Special Grants

LFW’s Special Grants focus on strategic responses to emerging issues. For example, in Spring 2020, LFW swiftly funded several initiatives in response to the critical legal needs created by the COVID-19 pandemic. These included emergency grants for unemployment services, eviction defense, and legal aid to microbusinesses and nonprofits.

Special Grants have also resulted from cy pres awards, and have been awarded to organizations that specialize in providing civil legal aid to particular communities, such as undocumented people, formerly incarcerated people, and LGBTQ+ people.

Who can apply: Civil legal aid organizations serving low-income people in Washington

Grant amount: Varies

How to apply: Letters of Intent for 2021 grants are due by August 15. See Current Opportunities for more information.

2020 Special Grantees:

Civil Survival Project
Advocating for reentry rights and remedies for formerly incarcerated people through legal rights trainings and Reconsideration Day clinics for legal financial obligations (LFOs).

Colectiva Legal del Pueblo
Empowering migrant communities through advocacy, trainings, and education, including leadership development and legal defense, by and for undocumented immigrants.

Communities Rise
Fostering movements in communities impacted by systemic oppression through cross-sector collaboration, capacity building, and legal services for nonprofits and microenterprises.

Laurel Rubin Farmworker Justice Project
Placing law students in summer internships at legal services programs to expand the delivery of civil legal aid to marginalized farmworker communities in rural parts of Washington State.

Lavender Rights Project
Providing pro bono legal services by and for LGBTQ+ people and preparing low-income queer and trans people to establish reliable, community-led systems of peer-to-peer legal advocacy.

Northwest Justice Project
Enhancing the advocacy and intake operations of Washington State’s largest publicly funded legal aid program and centralized point of access for clients seeking free legal help.

Questions or feedback? Contact LFW Grants Coordinator Christal Chiu by email or at (206) 957-6289.