The Impact Fund, the nation's only foundation devoted to funding complex public interest impact litigation, has awarded $132,000 in new grants to non-profit organizations and public interest law firms across the nation. The Fund, now in its fifteenth year, has granted over $4.45 million since its inception.

The new awards, which cover the expenses of the litigation are:

Human & Civil Rights:

$15,000 to Massachusetts Correctional Legal Services, based in Boston for their lawsuit that seeks to prohibit the State Department of Correction from confining prisoners with serious mental disorders in segregated units. Disability Law Center v. Massachusetts Department of Correction.

$15,000 to The Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia for its challenge to the school districts' segregation of African American students with disabilities from the general education curriculum. Blunt v. Lower Merion School District.

$15,000 to the law firm of Burke, O'Neil LLC of Philadelphia for its class action against U.S. corporations involved in the interrogation of prisoners at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison. Saleh v. Titan.

$10,000 to Texas RioGrande Legal Aid of Weslaco, Texas for potential action on behalf of unaccompanied minors from Central America held under abusive conditions in detention facilities administered by a private company.

$10,000 to Disability Rights Wisconsin of Madison, WI for its remedy stage trial in a special education class action challenging violation of the "Child Find" provisions of special education law. Jamie S. v. Milwaukee Board of School Directors.


$5,000 to Oakland-based National Jury Project for research regarding the impact of California's "death qualified" jury requirement in capital cases.

$5,000 to Oakland-based Critical Resistance for its tax payer action to block usage of $7.4 billion lease revenue bonds to fund construction of 53,000 new prison beds. Nunn v. State of California.

Environmental Justice:

$12,000 to San Francisco-based California Rural Legal Assistance for its action against a local grower planning to apply ultra toxic fumigant pesticides up to one hundred feet from residences. Chase v. Warmerdam.

$10,000 to The Center for Water Advocacy, based in Moab, Utah, for its action to stop uranium mining exploration near a traditional native village in Alaska. Native Village of Elim v. U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

$10,000 to the Energy Minerals Law Center, based in Durango, Colorado for its challenge of a grant mining permit by the Office of Surface Mining Enforcement and Reclamation for open pit mines on Navajo Nation tribal lands. Dine CARE v. Klein.

Poverty:

$10,000 to Atlanta-based Georgia Legal Services Program, Inc. for their denial of wage claims on behalf of 80 farmworkers under the H-2A guest worker program. Morales-Arcadio v. Shannon Product Farm, Inc.

$6,000 to Phoenix-based Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest for its action to enforce settlements to improve Medicaid services to children. JK v. Gerard.

$4,000 to San Francisco-based Public Advocates for its challenge of funding of a transportation system that favors white suburban transit users versus poor transit users of color. Darensburg v. Metropolitan Transportation Commission.


"Impact Fund grantees across the nation continue to show that innovative litigation is an essential part of the strategy for social justice" says Impact Fund Executive Director Brad Seligman.

The Impact Fund provides grants, technical support, and counsel nationwide. Grants are made quarterly. Its most recent annual report and other information may be accessed at its web site: http://www.impactfund.org.