Justice Catalyst Access Fund (JCAF) - Justice Note

Organization: Justice Catalyst Access Fund (VA, US) - 501(c)(3) organization

Program Type: Flexible, non-recourse line of credit financing for social impact litigators

Geographic Scope: United States

What is a Justice Note:
A unique mechanism that provides money to social impact litigators and organizations (nonprofits and law firms) to hire staff, investigate new cases, or otherwise expand cutting-edge impact litigation caseloads. Functioning like a non-recourse line of credit, a Justice Note provides multi-year funds to support a portfolio of cases and is repaid only if litigation results in successful case recovery fees.

Eligibility:

• Nonprofits that litigate cases with broad social impact
• Law firms (plaintiff-side, public interest, or contingency-based)
• Organizations that sometimes recover fee awards from cases
• Must be willing to repay funds from fee awards in successful cases
• Organizations with existing or planned litigation portfolios

What They Support:

• Broad portfolios of fee-generating cases (not single cases)
• Hiring staff
• Investigating new cases
• Expanding litigation caseloads
• General operating funds for litigation practice
• Seed funding for new impact-focused litigation practices

Focus Areas:

• Civil rights litigation
• Environmental litigation
• Worker rights/wage theft litigation
• Housing discrimination litigation
• Prison conditions litigation
• Consumer protection litigation
• Antitrust litigation
• Other social impact litigation areas

Key Benefits:

• Flexible: Draw down funds when and as-needed
• Low Risk: Repayments collected only from successful case recoveries; absent fee recoveries, the Justice Note is forgiven after a predetermined time
• Unrestricted: While repayment is tied to cases, funds themselves are unrestricted
• Affordable: Interest rates significantly lower than commercial finance
• Accessible: Finances cases and recipients that would not qualify for traditional litigation financing
• Evergreen: Creates sustainable, perpetual funding model through recycled repayments

Structural Options:

• Recoverable grant (for nonprofits)
• Non-recourse promissory note (for law firms)

Financial Terms:

• Customized maximum draw amounts based on litigation portfolio and expected fee recoveries
• Interest charged on amounts drawn down (varies based on organization type and portfolio)
• Repayment capped at principal plus interest on outstanding balances
• No minimum investment size for unrestricted grant support
• Customized repayment terms based on individual needs

Repayment Structure:

• Repayments made only if and when cases resolve
• Portion of case recovery capped per recovery agreement
• Overall repayment amount capped at principal plus interest
• Outstanding balances forgiven after fixed number of years from last disbursement (as specified in agreement)
• No repayment obligation absent case recoveries

Geographic Restrictions:

• Some jurisdictions do not allow litigation funding; applicants in these jurisdictions may not be eligible

Operational Notes:

• JCAF has no control over litigation decisions
• Specific cases can be excluded from portfolio by mutual agreement
• Funds may be used for charitable purposes
• All operational expenses covered by preexisting donors; 100% of donations fund Justice Notes

Application Process

1. Initial Step: Complete the JCAF Intake Form
2. Evaluation Criteria: JCAF evaluates potential recipients for both charitable impact and ability to repay
3. Contact: If interested in learning more, reach out to accessfund@justicecatalyst.org with questions or concerns

JCAF Intake Form Questions (Typical):

The form assesses:

• Organization type and mission
• Litigation portfolio composition
• Expected fee recoveries
• Organizational capacity
• Case anonymization preferences
• Existing co-counsel arrangements

Required Information:

• Organization background and mission
• Litigation docket and portfolio details
• Case recovery history and projections
• Lodestar information (hours and hourly rates)
• Organizational financial information

Post-Application:

• JCAF reviews for charitable impact and repayment ability
• Custom terms negotiated based on portfolio
• Agreement specifies maximum draw amount, interest rate, and repayment terms
• Recipients may apply to renew, extend, or increase loan amount based on outcomes

Ongoing Reporting:

• Recipients required to provide reporting (specifics on website)