R3 2022 Annual Report

Letter from Lieutenant Governor Stratton

The creation of the Restore, Reinvest and Renew (R3) program marked an unprecedented milestone in the State of Illinois: a commitment to addressing decades of underinvestment and harm caused by the war on drugs. In January 2021, the First round of R3 funds provided $31.5 million to 80 grantees and their collaborative partners, providing services in the areas of civil legal aid, economic development, reentry, violence prevention, and youth development.

As Chair of the R3 Program Board, I am proud that we have continued to build upon the success of the First round of funding. In our second year, we allocated approximately $144.6 million to both existing and new grantees who are providing critical programming across the state. Throughout this process, we have centered the needs and voices of communities that are most in need of reinvestment. Community members that represent neighborhoods receiving R3 funds sit on the R3 Program Board and participate in the applicant review process. Additionally, based on feedback we received from the community, we made a series of changes to the second round of funding that improved access for smaller applicants. We also have expanded educational and technical assistance opportunities, so organizations seeking to grow and develop sustainable programming can improve their readiness to compete for state funding opportunities.

We have also continued to develop programs to support small, grassroots organizations that are new to applying for state grants. In January 2023, ICJIA will officially launch Institute 2 Innovate (i2i). This capacity-building initiative will provide group and one-on- one coaching to grassroots organizations looking to expand their programming.

This work would not be possible without R3 Program Board members, Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority Director Delrice Adams and her team, and the Justice, Equity, and Opportunity Initiative staff in my office. I am grateful for their tireless efforts to repair the harm done in our state. Finally, thank you to the current R3 grantees who are the center of the R3 program. I am honored to support their mission to create a more just and equitable Illinois.

Sincerely,

Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton