DCYF administers funds appropriated by the Legislature to launch and sustain restorative practices programs statewide, with funding eligibility extended to Tribal Nations, counties, multicounty agencies, nonprofit organizations, schools, and other jurisdictions.
Our grant program supports initiatives rooted in restorative practices, guided by four core principles:
Relationship
Focus on relationships that have been harmed. Create a safe space for the person who caused harm to accept responsibility and make amends. The people directly affected — those harmed, those who caused harm, and their families — work together to decide what repair looks like.
Respect
Respect makes the process safe for everyone. It means listening to each person’s perspective, pausing your own judgments, and acting in ways that allow the process to move forward safely.
Accountability
Accountability includes five parts:
- Accept responsibility for your actions
- Recognize how your actions affected others
- Show genuine remorse
- Take steps to repair the harm, guided when possible by the people harmed
- Avoid causing similar harm in the future
Reintegration
When someone has demonstrated accountability, the community supports their return. The goal is to rebuild trust and welcome them back as a contributing member.
Grant Funding
The appropriation for fiscal year 2024-2025 was $8,000,000. Grants range in size from $40,000 to $495,000 for 18-months.
Current Grantees
- Carlton County
- Center for Multicultural Mediation
- City of Mountain Iron
- City of St. Paul
- Clay County Attorney's Office
- Community Mediation Minnesota
- Dispute Resolution Center
- Domestic Abuse Project
- Duluth Community School Collaboration
- Emerge Community Development
- Family Freedom Center
- Goodhue County Court Services
- Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches
- Hennepin County Attorney's Office
- Hennepin County-088
- Hennepin County-52
- Lakes Center for Youth and Families
- Legal Rights Center
- Men As Peacemakers
- Northeast Youth & Family Services
- Olmsted Outreach
- Pine County
- Ramsey County Attorney's Office
- Restorative Justice Community Action
- Rochester Public Schools
- Sabathani Community Center
- United Way of Steele County
- Vital North Foundation
- West Bank Business Association
- Yellow Medicine County