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EQUAL JUSTICE USA INC
BROOKLYN, NY · EIN 261316408 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE R600 · Civil Rights & Advocacy · Medium ($1M-$10M)
revenue
$7.0M
expenses
$8.7M
net assets
$5.9M
employees
52
volunteers
11
program ratio
85%
mission · from form 990

TO TRANSFORM THE JUSTICE SYSTEM BY PROMOTING RESPONSES TO VIOLENCE THAT BREAK CYCLES OF TRAUMA.

profile · synthesized from sources

Equal Justice USA Inc advances community-led responses to violence that reduce reliance on policing and incarceration. The organization works through policy advocacy, systems change in cities, capacity building for grassroots groups, and public narrative shifting to promote trauma-informed, community-centered solutions. It operates nationally with focused efforts in cities like Newark, NJ and Baton Rouge, LA.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $2.89M
    COMMUNITY SAFETY AND JUSTICEEJUSA EMPLOYS COMMUNITY ORGANIZING, ADVOCACY, COALITION BUILDING AND OTHER TACTICS TO BUILD COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS TO VIOLENCE THAT LESSEN THE U.S.'S DEPENDENCE ON OVER-POLICING AND INCARCERATION. THE PROGRAM EMPLOYS THE FOLLOWING STRATEGIES TO ADVANCE THIS GOAL: (1) POLICY ADVOCACY TO CREATE AND EXPAND FUNDING STREAMS FOR VIOLENCE PREVENTION ALTERNATIVES TO LAW ENFORCEMENT; (2) SYSTEMS CHANGE VIA ORGANIZING, ADVOCACY, AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ON THE GROUND IN KEY CITIES TO IMPLEMENT VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND HEALING APPROACHES ON THE GROUND; (3) CAPACITY BUILDING TO INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS THAT OFFER VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND HEALING PROGRAMMING IN LOCAL NEIGHBORHOODS, TO HELP THEM STRENGTHEN THEIR PROGRAMS, ACCESS MORE FUNDS, AND EXPAND THEIR REACH; AND (4) TRAUMA TRAINING AND CONSULTING WITH POLICE OFFICERS.
  2. #2 $1.01M
    NARRATIVE SHIFTING PROGRAMTO CREATE THE CLIMATE FOR NEW APPROACHES TO TAKE HOLD, EJUSA EDUCATES THE PUBLIC AND POLICYMAKERS ABOUT COMMUNITY-LED APPROACHES TO VIOLENCE PREVENTION, BRINGS MEDIA ATTENTION TO THE IMPACT AND SUCCESS OF THESE PROGRAMS, AND ELEVATES KEY VOICES THAT PUSH BACK ON THE CURRENT PUNITIVE NARRATIVE OF JUSTICE. IN NEWARK, NJ, BATON ROUGE, LA, AND OTHER CITIES, EJUSA ENGAGES IN PUBLIC EDUCATION CAMPAIGNS TO LIFT THE STORIES OF PEOPLE MOST AFFECTED BY THE JUSTICE SYSTEM. EJUSA BUILDS ON THESE LOCAL STORIES - INCLUDING HOLDING NEWARK UP AS A NATIONAL MODEL FOR ADDRESSING VIOLENCE - TO CREATE A NATIONAL NARRATIVE THAT EMPHASIZES THE SUCCESS OF PROGRAMS THAT ADDRESS VIOLENCE WHILE REDUCING RELIANCE ON POLICING AND MASS INCARCERATION. THIS NATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAM WORKS TO CHANGE FALSE NARRATIVES ABOUT VIOLENCE, RACE, AND TRAUMA WHILE LIFTING UP THE EFFECTIVENESS OF COMMUNITY-CENTERED, TRAUMA-INFORMED RESPONSES TO VIOLENCE THAT CENTER THE HEALING AND WELL-BEING OF THE MOST IMPACTED COMMUNITIES.
named programs · 2 · from sources

What they call their work

Community Safety and Justice
Advances community-led violence prevention through policy advocacy, systems change in key cities, capacity building for local organizations, and trauma training for police officers.
Narrative Shifting Program
Conducts public education and media campaigns to shift national narratives about violence, race, and trauma by elevating stories from impacted communities in cities like Newark and Baton Rouge.
activities · 6 groups

