Chubb Rule of Law Fund expands support for projects that advance racial justice
Over $1 million will go to fund projects that combat inequities in policing and the criminal justice system.
Since 2008, the Chubb Rule of Law Fund has supported organizations and programs focused on building and strengthening the rule of law and vital legal institutions around the world. Chubb employees also contribute, bringing their expertise to source and participate in projects. It is is the only corporate fund of its kind in the world.
In 2020, as racial injustices and police brutality became more visible across the U.S., Chubb focused its attention more intensely on what more it can do to fight racial inequities. One important avenue has been the Chubb Rule of Law Fund.
“The Chubb Rule of Law Fund has been recognized as a model for its work advancing the preservation of the rule of law, so we had a unique opportunity as a company to do our part to build racial justice and equity through the fund,” said Joe Wayland, Executive Vice President, Chubb Group and General Counsel. “We’ve put a priority on backing programs and organizations that combat inequality and promote social, economic and racial justice. Our goal is clear: to alleviate inequities in the administration of justice, including inequities arising from existing and historic racism.”
In 2021, the Chubb Rule of Law Fund awarded four grants, totaling $1.1 million dollars, to projects that promote equity and advance racial justice. These projects build upon the fund’s longtime support for racial justice initiatives.
The fund awarded grants to Equal Justice USA to expand its Newark, N.J.-based program, Trauma to Trust, to cities across the U.S. Trauma to Trust is an innovative program that increases empathy, understanding, trust and accountability between community residents and police officers. Over multiple sessions, police and community members work with a trained facilitator to learn how historical and personal trauma affects their interactions and perceptions of one another, building trust and fairness in community policing.
The Policing Project at NYU Law School was awarded grants for two projects to reform policing practices. In Chicago, the grant will support expansion of successful community policing practices that enhance accountability, problem solving and increased positive contact between police officers and neighborhood residents, seeking to transform the dynamic between the Chicago Police Department and the communities it serves. The grant will help to develop the program as a model for other cities. The grant will also support the organization's First Response project, which is in the process of developing state-of-the-art protocols for responding to emergency 911 calls to reduce the likelihood of inadvertent, unnecessary or disproportionate use of force.
The Vera Institute of Justice was awarded a grant to support Motion for Justice, a program that works with prosecutors to reduce racial inequities throughout the criminal justice process. The Institute is working with prosecutors in counties in seven states, and funding from Chubb will be used to expand the program to reach an additional 10 prosecutors across the country.
The Chubb Rule of Law Fund is also supporting the Southern Center for Human Rights’s initiative to develop a data model and database to provide an empirical basis to assess the impact of race in the administration of criminal justice in Georgia and Alabama. Chubb's grant will cover the full cost of creating this database.
“At Chubb, citizenship is about responsibility, and it’s our profound belief that we have a responsibility as a corporation, and as individuals, to combat racism with candor, open minds and a commitment to change,” said Wayland. “We’re facing an inflection point for racial justice in our country, and through our equity and diversity initiatives, we’re working to be part of the solution.”