The Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice (Katal) was launched in 2016 to build the organizing capacity of local communities, to end mass criminalization, mass incarceration and the war on drugs, and to advance solutions to promote and secure health, equity and justice for everyone. It is headquartered in Hartford, with offices in Brooklyn and Albany, NY. The word “katal” comes from chemistry – it is the unit of measurement that expresses the activity of a catalyst. This grant provides general operating support for Katal and its work to accelerate change.

To support Katal’s mission to end mass criminalization, mass incarceration and the war on drugs through the development of collaborative advocacy efforts. This grant will enable Katal co-founders Lorenzo Jones and gabriel sayegh to develop a statewide advocacy coalition in Connecticut focused on achieving reform through a public health and racial equity framework. Specifically, Jones and sayegh will work to identify potential partners, organize a coalition with unified, strategic goals and assemble a staff to provide management support for these efforts.