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Families File Lawsuit to Stop California’s Rady Children’s Health from Cutting off Health Care for Transgender Youth
Today, California families filed a lawsuit against Rady Children’s Health, the nonprofit parent organization overseeing Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego and Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC), to stop the hospital system from unlawfully cutting off medical care for transgender adolescents and young adults.
The lawsuit challenges the hospital system’s January 20, 2026, announcement that it would stop providing healthcare to treat transgender youth — care that every major medical organization recognizes as well-established and medically necessary.
Immigration Rapid Response Litigation Grants Now Available
In response to increasingly unlawful immigration enforcement actions, the Impact Fund is launching Rapid Response Grants for immigration-related lawsuits.
Our rapid response grants provide litigators with additional resources to bring urgent high-impact challenges that protect individuals, families, and communities from unlawful civil rights violations.
Starting this week, litigators can apply for expedited funding of up to $20,000 to support impact litigation in connection with unlawful or unconstitutional federal immigration enforcement.
Impact Fund Class Action Hall of Fame 2026 Inductees Announced
Class action heroes Jules, Hayden, Sherrill, and Lilly were honored for their success in Farrell v. Department of Defense.
Seven heroes were today inducted into the Impact Fund Class Action Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame recognizes named plaintiffs in proposed and certified class actions whose commitment and determination has led to significant advances in economic, environmental, racial, and social justice.
Impact Fund Executive Director Lindsay Nako said:
“The 2026 Impact Fund Class Action Hall of Fame inductees stood up on behalf of tens of thousands of people whose government institutions let them down, from the local sheriff’s office in Cook County, Chicago, to the Department of Defense. All are accountable to those they serve, and no one is above the law.”
Impact Fund Condemns Killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good by Federal Law Enforcement in Minneapolis
This week, a Minneapolis man, Alex Pretti, was fatally shot by a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agent, according to city officials. The 37-year-old was a U.S. citizen and intensive care unit nurse. This follows the killing of Renee Nicole Good and the shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg.
“The murders of Renee Good and Alexander Pretti are violent and shocking acts that should be followed by immediate calls for investigation and accountability,” said Impact Fund Executive Director Lindsay Nako. “Instead, they are being used as tools of intimidation.”
pRESS release: Medical Records of Over 3,000 Transgender Youth Protected from Overreaching Federal Subpoena After Legal Challenge
Washington, D.C. 1.23.2026 – The Department of Justice has withdrawn its subpoena demanding the medical records of over 3,000 transgender youth at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and entered into a settlement agreement with a group of patients and their families.
The subpoena, served this summer to Children's Hospital Los Angeles, sought sweeping access to minors' most sensitive medical records—including mental health treatment notes, prescribing information, and other deeply personal details—related to gender-affirming care.
pRESS rELEASE: Federal Judge Grants Second Preliminary Injunction Blocking Attacks on Head Start
Seattle, WA 1.7.2026 – A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration’s attacks on Head Start, halting the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) ban on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, as well as mass office closures and layoffs at the Office of Head Start.
These administrative actions had disrupted programs nationwide and hindered their ability to fulfil their mission of providing early education and care to young children from low-income families.
Media Alert: Western Center on Law & Poverty Partners with Impact Fund to File a Nationwide Class Action Lawsuit to Protect SNAP Recipients
Berkeley, CA 11.04.2025 – Western Center on Law & Poverty (WCLP) and Impact Fund today filed a class action lawsuit in federal district court to protect Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients nationwide.
The case seeks to affirm that the federal government has a mandatory duty to continue full SNAP funding during any federal government shutdown.
Plaintiffs are three California residents and CalFresh recipients—from Los Angeles County, Humboldt County, and San Joaquin County—representing more than 42 million people who rely on SNAP to feed themselves and their families.
News Release 8.18.2025: Impact Fund Makes Grants of $225,000
Pictured: Oil is seeping out from the sunken battleship U.S.S. Arizona at Pearl Harbor, O‘ahu. Grantee Wai Ola Alliance seeks to end the environmental contamination of Hawaiian waters.
Berkeley, CA 8.18.2025 – The Impact Fund has granted $225,000 in its summer grantmaking cycle to fund nine impact lawsuits. These cases aim to challenge the Trump Administration’s unlawful targeting of immigrants, protect the rights of foster children and people with disabilities, seek justice for forced labor, and more.
“At a time when fundamental rights and our shared environment are under threat, our grantees are standing firm to protect communities and demand justice. We are proud to support their efforts to create lasting change,” said Impact Fund Executive Director Lindsay Nako.
Impact Fund & Co-Counsel Challenge New HHS Directive Excluding Families from Head Start Based on Immigration Status
On July 14, 2025, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a new directive that makes immigration status an eligibility requirement for Head Start for the first time in the program’s sixty-year history. On July 21, we filed a motion for a temporary restraining order to stop the Immigrant Exclusion Directive from going into effect.
The Trump Administration estimates that the Immigrant Exclusion Directive excludes at least 500,000 children from Head Start.
Impact Fund & Co-Counsel Seek Injunction to Halt Trump Administration’s Dismantling of Head Start
In May, a coalition of Head Start associations and parent organizations, represented by the Impact Fund, ACLU, Crowell & Moring LLP, and Feldesman Leifer LLP, filed a motion for a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s attacks on the Head Start program.
The program provides comprehensive early education services to over 800,000 children and families nationwide each year.
Native Hawaiian Farmers Seek to Recover Benefits Reaped from Illegal Stream Diversions
Plaintiff Healoha Carmichael, pictured above in 2015.
Accessible by only a windy, two-lane highway, eastern Maui’s rural community is known for its abundant rains, rich forests, and dozens of streams, with verdant valleys and gulches that have sustained Native Hawaiians like Healoha and her kūpuna (ancestors) for centuries.
Over time, the impacts of water diversions on the environment and on Native Hawaiian cultural practices in east Maui have been devastating. Streams completely dried out. Plants and animals that live in the streams died. Native Hawaiian families lost the means to continue traditional farming and gathering practices critical to maintaining culture and sustaining their foodways.
In April 2015, Healoha and others sued to stop all A&B’s east Maui diversions until disclosure of the environmental impact.
Impact Fund Grants Support Indigenous Rights, Students’ Civil Rights, and Environmental Justice
The North Santiam River in Oregon (pictured) could be contaminated by a large-scale chicken factory farm.
Berkeley, CA, 6.24.2025 – During the Impact Fund’s winter and spring grantmaking cycles, we granted a total of $315,000 to support impact litigation brought by communities challenging systemic injustice across a wide range of issue areas.
Our new grantees are doing incredible work across North America to advance Indigenous land rights, protect transgender students, challenge segregation in public schools, advocate for climate action, and more. We are so excited to be able to support these important cases.
Impact Fund & Amici Urge Ninth circuit to Affirm The preliminary injunction Blocking Trump Admin From Dismantling Refugee Admissions Program
Resettlement agencies provide support for food, furniture, and climate-appropriate clothing. Photo Credit: RAICES Texas
Last month, the Impact Fund, Justice in Aging, Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, and fellow social justice organizations filed an amicus brief in Pacito v. Trump in the Ninth Circuit. Pacito v. Trump, No. 2:25-cv-2:55 (W.D. Wash.).
On appeal, our amicus brief emphasizes the critical role of refugee resettlement partners in helping older adult refugees adjust to life in the United States. These resettlement agencies provide initial reception and support for refugees, such as food, furniture, and climate-appropriate clothing; assistance securing housing and potential employment; transportation; initial cash assistance; and enrollment into English language classes. Resettlement agencies also connect refugees to vital services and federal programs such as Medicaid, Supplemental Social Security Income, and Housing Choice Voucher Programs and Public Housing.
News Release 5.22.2025: Impact Fund Makes Grants of $165,000
One grant funds a case seeking to protect the North Santiam River in Oregon (pictured) from agricultural pollution.
Berkeley, CA, 5.22.2025 – The Impact Fund has granted $165,000 in its spring grantmaking cycle to fund five impact lawsuits. These cases include efforts to challenge a proposed factory farm in Oregon, recognize children’s constitutional climate rights in Canada, and ensure equal access for transgender students in South Carolina.
Elissa Gershon, Chair of the Impact Fund’s Grant Advisory Committee, said: “The grantees we've funded this quarter are fighting against powerful interests to protect the environment and the rights of transgender students — work that furthers our goal of building a more equitable world.”
