Presenting Our Strategic Plan
Dear friends, supporters, and allies,
Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts is delighted to present to you our new strategic plan, which includes our goals for the next three years (2025-2028).
This year, 2025, is a pivotal year for our organization. Chicago Appleseed (formerly known as the Fund for Justice), was founded in 1970 by the Chicago Council of Lawyers to advocate for systemic reforms in the Cook County courts; in 1997, the Fund for Justice joined the national Appleseed Network and became Chicago Appleseed. For the past 55 years, we have used mixed-methods research approaches to interrupt cycles of poverty, mass incarceration, and racial injustice inherent to the legal system.
As we embark on our 55th anniversary, we hope to use this strategic plan as a roadmap to rededicate ourselves to our mission, vision, and values.
We envision a world where justice is driven by community and not by the government, and believe that public buy-in to this system is the first step in reducing the harms of an inaccessible and unfair system. This strategic plan positions our effort for the next three years squarely at the intersection of greatest need and greatest impact. In it, we include an explanation of five overarching priorities for our future: (1) sharpening our focus and building our brand identity, (2) improving our work quality and measuring impact, (3) building our infrastructure and investing in our people, (4) strengthening our partnerships and community engagement, and (5) securing our financial future.
We hope that you – the dedicated supporters of our work – will acknowledge these efforts to support accessibility, accountability, transparency, equity, and community autonomy through this plan.
Thank you for your support.
Warmly,
Stephanie & Naomi, Co-Executive Directors
