With Justice grants rescinded, nonprofit will shut down

Source: Roll Call

Posted August 14, 2025 at 12:23pm


A national criminal justice and racial justice nonprofit will shutter its operations for good this week, with the head of the organization saying there was no path forward after the Trump administration terminated two Justice Department grants this spring. Equal Justice USA says it lost out on $2.4 million because of the midstream termination of two DOJ grants, part of a larger Trump administration decision to cancel a swath of department grant funding nationwide.

The nonprofit, which was founded in 1990 and became an independent organization in 2007, will close down on Friday. Dozens of staff members will be laid off, according to a nonprofit official. The closure is one of the latest ripple effects to stem from a pullback in DOJ grant funding earlier this year, an effort that has dovetailed with the Trump administration’s push to reshape the purpose and focus of federal justice grants.

Several organizations hit by the move sued in federal court, seeking to reverse the terminations. They also sought class-action status to cover other groups in a similar position. But a judge dismissed the lawsuit, and the case is now working its way through the appellate process.

Jamila Hodge, the CEO of Equal Justice USA, said the decision to shut down the organization was one of the hardest professional decisions of her life. But she also criticized the administration’s decision to cancel the grant funding midstream, saying it equated to an illegal taking of congressionally approved funds.

Read more: https://rollcall.com/2025/08/14/with-justice-grants-rescinded-nonprofit-will-shut-down/