Philanthropist Donates $100M from Artwork to Combat Mass Incarceration

In the so-called “artworld,” Agnes Gund certainly needs no introduction. She may also have just made quite an entrance into the legal world.

Ms. Gund has donated $100 million to initiate the Art for Justice Fund, an nonprofit formed to combat mass incarceration. “The criminal justice system in its current state – particularly in its treatment of people of color – is unfair and unjust,” said Ms. Gund.

Ms. Gund is partnering with the Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, a nonprofit with a successful record of managing and advising on complex, multi-million dollar philanthropic projects. According to the Ford Foundation,

The Art for Justice Fund will make grants to organizations and leaders doing impactful and cutting-edge work to reform the criminal justice system. Grants will seek to safely reduce jail and prison populations across the country, while strengthening education and employment opportunities for people leaving the system. The fund will also support art-related programs that expose the injustice of mass incarceration and its impact on individuals and communities around the country.

More on this via the Ford Foundation website.