Impact Fund Grant Program: COVID-19 Response
Amy Daniewicz - Grant Program Director and Linda Gordon - Grant Program Coordinator
While court dockets, case timelines, and organizational needs have shifted since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, impact litigation has remained as crucial as ever. Our grantees, our own legal team at the Impact Fund, and impact litigators everywhere are engaged in critical work during these unprecedented times, when multiple crises test our systems and expose major injustices. Their work addresses issues such as absentee ballots and voting rights, living conditions and medical access for people in prison and detention facilities, and access to basic resources such as sufficient food and safe water.
The Impact Fund remains steadfast in our support of these cases and the communities and attorneys behind them. To best help grantees and applicants adapt to this evolving legal landscape, we have committed to the following actions:
Increase Availability of Rapid Response Grants
We have increased the availability of our Rapid Response grants for applicants whose funding needs are more urgent than our quarterly cycles can accommodate. Our Rapid Response Program allows us to make small grants of up to $10,000, outside of our quarterly grantmaking cycles, to offer maximum flexibility to applicants.
Fast Track Urgent Requests
We will fast track the urgent, COVID-19-related requests submitted in the month following the LOI deadline so that we can more quickly evaluate these requests. This will allow us to be more responsive to applicant needs and produce a faster turnaround for these requests.
Streamline Requests for Expense Type Adjustments
For our current grantees, we have streamlined the process to request a change to a grant's approved expense types. We wish to make this process simpler for grantees who find that their case priorities and financial needs have shifted since the time of application as a result of COVID-19.
During this challenging time, the Impact Fund remains committed to supporting the communities, nonprofits, and attorneys working to achieve systemic change through impact litigation. We believe strongly that ensuring equal access to the courts is necessary to remedy systemic injustice, particularly when the litigation seeks broad, systemic change. That is why we remain steadfast in our commitment to our mission—so that we may stand with the communities who are pursuing deep and lasting change. Together, it is our aim to create a more equitable world where everyone can achieve justice.
For more information about the Impact Fund Grant Program, click here. For information about our Rapid Response Program, click here. To apply, click here.
The Impact Fund is a 501(c)(3) public charity that raises funds each year from private donors, foundation grants, and grant repayments to fund the recoverable grants we make for impact litigation.