DENVER - ColoradoDesk -- Caring for Denver Foundation today announced it has awarded $13 million in grants to 22 community-based organizations that provide alternatives to jail solutions for the community. Founded by Denver voters through a 2018 ballot initiative and funded by Denver sales tax dollars, Caring for Denver Foundation provides financial support for programs and services that address Denver's mental health and substance misuse needs. Organizations qualify for the alternatives to jail funding by providing services that seek to prevent people with substance misuse and mental health conditions from unnecessarily interacting with the criminal legal system.

The $13 million in grants awarded on July 24, 2023, creates a cumulative total of more than $43.1 million in grants awarded in the alternatives to jail focus area over the past three years. Grantees in this area provide people with mental health and substance misuse the resources to be successfully diverted away from the legal system, and support those involved in or released from the criminal legal system with the supports that meet them where they are in recovery and as they transition into community. The full list of 2023 awardees can be found here (https://caring4denver.org/awarded-grants/?_funding_area=alternatives-to-jail&_year=2023).

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"We're excited to partner with the community and City on solutions that divert people from the legal system and toward the right care" shared Lorez Meinhold, Caring for Denver Foundation executive director. "In 2022, 94 percent of our  grantees showed reduced entry or re-entry into the criminal legal system for those experiencing mental health and substance misuse challenges."

The alternatives to jail grants are one of three award focuses that the nonprofit organization supports annually. In addition to the alternatives to jail grants in July, Caring for Denver awards funding for youth services in April and community-centered solutions in November. Caring for Denver Foundation collaborates with community members on every aspect of its grantmaking efforts including identifying priorities, shaping calls for proposals, reviewing applications, and identifying success metrics. Grants are then approved by the foundation's 13 board members, all of whom are appointed by the Mayor, District Attorney, and City Council.

For more information and to apply for a grant, visit caring4denver.org (http://www.caring4denver.org).

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About Caring for Denver Foundation

Caring for Denver Foundation was founded and funded with overwhelming voter support to address Denver's mental health and substance misuse needs by growing community-informed solutions, dismantling stigma, and turning the community's desire to help into action. Guided by community input, the organization has funded more than $126 million in the areas of alternatives to jail, community-centered solutions, youth, and special initiatives since it began.