News Release 5.7.25: Terry v. Wasatch Team Receives 2025 California Lawyer of the Year Award
From left to right: Anne Bellows, Andrew Wolff, Lori Rifkin, Laura Ho, Jesse Newmark, Larry Organ, Lindsay Nako
The co-counsel team of Centro Legal de la Raza, Dardarian Ho Kan & Lee, the Impact Fund, Law Offices of Andrew Wolff, and the California Civil Rights Law Group have been recognized with a 2025 California Lawyer of the Year (CLAY) award by the Daily Journal for their work on U.S. ex rel. Terry v. Wasatch Advantage Group. The annual award highlights outstanding lawyers and legal achievements in California over the past year.
The co-counsel team has been recognized for its exceptional work achieving a $16.5 million settlement on the eve of trial, resolving the claims of the three plaintiffs and two certified classes of Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) tenants in California who paid illegal excess rent in violation of the governing Section 8 contracts. The settlement includes a $5 million class recovery that will return 100% of the excess rent plus interest to over 2,500 low-income renters across California, as well as significant injunctive relief eliminating all challenged practices.
News Release 04.28.25: Parent Advocacy Groups and a Coalition of Head Start Providers File Lawsuit to Stop Trump Administration’s Dismantling of Head Start
Head Start programs support more than 800,000 children every year.
Today, a coalition of parents and Head Start providers filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s coordinated and unlawful efforts to dismantle the Head Start program, which would be catastrophic for the millions of people who rely on it. By slashing staff, delaying funding, and imposing bans that block programs from fulfilling their mission to support young children from low-income families, the administration is defying Congress’s mandate to continue Head Start services nationwide. This multi-pronged attack puts at risk the quality and safe early educational, health, nutritional, and social services that Head Start programs across the country provide to 800,000+ young children and their families every year.
News Release 02.21.25: Impact Fund Class Action Hall of Fame 2025 Inductees Announced
Class of 2025 inductees Jeffrey Powers, Ashley Badis, Alexis Badis, and Mayra Jimenez at the Impact Fund Class Action Conference.
Sixteen heroes were today inducted into the Impact Fund Class Action Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame recognizes named plaintiffs in proposed and certified class actions whose commitment and determination has led to significant advances in economic, environmental, racial, and social justice.
“The 2025 Impact Fund Class Action Hall of Fame inductees stood up on behalf of thousands of others to protect students, children, veterans, and families facing discrimination, racism, and government abuses. Their courage and sacrifice has made the world a better place.” said Lindsay Nako, Impact Fund Executive Director.
News Release 2.11.25: Impact Fund Makes Grants of $150,000
One grant funds a case seeking to recognize Indigenous land and marine rights in Haida Gwaii, Canada (pictured).
The Impact Fund has granted $150,000 in its winter grantmaking cycle to fund four impact lawsuits. These cases include efforts to recognize Indigenous rights to land in Canada, seek accountability for the illegal diversion of water in Hawaiʻi, and challenge racial and economic segregation in Minnesota public schools. This grantmaking cycle also represents a major milestone for the Impact Fund: we have now granted more than $10 million since our founding in 1992.
“These grants provide vital support to communities fighting for accountability and fairness, helping to build a more equitable world for everyone," said Elissa Gershon, Chair of the Impact Fund’s Grant Advisory Committee.
NEWS RELEASE 01.06.25: LGBTQ+ VETERANS ACHIEVE HISTORIC SETTLEMENT
Under DADT and its predecessor policies, more than 30,000 service members were discharged for their actual or perceived sexual orientation between 1980 and 2011.
A group of LGBTQ+ veterans discharged under the discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (“DADT”) policy and similar earlier policies have reached a historic settlement agreement in their class action lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Defense. Although DADT was repealed more than a decade ago, veterans have continued to face discrimination through the violation of their constitutional rights to privacy, due process, and equal protection. This proposed settlement, which is subject to Court approval, is a step forward in simplifying the complicated and challenging process veterans face in seeking discharge upgrades and the removal of sexual orientation indicators on their discharge papers. The plaintiffs are represented by the Impact Fund and co-counsel: Legal Aid at Work, King & Spalding, and; Haynes and Boone.
Commenting, Jocelyn Larkin at the Impact Fund said: “This proposed settlement delivers long-overdue justice to LGBTQ+ veterans who served our country with honor but were stripped of the dignity and recognition they rightfully earned due to discriminatory discharge policies. It marks a crucial step in addressing this deep-seated injustice and ensuring these veterans receive the acknowledgment and respect they have long been denied.”
