About
Dignity, compassion and accountability
Commissary Grant provides financial assistance to eligible incarcerated individuals throughout the United States, funded primarily by participating book royalties.
Mission
Our operating model
An incarcerated person may apply directly. A family member, chaplain, case manager, correctional employee or authorized advocate may also assist with an application. Thirty percent of net royalties actually received from participating books is allocated to the Commissary Grant Fund.
Net royalties are the amounts received after retailer fees, printing costs, distribution deductions, returns and platform charges.
Primary objectives
- Allow incarcerated individuals and authorized representatives to apply at no charge.
- Verify applicants and prevent duplicate or fraudulent applications.
- Track book royalties and calculate the 30% grant-fund allocation.
- Enable authorized staff to review, approve, waitlist, deny and appeal applications.
- Track deposits into verified institutional trust or commissary accounts.
- Publish verified aggregate impact information without exposing recipient identities.
- Offer voluntary education, spiritual-development and reentry resources, including a nonreligious pathway.
Governance
Safeguards we hold ourselves to
Separation of duties
Reviewer, approver and payment roles are separated where staffing permits.
Human oversight
Automated scoring may organize the queue but never decides an award.
Immutable records
Financial entries and audit logs are preserved, never deleted.
Least privilege
Role-based permissions and two-factor authentication for administrators.
Conflict disclosure
Reviewers disclose conflicts, and unusual payments require written reasons.
Claims control
We publish no statistic, endorsement or partnership without documentation.
Voice
How we speak about people
We use “incarcerated person” or “incarcerated individual.” We explain every status and requirement in direct language, and we avoid pity-driven, threatening or exaggerated messaging. We never portray incarcerated people with demeaning or sensational imagery.
Leadership and governance
Leadership biographies, governance structure and formal organizational status will be published here once documentation is finalized. We do not claim awards, accreditation, endorsements or tax-deductible status.