Funding Alert: JustReinvest Grant Applications are now open for Maricopa County. Deadline to apply is 03/06/2026

→ JustReinvest.org

We’re hiring

Join our team!
View Openings
Enrique-and-artist_1200x630
Every person has inherent dignity
We can create new models for safety and justice
Learn more
tugowar_1200x630
Every community has immeasurable worth
We can focus on healing, not retribution
Learn more
retreatsept2023_1200x630
Together, we can build something better
We can imagine new models of community safety
Get involved

Community Safety Incubator Projects

Communities creating safety on their own terms.

Community Safety Incubator Projects provide small groups of neighbors with the resources and support to make their communities safer and more connected.

Explore all Incubator Projects

Arroyo Chico

Arroyo Chico transformed a walkway used by neighborhood children through a community cleanup, new planters, and a collaborative mural designed and painted with local residents.

Read the report

Fairgrounds

The Fairground Project cleaned up neighborhood streets, added planters and a free book bank near the park, and hosted a fiesta with community resources and services.

Read the report

Julia-Keen Native Pollinators

Through workshops at Midtown Farm, the Julia Keen Project taught residents how to care for native desert plants, distributed 100 pollinator plants, and hosted a community fiesta.

Read the report
Explore all Incubator Projects
JCA_Flowers-2color-2

Justice Reinvestment

Grants for Community-Based Nonprofits in Maricopa County

Punitive drug sentencing laws do more than lock people up. They also funnel resources and funding out of communities and concentrate them in punishment institutions–police departments, courts, jails and prisons.

Justice Reinvestment is a data-driven approach to improve public safety, reduce corrections and related criminal justice spending, and reinvest savings in strategies that can decrease crime and reduce recidivism.

When Arizonans voted to legalize recreational marijuana in 2020, they also approved the creation of a statewide Justice Reinvestment Fund. A portion of the tax money collected by the state on the sale of cannabis is now set aside to distribute via grants to qualified nonprofit organizations that provide justice reinvestment programs in this state, such as behavioral health, reentry, job training, jail diversion, and prevention programs.

Just Communities Arizona serves as the Fiscal Agent for Maricopa County Health Department, assisting with the distribution of Justice Reinvestment funds. JCA developed the JustReinvest Grant program to provide a more equitable allocation process that allows small and grassroots organizations a pathway to funding.

In 2026, JCA will award $1,000,000 in renewals and new grants to nonprofit organizations serving Maricopa County communities!

Learn more about the JustReinvest Grant program and how your nonprofit can apply for funding!

Learn more

Our Impact

Just Communities Arizona is investing in the safety of those most harmed by the criminal punishment system. We support community members in working together to improve safety and wellness in their neighborhoods.

INVESTED
$ 0 k

Supporting Tucson neighborhoods through community-driven Incubator Projects

BIPOC Participants
1 %

Uplifting diverse voices within the communities we serve

in subgrants
$ 1 k

Expanding resources for community-based organizations in Maricopa County

The antidote to this failed system lies in our own communities.

We know what we need to keep us safe. Join us and help create the communities we all want to be part of. Join our newsletter mailing list today to learn more about how you can be part of the solution

Subscribe

FAQ

The highlights

We are an organization of abolitionists that affirms the inherent and undeniable dignity of every person and the immeasurable worth of every community.

We are creating new models for justice and safety outside of Arizona’s punishment system.

For decades, the conversation around community safety, meant surveillance, policing, and criminalization with arrest or incarceration as the go-to solutions.

But when affected communities are asked directly what makes them safe, they refer to things that exist entirely outside the criminal justice system: conditions that bring people together, build relationships and trust, attend to the needs of children and families, and support both physical and emotional health.

We serve those directly impacted by the punishment system: people with convictions, formerly incarcerated people, and their communities.

Community reviews

What does Community Safety Look Like?

Our work at JCA is about showing and growing all the innovative, exciting, and hopeful ways that communities are creating safety for themselves.

When we ask people what makes them feel safe, they most often talk about family, community and belonging. They want the opportunity to have a meaningful relationship with their neighbors and to be part of something larger than themselves. They talk about having safe places for their kids to play, looking out for each other, and having common outdoor spaces like parks.
 
We know that our programs are hitting the mark when we get comments like these.

Community reviews

What does Community Safety Look Like?

Our work at JCA is about showing and growing all the innovative, exciting, and hopeful ways that communities are creating safety for themselves.

When we ask people what makes them feel safe, they most often talk about family, community and belonging. They want the opportunity to have a meaningful relationship with their neighbors and to be part of something larger than themselves. They talk about having safe places for their kids to play, looking out for each other, and having common outdoor spaces like parks.
 
We know that our programs are hitting the mark when we get comments like these:

Join the Safety Ecosystem

Stay connected. Get our newsletter.

We believe communities know how to keep themselves safe. Sign up to follow the work, stay informed, and find your way to help.

In this moment..

the safety and wellbeing of many
people, communities, and identities

is under threat.

Explore unfolding resources to protect and support your community in real-time.

View Resource Directory