NEWS RELEASE 11.15.24: LARKIN JOINS CIVIL RULES COMMITTEE
Berkeley, 11.15.24 – Jocelyn Larkin of the Impact Fund was recently appointed to the Advisory Committee on Civil Rules.
Jocelyn Larkin, the former Executive Director and current Of Counsel with the Impact Fund, said:
“Having long followed and admired the work of the Advisory Committee, I am humbled to now be a member and have an opportunity to assist in its important work. I hope I can bring my experience as a litigator to the committee’s ongoing endeavors.”
The Rules Enabling Act authorizes the Supreme Court to prescribe general rules of practice and procedure and rules of evidence for the federal courts. The Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure and its five advisory committees each engage in "a continuous study of the operation and effect of the general rules of practice and procedure now or hereafter in use."
NEWS RELEASE 10.29.24: SECTION 8 TENANTS WIN PRELIMINARY APPROVAL OF CLASS ACTION AND FALSE CLAIMS ACT SETTLEMENT
Lindsay Nako and plaintiff Denika Terry
Berkeley, 10.29.24 – On Friday, in the Eastern District of California, United States District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller granted preliminary approval of the settlement in the class action U.S. ex rel. Terry v. Wasatch Advantage Group. Plaintiffs secured a settlement for over 2,000 Section 8 tenants that includes recovery of all the additional fees they alleged were illegally charged, as well as interest, plus critical protections for Wasatch’s Section 8 tenants in California ensuring that they would not be required to pay additional fees beyond their agreed-upon monthly rent.
Named plaintiff Terry, said:
“It took years of litigation and dedication to get to this incredible outcome. I am so proud of our work standing up for our families and the families of so many others.”
The plaintiffs are represented by Class Counsel Centro Legal de la Raza, Goldstein Borgen Dardarian & Ho, Impact Fund, and Law Offices of Andrew Wolff.
News Release 10.28.24: Impact Fund Makes Grants of $150,000
Berkeley, CA 10.28.24 - The Impact Fund has granted $150,000 in its fall grantmaking cycle to fund seven impact lawsuits. These cases aim to prevent the unlawful detention of immigrants in Pennsylvania, address nitrate pollution in Central California, end forced labor in Colorado prisons, seek accountability for the destruction of a Black neighborhood in Oregon, prevent a highway expansion in Texas, and seek justice for water contamination caused by animal agriculture in Idaho.
“It is as inspiring as ever to know that these grants will advance our goals of building a healthier planet, making the world a more safe and equitable place, and ensuring access to justice for all,” said Dena Sharp, Chair of the Impact Fund’s Board of Directors.
One grant funds an environmental justice case aiming to prevent water pollution caused by a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) in Grand View, Idaho.
NEWS Release 07.10.24: IMPACT FUND GRANTS $203,650 TO SUPPORT PUBLIC INTEREST LITIGATION
Berkeley, CA 07.10.24 - The Impact Fund has granted $203,650 in its summer grantmaking cycle to fund nine impact lawsuits. These cases aim to challenge the censorship of books in jails, improve access to transit for people with disabilities, seek accountability for police violence against Indigenous land defenders, prevent the destruction of unhoused peoples’ property, and more.
Dena Sharp, Chair of the Impact Fund’s Board of Directors, said: “These grants provide resources and support for cases across a spectrum of causes, and will help ensure access to justice for a wide range of communities using the legal system to seek fairness and equality.”
One grant funds a case on behalf of Indigenous land defenders from the Wet’suwet’en First Nation in Canada, who have been protesting the construction of a pipeline on their land.
News Release 04.23.24: IMPACT FUND GRANTS $131,500 TO SUPPORT SOCIAL JUSTICE LITIGATION
One grant funds a class action lawsuit that aims to significantly reform Alaska’s foster care system.
Berkeley, CA 04.23.24 – The Impact Fund has granted $131,500 in its spring grant cycle to fund three separate lawsuits. These cases aim to safeguard the rights of foster children in Alaska, halt the discriminatory use of gunfire detection technology in Chicago, and protect Montana consumers from gender and marital status discrimination by insurance companies.
“Our grantees model the highest and best use of our courts: using litigation to expose injustice and give voice to people and communities struggling to be heard. Our litigation grants help to amplify their work and achieve a more just society for us all,” said Impact Fund Executive Director Lindsay Nako.
