JUST COMMUNITIES ARIZONA

Our Community Safety programming encompasses two program focus areas: 1. Community Safety Incubator Projects and 2. Justice Reinvestment Subgrants in Maricopa County. Community Safety Incubator Projects are hyper-local, short-term projects led by local residents designed to increase safety and wellbeing in their communities. In 2025, we completed seven Community Safety Incubator Projects, exceeding our goal of six projects per year. Projects have ranged from community murals to planting pollinator gardens to setting up community water stations during the searing desert summer. We were honored to partner with members of the Tohono O'odham and Pascua Yaqui Nations on incubators based on tribal lands and serving native communities. In total, we invested over $50,000 into Tucson neighborhoods through Incubator projects. Survey responses confirm that participants in the incubator mirror the makeup of the neighborhood. The majority (70%) were BIPOC. The majority of respondents (56%) have been personally impacted by the criminal punishment system. And the reported impacts were overwhelmingly positive: 90% said the project made them feel safer in their neighborhood; 89% said it helped them get to know their neighbors better; and 97% said the project would contribute to greater health and wellness. We awarded Justice Reinvestment grants to eleven (11) Maricopa County nonprofits, totaling $600,000 in funding. This is nearly double the number of grantees from the previous year and an increase of over 70% in the amount of funding distributed. Of the 11 subgrantees, 4 are renewals from the previous year and 7 are new organizations. The funding has gone toward prison rehabilitation and reentry, community gardens and programs that address food insecurity, youth mentoring, community mental health programs, supportive transportation for individuals entering drug treatment, and building social capital. Over the first 3 quarters of 2025, these organizations have served 5,926 individuals. We also provided subgrantees with training in grant reporting, financial management, social media marketing, and fundraising, and offered networking opportunities to strengthen their relationships.