Twitter’s CEO Gives $10 Million to Coronavirus Prison Relief Effort
REFORM Alliance, a criminal justice reform group that is back by (among others) rappers Meek Mill and Jay-Z, will receive a $10 million contribution from Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter.
The money will be used to purchase and deliver more than 10 million masks and other personal protective equipment to prisons in all 50 states for use by incarcerated individuals, correctional officers, and other personnel working in the criminal justice system.
Prisons and jails have been at the center of major coronavirus outbreaks in various states over the past two months. Of the top 10 COVID-19 hot spots in the U.S., eight are linked to prisons and jails, including one at the Marion Correctional Institution in Ohio, where more than 2000 inmates (or 80 percent of the prison population) have been infected.
Jack Dorsey is supporting coronavirus relief efforts through his #startsmall fund. He has pledged the following:
I’m moving $1B of my Square equity (~28% of my wealth) to #startsmall LLC to fund global COVID-19 relief. After we disarm this pandemic, the focus will shift to girl’s health and education, and UBI. It will operate transparently…
REFORM Alliance launched its own PSA to highlight how the virus is “ravaging prisons and threatening to turn prison sentences into death sentences.”
Van Jones who runs Reform Alliance had this to say:
“This generous donation from Jack and #startsmall is an absolute game-changer. Not only will this gift help us protect millions from the threat of COVID-19, but this level of support from a tech titan marks a turning point for the criminal justice reform movement. It’s truly an honor to call Jack an ally in this fight, be able to provide masks to every prison in America, and potentially save tens of thousands of lives.”
Featured Grants
If you are seeking grant funding for your justice project, log on to GrantWatch.com, and navigate to the Justice & Juvenile category. Currently, there are more than 70 grants listed for the US. You will find local and national Juvenile Justice Grants for programs supporting at-risk youth & young adults. Grants to state and local agencies, IHEs, tribes, nonprofits, and faith-based organizations for programs that provide the necessary supports for the at-risk and previously incarcerated