NEWS Release 02.07.24: IMPACT FUND MAKES GRANTS OF $172,500
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 protesters, Texas residents with disabilities, family members affected by paramilitary death squads in Colombia, and youth fighting for climate justice in Hawaii.
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.”
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.
SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN WASATCH AWARDS $4.8M TO SECTION 8 TENANTS
01.31.24 - Judge Mueller of the Eastern District of California recently awarded $4.8 million to a certified class of Section 8 tenants in our ongoing litigation Terry et al. v. Wasatch Advantage Group et al. Plaintiffs moved for summary judgment on the issue, which the Court granted in full. The Court ruled that the Housing Assistance Payment contract unambiguously requires the full return of any excess rent charges and awarded $2.4 million in contract damages and another $2 million in interest as of July 2023.
01.19.24 Impact Fund Hires Lori Rifkin As Litigation Director
The Impact Fund is thrilled to welcome Lori Rifkin as our new Litigation Director. Lori brings two decades of experience litigating individual and class civil rights cases and building greater equity within the legal profession. We look forward to Lori’s contributions to our current cases defending the rights of Section 8 tenants, LGBTQ+ veterans, and SNAP recipients, as well as developing important new cases and amicus advocacy.
01.18.24 Fawn Rajbhandari-Korr Is IMPACT FUND’S New Training Director
The Impact Fund is excited to announce current Senior Counsel Fawn Rajbhandari-Korr as our new Training Director. Fawn brings over a decade of public speaking, training, and litigation experience to our legal training program. While continuing her work on our legal team, Fawn will develop the programming for the Impact Fund’s Class Action Conference, Summer Online Training Series, and Class Action Training Institute, as well as our engaging and interactive trainings for legal nonprofit organizations across California.
NEWS RELEASE 11.07.23 - IMPACT FUND MAKES GRANTS OF $111,500
One case, which encompasses prisoners’ rights, disability rights, access to healthcare, and due process, seeks to ensure that people with severe mental health disabilities receive adequate treatment instead of being forced to remain in jail when they have not been convicted of a crime.
Berkeley, CA 11.07.23 – The Impact Fund has made grants totaling $172,500 in its fall cycle to fund eight lawsuits that protect the rights of individuals threatened by uncaring corporate interests and small-minded government.
Helen Kang, Chair of the Impact Fund’s Grant Advisory Committee, said: “By providing grants that bolster economic, environmental, racial, and social justice, we invest in a future where fairness, sustainability, and equality prevail, empowering communities and individuals to thrive.”
news release 09.21.23: IMPACT FUND AND WESTERN CENTER ON LAW AND POVERTY SECURE MOMENTOUS WIN FOR 40 MILLION SNAP RECIPIENTS
SNAP recipients, represented by Western Center on Law and Poverty and the Impact Fund, filed suit in federal court in San Francisco on September 12, 2023, against the heads of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
Millions of Americans with low incomes will now receive their food benefits without delay during the first month of a potential federal government shutdown, thanks to the government’s response to a nationwide class action brought by Western Center on Law and Poverty and Impact Fund. The USDA has committed to changing its accounting practice to now guarantee that over 40 million people will receive their SNAP benefits in October, beginning this year and continuing every year moving forward - regardless of a government shutdown.
“Millions of Americans, many of whom are seniors, children, and people with disabilities, will now have a better sense of where their next meal is coming from this October. Food insecurity, lack of access to food, and hunger are preventable, as we saw during the height of the pandemic when policymakers moved swiftly to protect people,” said Lindsay Nako, Director of Litigation and Training at the Impact Fund.
News Release 09.13.23: CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT: 42 MILLION AMERICANS AT RISK OF HUNGER IF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FAILS TO ACT
SNAP serves low-wage working families, low-income seniors, and people with disabilities living on fixed incomes.
Western Center on Law and Poverty and Impact Fund have filed a class action lawsuit against the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to prevent a delay in providing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to 42 million Americans.
Congress must pass either appropriation bills or a “continuing resolution” to temporarily continue federal funding by September 30th, or else the federal government will shut down.
The lawsuit asserts that the USDA should exercise available strategies to order the continuation of the SNAP benefits, while Congress works on passage of the funding bills.
“Food justice spans economic, environmental, racial, and social justice. Every agency and Congress person must take responsibility and accountability for the 42 million lives in their hands,” said Lindsay Nako, Director of Litigation and Training at The Impact Fund. “This case is about each and every one of the individuals, families, seniors, and people with disabilities who rely on SNAP to survive.”
