Illinois e-News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 1, 2024

CONTACT: Cristin Evans

[email protected] c. 773-615-6243

CHICAGO— The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) today released a notice of funding opportunity to provide Restore, Reinvest, and Renew (R3) programming in historically underserved Illinois communities.

R3 provides 25% of Cannabis Regulation and Trust Act tax revenues in grants to restore communities impacted by economic disinvestment, violence, and the severe and multilayered harm caused by the war on drugs.

“For far too long, Black and Brown communities have been disproportionately harmed by the failed war on drugs," said Governor JB Pritzker. “I’m pleased to see that the R3 program is empowering nonprofits, small businesses, and faith-based organizations to deliver restorative services that meet each community’s needs.”

Gov. JB Pritzker’s fiscal year 2023 budget included a $75 million R3 appropriation from the General Revenue Fund to ICJIA for R3 grants and administrative costs. A total of $30 million is available for organizations as they set out to create safer communities, empower youth, provide legal aid, build business landscapes, and help individuals successfully rejoin communities after a period of incarceration.

"As Chair of the R3 Program Board, I'm incredibly proud of the resources and support the R3 grants provide," said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. "By bringing restorative, holistic solutions to the most disinvested communities, we're continuing on our mission to form a more healing-centered Illinois. The future is bright!"

Funded programs will offer evidence-based, promising, or innovative practices within at least one of the five R3 Program Priority Areas: civil legal aid, economic development, re-entry from the criminal justice system, violence prevention, and youth development.

"R3 invests in communities affected by systemic racism and disinvestment," said ICJIA Executive Director Delrice Adams. "R3 is an innovative restorative approach that seeks to heal the harm communities caused by decades of neglect. Our collaboration with Lieutenant Governor Stratton and the Justice Equity and Opportunity Initiative has provided access and availability to over 400 new small, localized grassroots organizations that, without R3, may not have received state funding."

The negative consequences of the failed war on drugs have been felt far more severely by poor and disadvantaged communities—mostly communities of color. The R3 program seeks to repair this and other systemic disparities by ensuring funds are distributed equitably to high-need communities and provide the needed services in areas that have suffered the most harm.

ICJIA actively recruits community-based application reviewers as they are primary stakeholders in the R3 program. Applications are reviewed, with points given to applicants that demonstrate how their ideas will be equitably implemented. Equity scores increase when program leadership, front line, and staff members are reflective of the proposed program’s service area (community), lived experience is incorporated into the program design, and applicants can demonstrate a history of service to the communities they intend to serve.

Areas across Illinois were identified for R3 grant eligibility using community-level data on gun injury, child poverty, unemployment, and state prison commitments and returns, combined with disproportionately impacted areas previously identified by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. As required by statute, the map was updated this year based on new Census data. View map of R3 zones.

Organizations that serve residents of or are based in designated R3 zones are eligible to apply. Eligible for grants are nonprofit organizations, local units of government, tax-exempt faith-based organizations, businesses, and other community organizations.

Application materials with instructions on how to apply are available here: https://r3.illinois.gov/. Applications must be submitted by April 30, 2024.