Sign in Subscribe
2 min read Bail

PART 7 - The Business of Bail Reform: Who Profits When Commercial Bail Dies

The bail reform movement represents one of the most coordinated philanthropic campaigns in criminal justice history, with a small network of foundations investing an estimated $700-$800 million through overlapping grantees who both research and advocate for reform.
PART 7 - The Business of Bail Reform: Who Profits When Commercial Bail Dies

The Foundation Funding Network for Bail Reform has Invested Over $700 Million

By JL Fullerton

The last article in the Business of Bail Reform series, Part 7, discusses the incredible amount of money that various foundations have donated to the bail reform movement. The question we must all ask is why.

The bail reform movement represents one of the most coordinated philanthropic campaigns in criminal justice history, with a small network of foundations investing an estimated $700-$800 million through overlapping grantees who both research and advocate for reform.

  • MacArthur Foundation
    • $381.5 million - Safety & Justice Challenge (57 jurisdictions)
  • Arnold Ventures
    • $142+ million PSA development NPPJ, research grants
  • Open Society Foundations
    • $90+ million $50M to ACLU, $40M+ to elect 75 prosecutors
  • Ford Foundation
    • $47+ million Mass incarceration strategy, Art for Justice Fund

The MacArthur Foundation's Safety and Justice Challenge leads with $381.5 million across 57 jurisdictions since 2015—including $10.75 million to Philadelphia and $3.3 million to Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. The program explicitly invests in "robust communications strategy" to "elevate jail overuse" and "generate national demand for reform."

The Spark Justice Fund (launched 2019) coordinates grantmaking among Ford, MacArthur, Open Society, and others. The Vera Institute received $30+ million from all four major foundations—and serves as technical assistance provider to multiple foundation initiatives simultaneously.

The next time you see an article or study promoting bail reform, refer back to this series of articles, because more likely than not, the reason you are seeing it is not because it is good policy. The reason you are seeing it is because some organization or activist group wants you to and the organization funding that article or study is making lots of money when those policies are implemented.

This is the last article in the Business of Bail Reform series. To read other articles in the Business of Bail Reform series, click on the links below…

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: When Private Prison Companies Promote Bail Reform, Follow the Money

Part 3: The Electronic Monitoring Industry Found its Growth Engine

Part 4: Risk assessment tools cost nothing upfront but extracted a different price

Part 5: Charitable Bail Funds Collected $90 Million in 2020 While Clients Committed Murder

Part 6: Drug testing providers secured millions as requirements expanded

Published by:

Eric Granof

You might also like...

14
Apr
Beware of Sad Stories: How Bail Reform Proponents Try to Shape Policy with Empathy

Beware of Sad Stories: How Bail Reform Proponents Try to Shape Policy with Empathy

In a recent post on Facebook, Mike Morrison, President of the Mississippi Bail Agents Association, criticizes a growing trend in the anti-surety bail movement that elevates personal storytelling over measurable data and outcomes.
2 min read
14
Apr
Bail Reform's Biggest Myth: Evidenced Based Nonsense

Bail Reform's Biggest Myth: Evidenced Based Nonsense

A new article posted on the AIA Surety website by Eric Granof, dismantles the popular claim that bail reform is backed by solid “evidence-based” research.
2 min read
13
Apr
Crime Survivors Speak Out: Where has all the Funding Gone?

Crime Survivors Speak Out: Where has all the Funding Gone?

In a recent powerful opinion piece, longtime victim advocate, Patricia Wenskunas of Crime Survivors, argues that funding originally intended to support real crime victims is quietly disappearing
1 min read
07
Apr
How Bail Reform Creates Selective Enforcement of the Law and Ultimately Leads to Justice for No One

How Bail Reform Creates Selective Enforcement of the Law and Ultimately Leads to Justice for No One

Once citizens believe enforcement decisions are driven more by ideology than by consistent principle, public trust collapses, cynicism grows, and the social contract fractures.
2 min read
07
Apr
PART 6: The Business of Bail Reform - Who Profits When Commercial Bail Dies

PART 6: The Business of Bail Reform - Who Profits When Commercial Bail Dies

The pretrial drug testing industry—led by Averhealth, Cordant Health Solutions, and Redwood Toxicology Laboratory—has grown alongside bail reform, with 77% of pretrial programs including drug testing by 2009, and drug court testing increasing 11.7% in 2023 alone.
1 min read

Member discussion