Our Work

Public Welfare Foundation aims to catalyze a transformative approach to justice that is community-led, restorative, and racially just.

Police car in a city.

America’s Crisis of Incarceration

It’s time to catalyze a transformative approach to justice.

For 75 years, Public Welfare Foundation has adapted to meet the challenges of changing times through its mission – to advance justice and opportunity for people in need.

With over 2.3 million people in America’s jails and prisons, another 18 million with a felony conviction, and an estimated 70 million people with criminal justice contact, America is facing a crisis of incarceration. At this critical moment in history, Public Welfare Foundation is focusing on catalyzing a transformative approach to justice that is community-led, restorative, and racially just.

Working in Communities, With Communities


Public Welfare Foundation believes that the best ideas bubble up from communities so we work to engage deeply in and with the communities we fund.

We work with communities to drive transformation from multiple angles including policy advocacy, organizing, leadership development, and demonstration projects. Public Welfare Foundation is committed to funding innovative solutions and investing in the leadership of those most proximate to the issues facing this nation.

Focusing our efforts on criminal justice and youth justice reforms allows us to achieve greater impact in the overhaul of the systems that were created to marginalize and contain our nation’s most vulnerable populations.