NEWS RELEASE 08.29.23: JOCELYN LARKIN TO PASS IMPACT FUND BATON TO LINDSAY NAKO
Jocelyn D. Larkin (L) and Lindsay Nako (R)
After more than two decades of tireless service, Impact Fund’s Executive Director, Jocelyn Larkin, announced today that she will step down from her leadership position with the organization next spring: “I am looking ahead with great excitement to the organization’s next leader, Lindsay Nako, who will bring her extraordinary skill, passion, and voice to this new chapter. With grace and determination, she is ready to excel.”
news release 08.08.23 - U.S. VETERANS FILE “JUSTICE FOR LGBTQ+ VETERANS” LAWSUIT AGAINST U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
San Francisco, CA 08.08.23 – A group of LGBTQ+ veterans discharged under the discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (“DADT”) and similar earlier policies filed a class action lawsuit today against the U.S. Department of Defense seeking to end ongoing discrimination perpetuated by their discharge papers. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, seeks the removal of narratives and separation codes that disclose the veteran’s sexual orientation and, when needed, seeks upgraded discharge statuses for tens of thousands of veterans discharged under DADT and its predecessor policies. The Plaintiffs are Sherrill Farrell, Steven Egland, James Gonzales, Jules Sohn, and Lilly Steffanides. The Plaintiffs are represented by the Impact Fund, Legal Aid at Work, and King & Spalding LLP.
NEWS RELEASE 07.25.23 - IMPACT FUND MAKES GRANTS OF $111,500 FOR ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL, RACIAL, AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
One grant supports an environmental justice case against a private company for unlawfully discharging animal waste into local waterways and over-applying animal manure in crop fields surrounding the Snake River in Grand View, Idaho, which impacts safe drinking water and threatens native fish populations.
Berkeley, CA 07.25.23 – The Impact Fund has made recoverable grants totaling $111,500 in its summer cycle to fund four lawsuits brought on behalf of incarcerated people denied basic and humane mental health services, BIPOC communities harmed by pollution and financial predation, and immigrants held in detention and subjected to commercially exploitative work programs.
“By supporting litigation that safeguards civil liberties and ensures equitable access to a clean and healthy environment, we pave the path towards a more just and sustainable future where the dignity and rights of all are respected,” said Impact Fund Executive Director Jocelyn Larkin.
Berkeley, 07.12.23 - Impact Fund Applauds Confirmation of Kalpana Kotagal as EEOC Commissioner
Kalpana Kotagal, Civil Rights & Employment Attorney
Berkeley, 07.12.23 — The U.S. Senate confirms Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC partner Kalpana Kotagal to serve on the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
“We celebrate and applaud the long-overdue confirmation of Kalpana Kotagal to serve as a commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and congratulate her at the happy end to this arduous process. She is a gifted civil rights lawyer and her experience challenging systemic discrimination will serve us all well as she takes up her appointment. She has dedicated her life to representing the most vulnerable communities who have been harmed by discrimination in the workplace and we look forward to seeing how the now-fully staffed commission will work to uphold the civil rights of all in employment,” said Impact Fund Executive Director, Jocelyn Larkin.
BERKELEY, 07.03.23 - Response to 2022 SCOTUS Term Rulings
Berkeley, 07.03.23 - In its 2022 term, which just ended, SCOTUS has given us a blunt reminder of just how much courts matter and sadly why public confidence in the judicial system is at an historic low. ICYMI decisions have included, blocking student loan relief, creating a right to discriminate against LGBTQ people, dealing a death blow to affirmative action, and eviscerating the Clean Water Act. The court set a high bar last year with the reversal of Roe v. Wade but has outdone itself with a volley of decisions that will scar the nation for years to come.
"The term will be most remembered for the decisions of the last couple of days that moved the law in a dramatically conservative direction," said Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California Berkeley Law School.
Berkeley, CA 05.02.23 – The Impact Fund has made recoverable grants totaling $180,000 in its spring cycle to fund lawsuits brought on behalf of communities threatened by uncaring corporate interests and small-minded government.
One grant funds a multi-plaintiff environmental racism case challenging Caltrans’ approval of a highway interchange expansion project, which would increase truck traffic and industrial development in some of California’s most environmentally burdened communities.
