The Just Impact Fund is a left-of-center donor-advised fund organization dedicated to left-of-center lenient criminal justice policy. It is managed by Chloe Cockburn, the founder and chief executive officer of Just Impact Advisors, and is officially administered by the National Philanthropic Trust. It allows grantors to remain anonymous if they wish, and allows investments of any amount. ¹

The Just Impact Fund has given to dozens of criminal justice advocacy groups since its founding in 2021, many of whom are fiscally sponsored projects of larger organizations, such as the Tides Center, the Tides Foundation, the Hopewell Fund, and Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs. ²

Grantmaking

The Just Impact Fund has given to dozens of criminal justice reform groups since its founding in 2021. ³

Some of its major grantees include the Center for Just Journalism, the Center for the Working Poor, the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, Community Justice Exchange, Court Watch NOLA, Designing Justice and Designing Spaces, Dignity and Power Now, Equity and Transformation, Fair and Just Prosecution, Free Hearts, the Fund for Guaranteed Income, Galaxy Gives, Interrupting Criminalization, Partners for Justice, the People’s Advocacy Institute, the Prison Policy Initiative, the Protect Black Women Fund, Safer Cities, Scrutinize, the Smart Justice California Education Fund, the Solidaire Network, the Promise of Justice Initiative, Unheard Voices Outreach, Worth Rises, the Wren Collective, and Zealous. ⁴

Many of these grantees are fiscally sponsored projects of larger organizations, such as the Tides Center, the Tides Foundation, the Hopewell Fund, and Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs. ⁵

In addition to its sizeable giving, the Just Impact Fund has advised on over $250 million in grants given out by groups such as JusticeLA, the Community Based Public Safety Collective (CBPS), Voice of the Experienced (VOTE), Life Comes From It, the Essie Justice Group, Fair and Justice Prosecution (FJP), and Worth Rises. Many of the programs it advised revolved around criminal justice policy, voting rights, the cessation of prison construction, and district attorney races. ⁶

Leadership

Chloe Cockburn is the manager of the Just Impact Fund and the founder and chief executive officer of Just Impact Advisors, which she created in 2021 with $50 million from Open Philanthropy. Cockburn oversees strategy, donor education, and grantmaking at Just Impact. ^{7 8}

Cockburn worked at Open Philanthropy for six years prior, managing more than $150 million worth of grants and advising grantmakers Dustin Moskovitz and Cari Tuna. She managed another $100 million disbursed by miscellaneous donors, the majority of which went to startup nonprofits and other pop-up groups. She occasionally writes for the Stanford Social Innovation Review and the Washington Post. ⁹

1. “Fund Intro.” Just Impact Advisors. Accessed April 20, 2024. https://www.justimpactadvisors.org/fund-intro.
2. “Fund Intro.” Just Impact Advisors. Accessed April 20, 2024. https://www.justimpactadvisors.org/fund-intro.
3. “Fund Intro.” Just Impact Advisors. Accessed April 20, 2024. https://www.justimpactadvisors.org/fund-intro.
4. “Fund Intro.” Just Impact Advisors. Accessed April 20, 2024. https://www.justimpactadvisors.org/fund-intro.
5. “Fund Intro.” Just Impact Advisors. Accessed April 20, 2024. https://www.justimpactadvisors.org/fund-intro.
6. “Fund Intro.” Just Impact Advisors. Accessed April 20, 2024. https://www.justimpactadvisors.org/fund-intro.
7. “About.” Just Impact Advisors. Accessed April 20, 2024. https://www.justimpactadvisors.org/about.
8. “Fund Intro.” Just Impact Advisors. Accessed April 20, 2024. https://www.justimpactadvisors.org/fund-intro.
9. “About.” Just Impact Advisors. Accessed April 20, 2024. https://www.justimpactadvisors.org/about.