What they do

  • Criminal Justice Policy Advocacy 5 activities
    • Coalition leadership for violence intervention policy
      Co-led the New Jersey Violence Intervention and Prevention coalition, contributing to the passage of the Seabrooks-Washington Act to fund mental health crisis response programs as alternatives to policing.
    • Death penalty repeal advocacy and legislative campaigns
      Developed a legislative blueprint for repealing the death penalty and played a leading role in 11 state-level repeal campaigns between 2006 and 2020, including in New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Connecticut, Maryland, New Hampshire, and Colorado. Engaged survivors of violence to inform public narrative change and policy advocacy.
    • Funding advocacy for community-based violence prevention
      Conducts state and local advocacy campaigns to increase public funding for community-based violence prevention initiatives, including redirecting $500 million toward such programs across multiple states and contributing to legislation like California’s firearm and ammunition tax generating over $75 million annually for community safety organizations.
    • Policy analysis and briefs on criminal legal reform
      Authors policy briefs analyzing executive actions and systemic impacts on criminal legal reform, such as the effects of President Trump’s executive orders, and provides evidence-based recommendations to counteract harmful policies.
    • Public education and narrative-shifting campaigns on justice reform
      Runs public education campaigns to raise awareness of community-based violence prevention strategies and challenge punitive justice narratives, with efforts in cities like Newark, NJ and Baton Rouge, LA focused on elevating trauma-informed, community-led responses to violence.
  • Community Capacity Building & Leadership Networks 1 activity
    • Capacity building for grassroots and community-based organizations
      Strengthens the capacity of local change agents and community-based organizations through training, technical assistance, and operational support. Supported 10 communities nationwide in developing restorative justice programs, helped 12 grassroots organizations in communities of color secure over $4 million in VOCA and federal funding, and provided national training across 14 communities.
  • Professional Development for Fundraising and Philanthropy Practitioners 1 activity
    • Grant-writing support and resource development for nonprofits
      Provides free online resources and an online course to help grassroots organizations craft compelling, mission-aligned grant proposals and compete for funding, based on years of direct grant-writing support.
  • Youth and Community Research Initiatives 1 activity
    • Research and publication on community-centered public safety models
      Produces original research, reports, guides, and evaluation tools documenting community-led approaches to public safety and healing. Published key reports including “Pathways to Healing: Bogalusa Community Conversations” and “A Roadmap for Change,” and collaborated with partners in Newark and Bogalusa to document and share community-centered public safety models.
  • Justice System Innovation & Inclusion Programs 1 activity
    • Restorative Justice Diversion (RJD) program development and promotion
      Developed and promotes Restorative Justice Diversion (RJD) as a community-based approach to divert cases from the criminal legal system to restorative justice processes; launched the RJD Roots Cohort in 2024 to support four new organizations in establishing such programs in the South and Midwest.
  • Law Enforcement-Community Relations Programs 1 activity
    • Trauma to Trust program implementation
      Implements the Trauma to Trust program, which convenes community members and police officers to address trauma from police interactions, delivering workshops to over 1,000 participants in Newark, NJ and Baton Rouge, LA, including training over 20% of the Newark Police Department.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$6.95M
Contributions & grants$6.75M97%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$181K3%
Other revenue$22K
expenses
Total expenses$8.70M
Program expenses85%
Admin / overhead6%
Fundraising9%
Salaries & benefits$5.77M
Grants paid out$490K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$6.36M
Cash$3.16M
Investments$1.68M
Liabilities$449K
Net assets$5.91M
Liquid reserves6.7 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +29.8%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 6
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
JAMILA HODGE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 40 $243K
MIKAELA LEVONS CHIEF OF DEVELOPMENT 40 $172K
LOUISE MARCHENA SENIOR DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS 40 $162K
CYMONE FULLER SENIOR DIRECTOR OF THE RESTORATIVE JUSTICE PROGRAM 40 $156K
PATRICK EGAN DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS 40 $148K
TANYA THOMPSON CHIEF OF PEOPLE AND CULTURE 40 $147K
board members · 11
  • ANGELA BUONOCORE — DIRECTOR
  • DIANE ZIMMERMAN — DIRECTOR
  • EVONNE SILVA — SECRETARY
  • JANE HENDERSON — DIRECTOR
  • JESSE MOORE — DIRECTOR
  • JESSELYN MCCURDY — CHAIRPERSON
  • KATISHA ANDREW — DIRECTOR
  • LEONARD NOISETTE — VICE CHAIR
  • LISA GOOD — DIRECTOR
  • ROSCOE DAVIS — TREASURER
  • URSULA BENTELE — VICE CHAIR
relationships · 21