Berkeley, CA 05.02.23 – The Impact Fund has made recoverable grants totaling $180,000 in its spring cycle to fund lawsuits brought on behalf of communities threatened by uncaring corporate interests and small-minded government.
Helen Kang, Chair of the Impact Fund’s Grant Advisory Committee, said: “These grants support cases that ensure that those who are oppressed, regardless of their race, age, or socioeconomic status, have access to a safe and healthy environment and access to due process.”
SARU JAYARAMAN TO KEYNOTE 31ST ANNIVERSARY GALA - Impact Fund celebrates impact litigation as driver of social justice
Berkeley, 04.27.23 – The Impact Fund is delighted to announce that Saru Jayaraman will be the special guest and keynote speaker at its 31st Anniversary Gala on May 16.
Joining Saru Jayaraman will be two Impact Fund grantees, whom the Impact Fund is grateful to acknowledge for their recent successes in court.
The first to be honored is North Carolina Prisoner Legal Services, Inc. for its work in Thomas J. Stamps v. North Carolina Division of Adult Correction, a class action civil rights suit against the North Carolina Division of Adult Correction for its failure to provide adequate screening of and medical treatment for inmates with chronic Hepatitis C infections.
The second of the honorees is Aaron Halegua, PLLC for the firm’s work in Tianming Wang v. Gold Mantis, a human trafficking and forced labor case filed in the federal district court for Saipan—part of a U.S. Commonwealth in the Pacific Ocean.
Impact Fund Executive Director, Jocelyn Larkin, said: “We are excited to extend a warm welcome to our community for "The Path Forward" celebration, where we will pay tribute to trailblazers who have been at the forefront of advocating for justice.”
Berkeley, CA 02.14.23 – The Impact Fund has made recoverable grants totaling $156,250 in its winter cycle to fund five impact lawsuits. These grants underwrite litigation to protect the rights of live-in caregivers in Washington, children in West Virginia’s foster care system, incarcerated individuals with disabilities in Texas, and low-income families in San Francisco’s Bayview community.
One grant funds a case challenging long-practiced policies of concentrating environmental harms and failing to provide open space access to residents of San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood.
Berkeley, CA 02.14.23 – The Impact Fund has made recoverable grants totaling $156,250 in its winter cycle to fund five impact lawsuits. These grants underwrite litigation to protect the rights of live-in caregivers in Washington, children in West Virginia’s foster care system, incarcerated individuals with disabilities in Texas, and low-income families in San Francisco’s Bayview community.
Catherine Fisk of the Impact Fund’s Grant Advisory Committee, said: “With these grants, we are building a healthier planet and a safer world by standing with communities threatened by uncaring corporate interests and small-minded government.”
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.
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.
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.
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.”
07.19.22 – The Impact Fund has made recoverable grants totaling $100,000 in its summer cycle to fund three lawsuits that protect the rights of Black Lives Matter protestors and challenge environmental racism and pollution on behalf of Indigenous communities.
Berkeley, CA 07.19.22 – The Impact Fund has made recoverable grants totaling $100,000 in its summer cycle to fund three lawsuits that protect the rights of Black Lives Matter protestors and challenge environmental racism and pollution on behalf of Indigenous communities.
“With these grants, we continue our support for communities challenging environmental contamination and police abuse,” said Impact Fund Executive Director, Jocelyn Larkin.
One grant funds a case that seeks to protect O’ahu’s sacred waters from contamination from the world’s largest underground fuel storage facility.
Letters of inquiry for the Impact Fund’s next grantmaking cycle are due July 19, 2022.
02.10.22: IMPACT FUND MAKES GRANTS OF $92,135 FOR ENVIRONMENTAL & SOCIAL JUSTICE | New Grants to Support Impact Litigation on Behalf of BIPOC Communities, Young Adults, People with Disabilities, Foster Youth, and Low-Income Families.
One grant is for a case that challenges the unmonitored use of psychotropic drugs for the 2,000 children living in Maine’s foster caresystem.
Berkeley, CA 02.10.22 – The Impact Fund has made recoverable grants totaling $92,135 to fund five lawsuits that challenge voter suppression, racism, pollution, and inaccessible services for unhoused individuals with disabilities.
Helen Kang, Chair of the Impact Fund’s Grant Advisory Committee, said: “These communities have earned their day in court, and we’re grateful to do what we can so that justice will prevail.”
Letters of inquiry for the Impact Fund’s next grantmaking cycle are due April 12, 2022.