Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Executive Office of Public Safety and Security
Office of Grants and Research
State Fiscal Year 2024
Commonwealth Restorative Justice Community Grant
Report to the Massachusetts General Court
Senate and House Committees on Ways and Means
August 2024
Maura T. Healey Kimberley Driscoll
Governor Lieutenant Governor
Terrence M. Reidy Kevin J. Stanton
Secretary Executive Director
Introduction
The Office of Grants and Research (OGR) is pleased to submit this report on the FY24
Commonwealth Restorative Justice Community Grant Program to the House and Senate
Committees on Ways and Means.
OGR is a state agency that is part of the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS).
EOPSS is responsible for the policy development and budget oversight of the secretariat’s
agencies, independent programs, and several boards which aid in crime prevention, homeland
security preparedness, and ensuring the safety of residents and visitors in the Commonwealth. The
agencies that fall under EOPSS are:
• Massachusetts State Police
• Massachusetts Emergency management Agency
• Sex Offender Registry Board
• Department of Fire Services
• Department of Criminal Justice Information Services
• Department of Correction
• Parole Board
• Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
• State 911 Department
• Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab
• Municipal Police Training Committee
• Massachusetts National Guard
• Office of Grants and Research
In addition to managing and administering state-funded criminal justice, homeland security, and
traffic safety grant programs, OGR is the State Administering Agency (SAA) for federal grant
funding received by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from the Department of Justice (DOJ),
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA). In total, the agency manages more than $150 million in grant funds
annually. Additionally, OGR’s Research and Policy Analysis Division (RPAD), which houses the
Massachusetts Statistical Analysis Center, utilizes research and evaluation to promote public
safety in the Commonwealth by informing criminal justice and public safety policy. The goals of
the OGR include:
• Improving community safety and local preparedness by providing resources to
communities based on need;
• Investing in evidenced based innovative programs;
• Granting awards based on national and state priorities;
• Fostering collaboration across jurisdictions by delivering grant dollars with a regional
approach;
• Making funding decisions based upon research, empirical data, and best practices; and
• Ensuring the grant awarding process is transparent and in compliance with federal and state
guidelines.
This document serves as the report authored by OGR regarding the FY24 Commonwealth
Restorative Justice Community Grant Program Grant Program.
Program Narrative
Pursuant to Fiscal Year 2024 General Appropriation Act, Chapter 276B of the Acts of 2023,
OGR released an Availability of Grant Funds (AGF) for nonprofit organizations to
competitively apply for funding through the FY24 Commonwealth Restorative Justice
Community Grant Program. The program is governed by the appropriation language below:
8100-0112 For a grant program to be administered by the executive office of public
safety and security, in consultation with the restorative justice advisory committee
established in section of 5 of chapter 276B of the General Laws, for community-based
restorative justice programs; provided, that funds shall be prioritized for community-based
restorative justice groups in low-income communities.
A total of $380,000 was made available for this application. $20,000.00 was set aside for OGR
administrative costs.
Supported Grant Activities and Services:
• Planning: costs associated with meetings, coordination, and future implementation of
restorative justice programs (e.g., finding community spaces for facilitation,
consultations with experienced restorative justice facilitators, holding educational
community forums, etc.). Note: Reasonable costs associated with providing food and
beverage while hosting community forums or training will be permitted with prior
approval from OGR.
• Training: costs associated with hiring/providing restorative justice experts to train
organization staff and participants in such techniques and programming (e.g., hiring
experienced restorative justice trainers, etc.). Note: Reasonable costs associated with
providing food and beverage while hosting community forums or training will be
permitted with prior approval from OGR.
• Programming: costs associated with initiating or expanding restorative justice program
capacity, circle participation and the like (e.g., program materials, centerpiece,
providing a stipend/fee for speakers such as survivors who are working behind the
prison walls to tell their story).
• Equipment/Technology: costs associated with the purchasing of technology and
equipment that will be used to support staff in community-based restorative justice
programs (e.g., laptops, IT support, virtual meeting platforms (e.g., Zoom), etc.).
Competitive Application and Review Process
OGR awarded the appropriated funds through a competitive grant process, according to the
following timeline:
Solicitation Posted: September 15th, 2023
Deadline for Questions: September 29th, 2023
Application Deadline: October 13th, 2023, 4:00 p.m.
Award Announcements: December 2023
Anticipated Grant Period: December 2023 – June 30th, 2024
Applicant Eligibility
Due to level funding, applicants were encouraged to apply for between $20,000.00 and $40,000.00.
In the FY2024 application process, priority was given to FY2023 awardees. Preference was also
given to organizations that have adopted and understand restorative justice philosophy, were active
in low-income communities, were implementing restorative justice programming, and those
expanding capacity and/or seeking training. OGR encouraged collaborative applications to
strengthen and build partnerships that advance the goal of providing restorative justice services to
communities. Applicants were required to be a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization and to provide
community-based restorative justice programs, working with low-income communities within the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Criteria Used to Evaluate Applicants
Each applicant was required to submit the following documentation in support of their application:
• Needs Assessment
o Statement of the Problem/Needs Assessment
• Program Description
o Scope of the program and how it will address the problem or need
• Program Goals and Objectives, Activities, Timeline, and Performance Measures
o Goals – Broad statements that describe the program’s intentions and desired
outcomes
o Objectives – Describe the activities that support the program’s goal(s) as outlined
o Activities and Timeline – Represents the programmatic activities to be carried out
within the proposed program period
o Performance Measures – The means by which the applicant plans on collecting data
and measuring their program’s progress
• Budget Detail
o Details the description and justification of the funds necessary to implement the
proposed program and achieve its goals and objectives over a 6-month period
Awarded Funds
OGR received a total of fourteen (14) applications. Each application was reviewed by three (3)
reviewers: an OGR staff member, a Restorative Justice Advisory Committee (RJAC) member,
and an EOPSS staff member. Of these fourteen (14) applications, one was deemed ineligible
as they did not meet the required criteria of being a registered 501(c)(3) organization and did
not comply with grant obligations in the year prior. The remaining thirteen (13) applicants
were scored on the completeness of their applications, their inclusion of meaningful data
relevant to the proposed programs, and their ability to direct restorative justice programming
to low-income communities.
The following are the thirteen (13) recipients of the FY24 Commonwealth Restorative Justice
Community Grant along with their award amount.
Grantee Award Amount
Action for Boston Community Development $34,921.70
BeHeard $39,915.00
Grantee Award Amount
Communities for Restorative Justice $39,999.51
Community Teamwork Inc. - THRIVE $39,701.87
Family Services - Brothers in Arms $25,461.92
Greater Framingham Community Church $20,000.00
Lighthouse Holyoke $40,000.00
Maverick Landing Community Services $20,000.00
Metropolitan Mediation Services - Brookline
Center for Community Mental Health $20,000.00
MetroWest Mediation Services $20,000.00
Mission Inc $20,000.00
Mothers for Justice & Equality $20,000.00
Tufts University $40,000.00