Who they work with

  • Baton Rouge Partner — Engages in public education campaigns in Baton Rouge, LA to elevate community-led responses to violence.
  • California Violence Intervention and Prevention Program Partner — Served in leadership on program to pass landmark legislation including the nation’s first firearm and ammunition tax for community safety.
  • California and Virginia Restorative Justice Policy Coalitions Partner — Provided leadership in policy advocacy and research development with state-level restorative justice coalitions.
  • Center for Justice Innovation Partner — Facilitated the transition of EJUSA's Restorative Justice Project to the Center for Justice Innovation, including staff and funding.
  • Charlottesville Area Justice Coalition Partner — Supported the launch of a local faith-based coalition focused on justice reform in Charlottesville.
  • City of Newark Partner — Collaborated with EQUAL JUSTICE USA INC to document and promote Newark's community-centered public safety model.
  • Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty Partner — Led the development of the nation’s only conservative anti-death penalty group, which later spun off as an independent organization.
  • Equal Justice USA Network — Offers public and educational materials under its own name for non-commercial sharing and redistribution.
  • New Jersey Violence Intervention and Prevention coalition Partner — Co-led coalition to advance community-based public safety and secure funding for mental health crisis response in New Jersey.
  • Newark Partner — Conducts public education and narrative-shifting campaigns in Newark, NJ, highlighting it as a national model for community-centered violence prevention.
  • Newark Community Street Team Partner — Partnered with EQUAL JUSTICE USA INC to develop and share the story of Newark's community-centered public safety ecosystem.
  • Quixote Center Network — Originally founded as a project of the Quixote Center before spinning off as an independent organization in 2007.
  • Ras Baraka Government — Collaborated with Mayor Ras Baraka of Newark, NJ on the development and implementation of the Trauma to Trust program and community-based public safety ecosystem.
  • Restorative Justice Project Partner — Integrated the Restorative Justice Project into EJUSA in 2023, supporting its expansion and launching new cohorts for restorative justice diversion.
  • Trauma to Trust Partner — Collaborative program bringing together community members and police officers to address trauma from police interactions.
  • communities affected by violence Partner — Collaborated with communities impacted by violence to co-develop safety solutions based on community needs.
  • family members of murder victims Partner — Engaged as key voices in advocacy and narrative-shifting work on the death penalty
  • family members of those who were executed Partner — Engaged as key voices in advocacy and narrative-shifting work on the death penalty
  • local change agents Partner — Collaborates with local change agents through deep, respectful relationships to strengthen their capacity and advance movement-building.
  • local grassroots leaders and organizations Partner — Partners with grassroots leaders and organizations in communities of color to advance healing and reduce violence.
  • local organizations throughout the nation Partner — Partners with local organizations to advance community-based violence prevention and shift public investment away from punitive law enforcement.
strategies · 5

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Healing-Centered Justice
    methodology: healing-centered_justice
    By replacing punitive systems with healing-centered, community-driven approaches, we produce true safety and justice because addressing trauma and systemic inequity at their roots leads to sustainable repair and collective resilience.
  • Public Health Approach to Violence Prevention
    methodology: public_health_approach_to_violence_prevention
    By applying public health strategies to violence prevention, we produce safer communities because systemic conditions and root causes—such as trauma, poverty, and inequity—are addressed through prevention, healing, and community-led intervention rather than punishment.
  • Restorative and Transformative Justice Diversion
    methodology: restorative_justice_diversion
    By redirecting cases from the criminal legal system into community-based restorative and transformative justice processes, we repair harm and prevent re-traumatization because accountability and healing are achieved through dialogue, relationship repair, and community ownership rather than punishment.
  • Survivor- and Community-Centered Leadership
    methodology: survivor-centered approach
    By centering leadership and decision-making power in the hands of those most impacted by systemic harm—particularly survivors and communities of color—we produce more effective and equitable solutions because lived experience guides authentic, culturally responsive change.
  • Values-Based Narrative Change
    methodology: values-based_narrative_change
    By shifting public narratives through values-based framing and storytelling from impacted communities, we enable systemic change because moral persuasion rooted in dignity, healing, and racial justice builds broader political will for non-punitive alternatives.