Grant funders / California / Criminal Justice
Criminal Justice Grant Funders in California
218 foundations with a documented criminal justice focus have made grants to California nonprofits in recent years, together directing $259.2M to organizations across the state. Below are the most active — every funder links to a full giving profile, and Bespoke Grants will match all 218 against your nonprofit's specific mission, for free.
218
Criminal justice funders
$259.2M
Given to California nonprofits
2,058
Grants on record
2025
Most recent giving
Most active criminal justice funders in California
| # | Funder | Based in | Total California giving | Grants | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The California Endowment | California | $59.8M | 535 | 2024 |
| 2 | The Ford Foundation | New York | $19.7M | 71 | 2024 |
| 3 | The California Wellness Foundation | California | $15.6M | 112 | 2024 |
| 4 | The San Francisco Foundation | California | $15.5M | 83 | 2023 |
| 5 | The Andrew W Mellon Foundation | New York | $14.1M | 23 | 2024 |
| 6 | Conrad N Hilton Foundation | California | $12.3M | 18 | 2024 |
| 7 | Crankstart Foundation | California | $8.1M | 23 | 2024 |
| 8 | Open Philanthropy Action Fund | California | $8.0M | 5 | 2020 |
| 9 | Laura and John Arnold Foundation | Texas | $7.9M | 49 | 2024 |
| 10 | John D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation (consolidated) | Illinois | $7.7M | 18 | 2024 |
| 11 | Ascendium Education Solutions Inc | Wisconsin | $6.3M | 16 | 2024 |
| 12 | Bia-echo Foundation | Nevada | $5.6M | 2 | 2020 |
| 13 | East Bay Community Foundation | California | $3.4M | 49 | 2023 |
| 14 | Foundation to Promote Open Society | New York | $3.2M | 10 | 2022 |
| 15 | Accountable Justice Action Fund | California | $3.2M | 5 | 2024 |
This list is ranked by size. Yours should be ranked by fit.
The funders above are the biggest criminal justice funders in California — not necessarily the right ones for you. Bespoke Grants ranks all 218 against your nonprofit's actual mission, service area, and budget, and shows you why each one matches. Free, no credit card.
Rank these funders for my nonprofit →Criminal Justice funders in other states
Other causes funded in California
How this list is built. Bespoke Grants indexes 13M+ grants from public IRS Form 990 filings. This page shows foundations whose giving carries a documented criminal justice focus and that have funded California nonprofits. Giving figures reflect each funder's total recent grants to California recipients. IRS data publishes on a 1–2 year lag; figures are current through the most recent available filings.