R3 2023 Annual Report
Letter from Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton
During the R3 Program’s inaugural year, we faced unprecedented challenges while navigating the implementation of a groundbreaking program to address generational harm caused by the war on drugs. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated inequities across Illinois and shifted the R3 Program Board (the Board) decision-making process to center the needs of disinvested communities. On January 21, 2021, the Board awarded $31.5 million in grant funding to 80 organizations and their collaborative partners. Funded programs offered evidence-based and innovative restorative practices within the R3 Program’s priority areas of civil legal aid, economic development, reentry, violence prevention, and youth development.
On June 22, 2022, the second round of R3 Program funding granted $45 million to 148 agencies focusing on service delivery, community planning, and capacity building. Since embarking on our partnership, we have introduced various summer violence prevention funding opportunities and created sustainability for service providers to continue programming for up to three years. In total, we have invested approximately $244 million to deliver transformational justice to communities across Illinois.
As Chair of the R3 Program Board, I would like to thank my fellow Board members, Delrice Adams, Executive Director of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) and her team, and the Justice, Equity, and Opportunity (JEO) Initiative within my office for their steadfast leadership and focus in fortifying the infrastructure required to ensure equitable access to state grant funding. I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention that this work would not have been achieved without the wisdom and collaboration of the communities that have been impacted the most.
As we prepare for the third round of R3 Program funding, we continue to prioritize supporting small organizations and community groups working directly with individuals. In January 2023, ICJIA launched a new capacity-building hub entitled the Institute 2 Innovate (i2i). The R3 Program will require more enhancements to ensure organizations of all sizes have the tools to access and submit a successful application. It is my esteemed honor to lead the charge as we create a model for the nation. Together, we can create equitable practices to address decades of disinvestment, over-incarceration, and trauma caused by the war on drugs.
Respectfully,
Juliana Stratton
Lieutenant Governor of Illinois
Chair of the Restore, Reinvest, and Renew Program Board