• Priority consideration will be given to applicants who attended the CCFFJ Bootcamp (in-person or virtually) on March 3 and 4, 2022. If you were unable to attend, please review the Bootcamp recordings here to learn more about the CCFFJ network, the reform process outlined in the Roadmap to Equitable Fine and Fee Reform, and details about the four policy areas of focus for the 2022-23 Cohort. 
• Additionally, prior to submitting an application, all prospective jurisdictions must take steps toward conducting a fine and fee assessment that includes the following four elements: 1) community engagement, 2) government stakeholder engagement, 3) examining jurisdictional authority, and 4) fiscal analysis.
  • Detailed guidance on each of these four steps can be found in the Roadmap to Equitable Fine and Fee Reform. 
  • Applications that detail initial findings from all four elements of the fine and fee assessment will be prioritized for selection into the 2022-23 Cohort
  • CCFFJ will hold office hours through mid-May to help prospective teams begin their assessments and to assist with the application process. Applicants may also email ccffj@policylink.org with any questions

CCFFJ will select a total of five jurisdictions to join the network and to advance meaningful policy reform from one or more of the following issue areas (applicants must have jurisdictional authority over the issue areas they select):

• Fines that Serve No Compelling Policy Purpose or Exceed People’s Ability to Pay
• The High Costs of Incarceration
• Debt-based Driver’s License Suspensions
• Fees in the Criminal-Legal System or Traffic Court 

• March 4, 2022 – Invitation to Apply Form released at CCFFJ Bootcamp
• March 15, 2022 – CCFFJ 2022-23 Cohort Application released on a rolling basis to jurisdictions who have completed the Invitation to Apply Form
• April 10, 2022 – Last day to submit Invitation to Apply Form & receive an application for the 2022-23 Cohort 
• May 22, 2022 – Last day to submit CCFFJ 2022-23 Cohort Application (online submission)
• June 9, 2022 – Finalists invited to interview stage
• July 12, 2022 – Announcement of five jurisdictions selected to join CCFFJ 2022-23 Cohort
• July 22, 2022 – CCFFJ 2022-23 Cohort Orientation and Launch (likely virtual)
• Courts, prosecutors, and public defenders
• Community organizers and advocates

Each cohort member will receive between $25,000 and $75,000 in grant funding, customized technical assistance, access to a network of subject matter experts, reform implementation planning, communications strategy support, and opportunities for shared learning.

Yes

We are open to different ways for teams to use funds to advance fine and fee reform. For example, teams in the first cohort used the funds to contract with community-based organizations or research consultants and/or stipends for community engagement, interviews, or survey respondents.

Following steps outlined in the Roadmap to Bold and Equitable Fine and Fee Reform, each jurisdiction selected to join the network will be expected to meet regularly and work together over a 12 month period to advance their selected fine-and-fee reforms by the end of the cohort. Cohort teams will participate in the CCFFJ process and curriculum, including regular meetings with the network organizing partners (including potential in-person site visits), meetings with other cohort teams to share and receive learnings, programming and trainings via webinars, and 1-2 in-person events.

City and/or county jurisdictions/courts should build a team of 2-5 individuals (hybrid city/county teams are encouraged). Team members should include:

• A team coordinator who will be responsible for submitting the Invitation to Apply Form and CCFFJ 2022-23 Cohort Application, and if accepted into the 2022-23 Cohort, will be responsible for project managing the team’s workflow, progress, and communications.
• At least one additional city or county government official or senior employee with direct authority or influence over the issue area(s) the team plans to address (e.g., senior staffers from the Mayor’s or Budget Office, courts (e.g., Chief Judge or District Attorney), etc.).
• Other team members should include:
  1. Community organizers, advocates, and impacted people (highly recommended)
  2. Courts, prosecutors, and public defenders, or other relevant justice system stakeholders 
  3. Additional stakeholders in city or county government (e.g., Department Staff, Office of Racial Equity, etc.)

A team coordinator is typically a senior-level government staffer in an office with authority or influence over the intended policy reforms. The coordinator is responsible for coordinating and tracking all CCFFJ team efforts, coordinating any onsite visits, as well as ensuring the team’s adherence to CCFFJ expectations and guidelines. Team coordinators should plan to submit one Invitation to Apply Form and 2022-23 Cohort Application on behalf of their jurisdiction.

A team coordinator is typically a senior-level government staffer in an office with authority or influence over the intended policy reforms. Outside of the coordinator role, we encourage teams to include directly-impacted people and community organizers/advocates.

At a minimum, the expectation is that teams will meet 1-2 times per month on their own over the course of a year, in addition to recurring network meetings.

Yes, CCFFJ will hold weekly office hours prior to the launch of the next cohort. You will be invited to attend office hours after submitting the Invitation to Apply Form. Applicants may also email ccffj@policylink.org with any questions.

CCFFJ encourages jurisdictions to enact any reforms that are community and government priorities. To join the 2022-23 Cohort, however, CCFFJ requires that your team prioritize one reform within the CCFFJ policy priority issue areas as part of your network participation.

Yes, CCFFJ encourages the use of federal funds to evaluate and eliminate harmful fines and fees, as well as to invest in infrastructure and programs that support directly impacted people.

2020-21 Cohort teams are already in the CCFFJ Network and will receive support and assistance (stay tuned for details). Please email ccffj@policylink.org if you believe there is a case to be made to participate as a 2022-23 Cohort member.

Yes, please email ccffj@policylink.org for a referral to the Fines and Fees Justice Center and/or the San Francisco Financial Justice Project (CCFFJ partners).

CCFFJ plans to track and build on the reform efforts of the 2020-21 Cohort. As part of our goal to continue building national momentum for fine and fee reform, CCFFJ plans to facilitate connections across cohorts to increase shared learning and best practices.

• CCFFJ Lessons Learned Overview
• CCFFJ Lessons Learned Video