NEWS STATEMENT 02.07.24: IMPACT FUND MAKES GRANTS OF $172,500
One grant funds a multi-plaintiff case against Arizona's school district funding scheme, which is based on property values and disadvantages students attending public schools in low-income districts.
Berkeley, CA 02.07.24 – The Impact Fund has made grants totaling $172,500 in its winter cycle to fund six lawsuits. These cases aim to safeguard the rights of children residing in low-income areas of Arizona, farmworkers consistently exposed to substantial pesticide levels, racial justice protestors, Texas residents with disabilities, family members affected by paramilitary death squads in Colombia, and youth fighting for climate justice in Hawaii.
“Empowering justice through strategic grants is an investment in accountability and equality. By supporting lawsuits that challenge injustice, we contribute to a world where every voice is heard and the pursuit of a just society is unwavering,” said Impact Fund Executive Director Jocelyn Larkin.
The Impact Fund provided funding to Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest to support a multi-plaintiff case against Arizona's school district funding scheme, which is based on property values and disadvantages students attending public schools in low-income districts. Districts with wealth regularly approve millions of dollars in funding for schools, with residents attesting that their schools would be in horrible shape without this funding. Meanwhile, children living in low-income districts attend schools with crumbling infrastructure, inadequate air conditioning, lack of security, and leaky roofs. If this case succeeds, it will ensure adequate funding for the construction and repair of schools, as well as for the updating of buses, computers, and curricula.
A grant was made to Center for Food Safety in support of a lawsuit by farmworkers and environmental and consumer health groups challenging the EPA’s failure to test and regulate dangerous endocrine-disrupting pesticides. Despite having had more than 25 years to implement an endocrine disruptor screening program as mandated by Congress, the EPA has made little to no progress. This case seeks to hold the EPA accountable for its ongoing disregard of the health of our nation’s farmworkers and their families, who are routinely exposed to enormous amounts of pesticides. The goal of the case is to both enforce existing law and to develop new laws. If successful, the case would also help minimize health risks for lower-income communities, who may not have access to pesticide-free produce.
Another grantee, Civil Rights Education & Enforcement Center, is challenging the Sacramento Police Department for using violence and excessive force against racial justice protestors. The lawsuit alleges disparate police treatment during protests—plaintiffs peacefully protesting racial injustice and police misconduct faced violence and arrest, while far-right groups supporting the “Stop the Steal” movement received police protection. The plaintiffs endured aggressive tactics, including being forcefully detained, shot at with bean bags, struck by batons, and sprayed with tear gas. The case aims to highlight the unequal application of law enforcement, achieve justice for the harmed protesters, and impose limits on the police department’s crowd dispersal tactics.
Disability Rights Texas received a grant for a multi-plaintiff civil rights case against the city of San Antonio for its failure to adequately plan for and respond to the needs of people with disabilities during the 2021 winter freeze. Cities and counties across Texas are mandated by law to implement working disaster preparedness plans – including contingency plans to insure the health and safety of individuals with disabilities. Prior to Winter Storm Uri, the city of San Antonio had no such plan. During the historic storm, people with disabilities were trapped in below-freezing temperatures, with no access to clean water, electricity, transportation, meals, and necessary medical supplies, resulting in 16 deaths. The case aims to ensure that effective emergency plans are implemented to protect the 3.5 million people with disabilities living in Texas.
A grant was made to EarthRights International for a multi-plaintiff corporate accountability case against multinational produce company Chiquita Brands International, Inc., on behalf of family members of Colombians murdered by paramilitary death squads in the 1990s and early 2000s. Chiquita admitted to illegally financing these paramilitaries, who murdered thousands of civilians, including labor organizers, Indigenous rights advocates, and anyone else who stood in their way as they stole land and enriched themselves. This case aims to secure compensation for the families of the people who were murdered. The case also aims to deter Chiquita and similar companies from ever engaging in similar conduct, and to send a message to the broader multinational corporate community that abetting human rights abuses will lead to severe consequences.
Our Children's Trust received a grant to underwrite a constitutional climate change case against Hawai'i's transportation system for violating the youth plaintiffs’ right to a clean and healthful environment under the state constitution. This is the world’s first constitutional climate change case exclusively focused on stopping pollution caused by transportation systems. The children bringing the case, the majority of whom are Native Hawai’ian, are disproportionately vulnerable to the effects of climate change, including wildfires, flooding, and sea level rise. Emissions from the transportation sector are a major contributor to Hawai‘i’s greenhouse gas emissions, but the state is not taking meaningful steps to reduce emissions from its transportation sector. The goal of the case is to seek recognition of children’s climate rights in Hawai’i and to reform Hawai’i’s transportation system.
Helen Kang, Chair of the Impact Fund’s Grant Advisory Committee, said: “These grants provide the resources to navigate the complex legal system, ensuring equal access to justice and safeguarding the fundamental rights of individuals and communities.”
ENDS
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About The Impact Fund
The Impact Fund was founded in December 1992 to help advance economic, environmental, racial, and social justice through the courts. Originally envisioned as a purely grantmaking organization, the Impact Fund has made 778 grants totaling $9,426,041. Click here for Grant Criteria and information about Grant Deadlines.
Since its inception, the Impact Fund has grown to include both advocacy and education in its range of services. Today, the Impact Fund litigates a small number of cases directly, authors amicus briefs, provides a substantial amount of consulting to civil rights practitioners free of charge, and presents an annual conference for plaintiff-side class action practitioners, a training institute for budding public interest class action practitioners, and numerous seminars and webinars. Click here for the 2023 Annual Report.
What Is Impact Litigation?
Impact Litigation is a lawsuit, often a class action, where the outcome of the case will advance economic, environmental, racial and/or social justice for a community or a large group, which may not have access to the courts on its own.