Immigration Rapid Response Grant Guidelines
The Impact Fund is providing expedited support for legal challenges to unlawful or unconstitutional acts, practices, or policies in connection with federal immigration enforcement nationwide.
Click here to learn more about why we created the Immigration Rapid Response Grants.
Grant applications must be submitted by May 30, 2026.
More details about Immigration Rapid Response Grants
URGENT NEED: The Impact Fund Immigration Rapid Response Fund will provide support to immigration-related impact litigation in instances when funding is urgently needed. Non-urgent requests will remain eligible for our regular quarterly process. Click here to apply for grants through our quarterly process.
ELIGIBLE CASES: Eligible cases include habeas cases proceeding as class actions, as well as challenges to unlawful or unconstitutional:
(a) ICE, DHS, or police misconduct;
(b) detention center conditions; and
(c) state and federal immigration policies and agency actions.
COSTS FUNDED: Eligible expenses include out-of-pocket litigation costs such as filing fees, travel expenses, expert work, discovery and trial costs, and interpretation and translation services. Attorney and staff salaries are not eligible, and previously incurred costs cannot be reimbursed.
FUNDING PROCESS: Applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis with an expedited review process and notifications provided within 5 business days.
ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS: Smaller law firms, solo practitioners, and nonprofits are all eligible to apply for a grant. Please note, however, that we only provide grants to case counsel.
RECOVERABLE GRANTS: In line with our pay-it-forward approach, we require repayment of the original grant plus 7% simple annual interest from grantees whose cases achieve a fee or cost recovery. If a case does not recover fees or costs, then no repayment is required.
GRANT AMOUNT: The maximum rapid response grant amount for immigration litigation is $20,000. Less urgent requests may apply for up to $50,000 in our normal quarterly grant cycle. Click here to learn about our quarterly grant cycle.
Frequently Asked Questions
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The maximum grant amount is $20,000 for the expedited process. If your funding needs are less urgent, you may apply for up to $50,000 through our regular quarterly grantmaking process.
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Impact Fund Immigration Rapid Response grants support impact litigation challenging unlawful or unconstitutional acts, practices, or policies in connection with federal immigration enforcement nationwide.
Eligible cases include habeas cases proceeding as class actions, as well as challenges to unlawful or unconstitutional:
(a) ICE, DHS, or police misconduct;
(b) detention center conditions; and
(c) state and federal immigration policies and agency actions.Please note that we prioritize cases seeking systemic impact and future-facing relief.
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No, you may only submit one application for one case.
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Small private firms, solo practitioners, and nonprofit organizations are all eligible to apply. However, we do not provide funding for organizations that are not listed as counsel on the case.
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This depends on your funding needs and timing. Our regular quarterly process allows you to request a grant up to $50,000. Click here to learn more about our quarterly process, including submission deadlines and notification timelines. However, for more urgent requests, we offer Immigration Rapid Response grants up to $20,000 through an expedited process. Please note that grant funds may not be used as reimbursements for previously incurred costs.
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An attorney with a close working knowledge of the case should be able to complete the application in 1–3 hours.
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The length of time to evaluate an application and process a grant depends on many variables, many of which are controlled by the applicant. However, with prompt responses from the applicant, we aim to notify you of our decision within a week. If granted, with prompt responses from the grantee, we aim to send the payment within another 1–2 weeks.
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After receiving a grant, we ask that grantees provide annual updates on the case’s progress. Once the case has concluded, we require a final report summarizing the outcome and how funds were spent.
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Our pay-it-forward approach requires grantees who recover attorneys’ fees and/or costs to repay their grants with 7% simple annual interest. The repaid funds are then put to good use supporting new impact cases. The Impact Fund is a public charity, and all the grants we make are funded by grant repayments and contributions from our donors and funders. Grant repayments allow us to support many more cases than we would be able to otherwise.
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In cases where there is a fee or cost recovery, the grantee repays the original grant amount, plus 7% simple annual interest, in line with our pay-it-forward approach for future grantees. If the case does not recover fees or costs, then nothing is owed.
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Grant applications are accepted on a rolling basis up to May 30, 2026.
How to Apply
To apply for a rapid response grant, please send an email to grants@impactfund.org with:
The name and Employer Identification Number (EIN) of the applying organization
The name and contact information of the primary contact for this application
Name of the case you are applying with
Case number and jurisdiction
If the case has not yet been filed, please provide a description of your claims and the date when you plan to file
Types of expenses needed
When these expenses will be incurred
Grant applications must be submitted by May 30, 2026.
