Jacob and Valeria Langeloth Foundation
OVERVIEW: The Jacob and Valeria Langeloth Foundation’s two main areas of giving are criminal justice reform and the prevention of gun violence. The foundation supports advocacy, organizing, journalism, policy development and capacity building in these areas.
IP TAKE: The Langeloth Foundation’s grantmaking interests address criminal justice reform and gun violence prevention, but across these two main areas, the foundation funds organizations involved in advocacy, grassroots organizing, journalism and policy development. Its grantees tend to be large national coalitions that partner with, support and forge connections between grassroots groups in the underserved communities that are most affected by gun violence and mass incarceration.
This funder runs spring and fall grant cycles each year. While it has accepted unsolicited application in the past, it recently has been inviting applications. Grantseekers should check the foundation’s application periodically for updates and new opportunities. Email addresses for the foundation’s president, director and operations manager are available at the website.
An accessible and approachable funder, Langeloth is invested in being an open-minded funder that works to meet its grantee’s needs.
PROFILE: The Jacob and Valeria Langeloth Foundation was established in 1915 after the death of Jacob Langeloth, an immigrant from Germany who, in the early 20th century, became chairman of the American Metal Company and president of the American Zinc and Chemical Company. At the time of his death in 1914, his fortune was estimated at $20 million. The foundation was originally known as the Valeria Home, a rehabilitation and convalescence residence. In its early years, its funding interests included rehabilitative and therapeutic programs that were accessible to underserved people. Today, the Langeloth Foundation “supports health and racial equity outcomes for all people in order to foster and sustain safe and healthy outcomes.” Its current funding initiatives are justice reform and safe and healthy communities, and it further classifies its grantmaking into categories or “change levers” including advocacy and organizing; field building; media, communications and narrative change and policy.
Grants for Criminal Justice Reform
Langeloth’s justice reform funding “works to create a more equitable and humane justice system in the U.S. Areas of interest include supporting organizations that aim to change the overall culture of prison systems and to eliminate the punitive practice of solitary confinement. One recent grantee, the Bard Prison Initiative, received multi-year funding for a program that offers college courses to prisoners in New York State prisons. Another grantee, the Circle for Justice Innovations, supports grassroots organizing to end mass criminalization, mass incarceration and state-sanctioned violence against incarcerated people. Other criminal justice reform grantees include Common Justice, Solitary Watch and a correctional culture policy development program at the University of California at San Francisco.
Grant for Violence Prevention
The Langeloth Foundation’s safe and healthy communities initiative names the reduction of gun violence as its main area of focus. The program prioritizes low-income urban neighborhoods and communities of color, and supports collaborations with local governments, nonprofits and residents of affected areas. One recent grant supported the national organization Guns Down America, which campaigns against the gun industry and the lobbyists and legislators who support it. Another grantee, Cities United, is a national network of mayors who partner with community organizations to “reduce the epidemic of murders among African American men and boys.” Other past grantees include Color of Change, the Center for American Progress and the New Venture Fund, which developed policy at the state and federal level to reduce gun violence.
Grants for Racial Equity and Indigenous Rights
Langeloth’s safe and healthy communities program supports “the leadership development of men and boys of color” as an important component of its gun violence prevention funding. Grants have gone to the Campaign for Black Male Achievement, which used funding to increase community engagement and strengthen leadership development programs, and Faith in Action, a national network of community-based organizations that work toward criminal justice reform, gun safety and the creation of economic opportunity for young men and women of color.
Grants for Journalism and Media
The Langeloth Foundation supports journalism and media that reports on and informs the public about the foundation’s two main areas of interest: criminal justice reform and gun violence. The foundation names public awareness and “narrative change” as goals of its media, communications and narrative change grants. Grants have also gone to organizations involved in training and professional development programs for journalists and other media professionals. Past grantees include National Public Radio, Mother Jones and Solutions Journalism Network, a journalism education organization.
Grants for Civic Engagement and Democracy
Langeloth supports grassroots civic engagement organizations across its two main funding areas: justice reform and safe and healthy communities. One grant went to the Neighborhood Funders Group’s Funders for Justice 2020 campaign, which supported grassroots organizing “led by and for people of color.” Another grantee, Grassroots Leadership, used funding to expand its work to include “directly impacted people into the fight against mass criminalization.”
Grants for Security and Human Rights
This funder does not name human rights as an area of interest, but tax filings show that the foundation has supported human rights organizations in the U.S. One grantee, the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, received multi-year support for its campaign against solitary confinement. The foundation has also committed to multi-year support for Freedom for Immigrants, an organization that “monitors, tracks, and reports on the mental and physical health of incarcerated immigrants.”
Grants for Public Health
Langeloth does not name public health as an area of interest, and it does not fund health initiatives directly. However, some of its safe and healthy communities grantees support the health of underserved communities of color indirectly. One grantee, Gratmakers in Health, used funding to support public awareness programs about the effect of community violence on individuals’ physical and mental health.
Important Grant Details:
The Jacob and Valeria Langeloth Foundation makes between $4 and $7 million a year in grants. This funder often offers multi-year support to its grantees, with most grants ranging from $100,000 to $300,000. Many Langeloth grantees are national organizations with networks of local community-led groups working toward a common cause. For additional information about past grantmaking, see the foundation’s grants database.
This funder runs two grantmaking cycles per year. While it has accepted applications in past years, it has accepted applications only by invitation recently. Grantseekers should check the application page periodically for updates. For general inquiries, contact the foundation’s staff via email or telephone at (212) 687-1133.
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