The Open Philanthropy Project recommended a grant of $242,000 over two years to the Texas Inmate Families Association (TIFA) for general support. TIFA is a primarily volunteer-driven organization that provides support, education, and advocacy for family members of incarcerated individuals. This funding is intended to allow TIFA to hire a full-time organizer to increase membership, provide marketing assistance, and conduct more trainings and workshops.
This grant is part of an overall strategy to provide resources and develop the organizing capacity of criminal justice reform organizations in Texas. Open Philanthropy considers the voices of family members of incarcerated individuals particularly powerful and hopes to better leverage their impact through this funding and support. Moreover, Open Philanthropy's Program Officer for Criminal Justice Reform, Chloe Cockburn, believes that TIFA is an especially promising organization in terms of its structure and leadership, which may serve as a model for emerging groups in other states.
This grant falls within Open Philanthropy's work on criminal justice reform.
Update: In March of 2019, the Open Philanthropy Project added $42,000 to the original award amount. The “amount” above has been updated to reflect this.