$7.5m Justice Reinvestment Aboriginal Grants Program now open

23 January 2024

A new $7.5 million grants program which will fund community-led initiatives to address the underlying causes of Aboriginal imprisonment and reoffending will launch today.

The NSW Justice Reinvestment Grant Program strives to embed transformative change by funding communities to identify the reasons people end up in the criminal justice system, and then create initiatives that can make real change.

The funding will be available from June 2024 to June 2027 and priority will be given to three-year proposals from Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Community-Controlled organisations (ACCOs).

Funding can be used by Aboriginal organisations to:

• create or support community governance and consultation,
• investigate issues, including by using data, research or through local community meetings,
• develop a plan for change, including specific programs and/or options for reform, and
• implement or pilot options or programs already developed by the community to address issues.

The NSW Justice Reinvestment Grants Program forms part of a $10m funding package for Justice Reinvestment initiatives, part of the NSW Government’s commitment to finding innovative ways to break the cycle of Aboriginal over-representation in the NSW criminal justice system.

Justice Reinvestment is an approach that supports Aboriginal communities to find local solutions to local issues. Justice Reinvestment aims to resource communities to develop and deliver solutions that reduce contact with the criminal justice system, including the police, courts and prison.

The grant program complements the work of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap and builds upon the pioneering work of Maranguka in Bourke, Australia’s first Justice Reinvestment initiative established in 2013, and the Aboriginal communities of Mt Druitt and Moree which are existing pilot sites funded by philanthropy.

For more information and to access the NSW Justice Reinvestment Grant Guidelines and application form, visit: dcj.nsw.gov.au/legal-and-justice/strategies-and-plans/justice-reinvestment.html

Quotes attributable to NSW Attorney General Michael Daley:

“Justice Reinvestment encourages Aboriginal-led solutions, and is an example of government supporting communities to identify local issues and develop a plan for change.

The grants program is designed to support new thinking that is based on data and evidence. I am looking forward to seeing the positive impact it will have on NSW communities.”