investments, impacting communities across the state and supporting partner organizations, one third of them led by people with lived experience of the criminal legal system.

“MJF believes Michigan has made progress towards advancing meaningful criminal legal reform statewide, and we are humbled by the work ahead,” says Ashley Carter, Executive Director of the Michigan Justice Fund. “Close to three million Michiganders have a criminal record. Communities of color continue to be under-resourced and disproportionately represented across the state’s 26 prisons, with the unemployment rate for formerly incarcerated people standing at 27%. Reducing these numbers is not optional. It is essential to the future strength of the state.”

At its July summit, MJF convened grantee partners, advocates, funders, policymakers, practitioners, and criminal legal stakeholders from across Michigan and the country to celebrate progress, strengthen relationships, and chart a path forward. Through plenary conversations, interactive breakout sessions, and on-the-ground experiential learning opportunities, participants explored promising strategies for advancing community safety, economic opportunity, and justice. The Summit also wove artistic performances and cultural offerings throughout the program, creating space for reflection, connection, and shared vision. Together, these experiences highlighted the power of cross-sector collaboration and reinforced a collective commitment to protecting progress while dreaming forward.

Phase 3: Built to Go Further

MJF’s move to formal fiscal sponsorship under NEO Philanthropy reflects the organization’s growth and its ambitions for what comes next. CFSEM launched MJF in 2020, incubating it as a funders’ collaborative and has been a committed partner ever since, offering administrative support, programmatic guidance, and grants management.

MJF’s mission, values, and grantee relationships remain unchanged. This new partnership expands MJF’s operational independence, allowing MJF to adapt strategic grantmaking and programmatic work as community needs evolve. MJF will continue to build the infrastructure needed to sustain and scale its work through Phase 3 of the Fund.

MJF is grateful to the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan for serving as its administrative home since 2020 and looks forward to maintaining a strong relationship with CFSEM and the broader southeast Michigan philanthropic community.

“We are excited about MJF’s next chapter,” says Nicole Sherard-Freeman, President and CEO of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. “MJF’s growth is an example of what happens when the Community Foundation invests in great ideas. Our relationship with MJF doesn’t end with this transition — it evolves. MJF is an important part of the quality of life in Michigan and beyond.”

The Work Ahead

MJF’s 2025 annual report outlines a clear forward agenda: advancing occupational licensing reform so a conviction from 20 years ago does not permanently close the door to a career; passing Housing Not Hurdles legislation so a criminal record is not an automatic eviction from the housing market; establishing a dedicated Office of Reentry within the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity; and continuing to invest in the community-based organizations that are already proving, every day, that another way is possible.

“Incarceration is not only one of the costliest responses to social instability, but also one of the least effective,” said Carter. “Reducing the impacts of the criminal legal system requires partnership, trust, and people who are willing to roll up their sleeves and stay engaged as solutions take root and grow. We’re looking forward to continuing this work and building a connected ecosystem for lasting change.”

The 2025 Five-Year Anniversary Annual Report is available at https://cfsem.org/initiative/michigan-justice-fund/

Click to learn more about the about NEO Philanthropy and the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.