NEWS RELEASE 11.02.22: IMPACT FUND MAKES GRANTS OF $125,000 FOR THE ENVIRONMENT & SOCIAL JUSTICE
One grant funds a case that is seeking a ban on genetically modified corn cultivation in Mexico based on impacts on biodiversity and human rights.
New Grants to Support Impact Litigation Challenging the Corporate Food Regime, Police Misconduct, Environmental Racism, and Forced Labor of Immigrant Detainees.
Berkeley, CA 11.02.22 – The Impact Fund has made recoverable grants totaling $125,000 in its fall cycle to fund four lawsuits challenging unlawful policies and practices on behalf of Indigenous communities in Mexico, Black Lives Matter demonstrators, low-income people of color in East Boston, and detained immigrants.
“With these grants, we continue our support for communities challenging government mistreatment and police brutality and fighting to protect public health and human rights,” said Impact Fund Executive Director, Jocelyn Larkin, adding: “we’re grateful today to renew our commitment to economic, environmental, racial, and social justice.”
The first grant was made to Alternativas y Procesos de Participación Social to support a collective action lawsuit, filed by a broad coalition against major multinational corporations and government agencies, seeking a ban on genetically modified corn cultivation in Mexico based on impacts on biodiversity and human rights. In Mexico, corn is not only its most important grain crop, but is also a cultural symbol of significance to many Indigenous peoples and campesino communities. Despite this enormous importance of native corn in Mexico’s history and culture, in 2009, the Mexican government began authorizing genetically modified corn cultivation for experimental and pilot projects in the north of the country. With nearly a decade of work and a broad base of support, including two past grants from the Impact Fund, the coalition has succeeded in halting this practice until the case is concluded.
The second grant was made to Beldock Levine & Hoffman LLP to fund a class action lawsuit against the City of New York, individual New York Police Department (NYPD) officers, and city officials for engaging in activities that violated the constitutional rights of individuals protesting police misconduct during a 2020 racial justice demonstration. NYPD officers are accused of corralling protestors into spaces where they could not escape, beating protestors with batons and fists, throwing protestors to the ground, using pepper spray indiscriminately, and arresting many of the protestors without lawful justification and without fair warning.
The third grant was made to Conservation Law Foundation to support residents in East Boston to challenge a waterways permit for a proposed energy facility at a site identified as green space to be developed later. The project poses significant negative health and environmental consequences to the surrounding community and does not comply with state law. East Boston is home to more than 45,000 residents, most of who are working-class immigrants of color. Over 51 percent of the population surrounding the facility speaks Spanish or Spanish Creole. The goal of this case is to enforce existing law regarding waterways and public access by ensuring the local affected communities are fully involved and represented in the appeal process.
The fourth grant was made to Pollock Cohen LLP to fund a class action lawsuit on behalf of detained immigrants against McHenry County, Illinois, and its sheriff for human trafficking violations, including threats of force to coerce immigrant detainees to perform unpaid labor. This case aims to help immigrants who are forced to work without compensation while in civil detention. It is one of the few forced labor lawsuits challenging a municipality and, if successful, will add pressure on other detention centers throughout the country to stop forcing detainees to work.
Helen Kang, Chair of the Impact Fund’s Grant Advisory Committee, said: “We’re addressing civil rights, human rights, and environmental justice in this round of grantmaking, ensuring communities have the resources they need to achieve justice.”
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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 745 grants totaling $8,603,291. 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 pro-bono consulting, 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 2021 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.