For over 10 years, OSI-Baltimore has worked to reduce Maryland's over-reliance on incarceration—a practice that is costly, disproportionately targets communities of color, and does little to rehabilitate offenders or improve public safety.  OSI supports advocacy,  demonstration initiatives, and public education efforts that promote community-based alternatives to incarceration; advance systemic reform of criminal laws, policies and practices that result in inequities; ensure the successful transition of adult and young offenders from incarceration to the community; and/or utilize communication strategies to expose and reform the social and economic costs of incarceration.

The OSI-Baltimore Criminal and Juvenile Justice Program announces two Requests for Proposals (RFPs) that seek Baltimore-based, nonprofit organizations for either of the following:

Grassroots Organizing for Criminal Justice Reform

This RFP seeks to promote criminal justice policy reform work in Maryland by building the capacity of Baltimore-based nonprofit organizations to:

• engage in grassroots organizing of people directly affected by the criminal justice system, including prisoners, former prisoners, other individuals with criminal records, and/or their families and communities (the target population);
• enhance the target population's leadership skills so that they may exercise their power to advocate for institutional change; and
• identify and carry out criminal justice advocacy strategies to reach specific goals.

Deadline: September 8, 2008

Download the RFP at the bottom of this page.

Community Reentry Programs for Baltimore Empowerment Zones Residents with Criminal Records

Through this RFP, OSI-Baltimore seeks to continue to build the capacity of nonprofit organizations to provide case management, job and life skills training, employment placement and other services to former prisoners and other people with criminal records.

Deadline: September 17, 2008

Download the RFP at the bottom of this page.