Our launch

Oct. 2023 statement

The Boone County Community Bail Fund (BCCBF) is officially launching. The same volunteers who answered calls from detainees, drove to the jail to post bail, and helped detainees get to court have established a new, stand-alone organization focused on bailing people out of Boone County Jail. Our organizing principles are:

• It is wrong to keep people in jail merely because they do not have the resources to post  bail. People lose jobs, housing or even custody of their children – and most importantly, their freedom.

• Paying fines and fees out of bail money is necessary to keep people out of jail. Debtor’s prison is a real thing in Boone County.

We have applied for 501.c3 (non-profit) status and have approval from the State of Missouri.  We are awaiting federal approval, which can take anywhere from six weeks to six months. 

We are fortunate to have local and national partners to allow us to start raising money now, instead of waiting for official approval of our non-profit status from the federal government. 

• The National Bail Fund Network (NBFN), our partner since the beginning, is providing a tax-deductible donation link here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/bccbf 

• The Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbia has graciously agreed to act as our fiscal agent locally. This allows us to participate in CoMoGives in December. Donate to BCCBF via the Unitarian Universalist Church at this link.