OTF Funding Strategy

The OTF supports work with people most affected by the justice system at the center, seeking to build local and statewide networks of youth, families, communities, and allied institutions serving in leadership roles to form and drive the statewide strategy. The OTF prioritizes work that organizes, trains, and mobilizes impacted constituencies, in addition to policy advocacy that informed by impacted communities.

In addition to organizing, the OTF recognizes that informed, representative participation in the electoral system is necessary to achieve key policy changes and ensure their implementation and enforcement. Therefore, the OTF supports efforts to engage communities in the electoral process, including voter mobilization, and non-partisan education related to local and state public offices.

The OTF has a three-part strategy:
·       Support anchor organizations that will work individually and as a network to implement a statewide justice reform strategy. Anchor institutions are defined by a demonstrated history of effective justice system work that is aligned with the OTF’s values and theory of change.
·       Identify and support new or emerging projects that engage strategic constituencies or geographies within the state. Strategic constituencies include, but are not limited to, young people, people of color, formerly incarcerated people, LGBTQ people, survivors of crime, women, and faith communities. Strategic geographies include both urban centers and rural areas experiencing a disproportionate impact of the criminal justice system.
·       Shift the dominant narrative that associates community safety with incarceration to one that addresses the drivers of incarceration, uses a trauma-informed approach, and elevates the voice of directly impacted people.

The OTF supports three core approaches: Community Organizing, Electoral Engagement and Mobilization, and Public Policy Advocacy. Within each area, attention is paid to the disproportionate impact of the system based on race, class, and gender. Projects with a focus on multi-racial, multi-class engagement are of particular interest to the OTF.

Community Organizing

Direct grassroots organizing that engages individuals, families, youth, community members, and allied institutions in movement building, mobilization, and direct action campaigns, and that supports the development of leaders who drive the vision of systematic change. The focus of organizing must be the voices of people directly impacted by the justice system in efforts to advance a system based in fairness, redemption, and recovery.    

Electoral Engagement and Mobilization

The engagement and mobilization of low propensity voters in the electoral and legislative process. The OTF supports non-partisan integrated voter engagement models that focus not only on short-term, transactional goals related to an election, but also on long-term transformational goals related to leadership development and building long-term civic capacity within a community. A particular focus is on engaging juvenile court-involved youth, returning citizens, their families, and their communities.

Public Policy Advocacy

Advocacy promoting the development, adoption, implementation, and enforcement of policy changes that address the systemic inequities within Ohio for adults and youth. Approaches of interest to the OTF include community lawyering, impact litigation, and policy analysis and advocacy. 

RECENT RECIPIENTS

OTF recent grant recipients include:
- ACLU of Ohio
- Equality Ohio Education Fund
- Faith in Public Life Ohio
- Juvenile Justice Coalition
- Ohio Justice & Policy Center
- Ohio Organizing Collaborative
- Ohio Students Association
- Ohio Voice
- Policy Matters Ohio
- Towards Employment
- Vincentian Ohio Action Network