Justice and Joy National Collaborative

It has previously collaborated with nonprofits and foundations including the Vera Institute of Justice, the National Women’s Law Center, and Girls for Gender Equity. The group has also  received funding from left-of-center organizations including as the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Ms. Foundation for Women, and NoVo Foundation. ^{2 3 4}

History and Background

The Justice and Joy National Collaborative was initially founded as the National Crittenton in 1883 by philanthropist Charles Crittenton and physician Kate Waller Barrett to promote a “social justice mission” which focused on “securing equal rights for women and girls.” ⁵ By 1898, the Crittenton started the National Florence Crittenton Mission and became the first charity group to be formed under a Congressional Charter while overseeing other Crittenton-connected organizations. ⁶ By 2023, the group changed its name to the “Justice and Joy National Collaborative,” while using National Crittenton as the DBA name, to focus the group’s advocacy on “advancing gender and racial/ethnic justice with and for girls and gender-expansive young people of color.” ⁵

Justice and Joy National Collaborative is connected to organizations with ties to the Crittenton family including Crittenton Services for Children and Families in California, Crittenton Centers in Illinois, and Crittenton of North Carolina. ⁷

Activities

The Justice and Joy National Collaborative uses community organizing, research initiatives, and policy advocacy to “advance social, economic, and political justice with and for girls, young women, and gender-expansive young people of color.” ¹

The group operates the Fixing Democracy youth-led initiative, partnering with HIT Strategies and Lake Research Partners, to interview “young women, transgender, and gender-expansive Black, Latine, Asian American/Pacific Islander, Native/Indigenous” youth as well as promote civic engagement and community action. The initiative has also received funding from the New York Women’s Foundation, Tides Foundation, and the Ms. Foundation for Women. ⁸ IMPACT (Invincible Mamas Pushing for Action and Change Together), a group initiative to support young mothers of color and advocate economic policy reform, was started with funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Grantmakers for Girls of Color. As of 2026, IMPACT includes over 170 members within 40 states and tribal nations. ⁹

Partners

According to its website, Justice and Joy National Collaborative has a list of partner organizations which include the Aspen Institute, the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Lake Research Partners, the Vera Institute of Justice (VIJ), and Girls for Gender Equity. ³

Funding

Justice and Joy National Collaborative’s website lists nonprofits and foundations that have donated to the organization. These include the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Ms. Foundation for Women, the NoVo Foundation, Pivotal Ventures, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Spencer Foundation, and Women’s Foundation of Minnesota. ³