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Justice Catalyst Access Fund - Justice Note

Justice Catalyst Inc

Foundation Rolling (Quarterly) Grants for NonprofitsGrants for Criminal Justice

Funding Amount

Varies

Deadline

Rolling / Open

Grant Type

foundation

Deadline history & next window

Cycle
Rolling — applications accepted year-round
Tracked since
April 2026

Source: the cycle recorded on this listing. Confirm dates with the funder.

Can we apply?

Check your organization against each line. Taken from the listing; confirm with the funder's guidelines.

Eligible organizations

  • Applicant Type: Nonprofits and law firms engaged in social impact litigation
  • Are you a nonprofit or firm that litigates cases with broad social impact?

Other requirements

  • Case Requirement: Must have fee-generating litigation portfolio with expected fee recoveries
  • Status: Both established and new social impact litigators supported
  • Jurisdiction Limitation: Some jurisdictions do not allow litigation funding; applicants in these jurisdictions may not be eligible
  • Do you sometimes recover fee awards from your cases?

Not eligible / not funded

  • Not eligible: Single cases

Overview

Justice Catalyst Access Fund (JCAF) - Justice Note

Program Type: Flexible, non-recourse financing mechanism for social impact litigation

Geographic Scope: United States

Eligibility:

  • Applicant Type: Nonprofits and law firms engaged in social impact litigation

  • Case Requirement: Must have fee-generating litigation portfolio with expected fee recoveries

  • Status: Both established and new social impact litigators supported

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

    • What JCAF Funds:

  • General operating funds

  • Staff hiring

  • Case investigation

  • Litigation-related expenses

  • Expanding cutting-edge charitable impact litigation caseloads

  • Seed funding for new or innovative social impact litigation practices

    • What the Justice Note Supports:

  • Broad portfolio of cases (entire fee-generating litigation docket or full contingency impact practice)

  • Generally does NOT fund single cases

    • Program Mechanics:

  • Structure: Functions as a non-recourse line of credit

  • Repayment: Only from successful case fee recoveries; absent recoveries, no money owed

  • Interest: Charged on amounts drawn down; varies based on organization type and litigation portfolio

  • Renewal: Recipients may apply to renew, extend, or increase borrowing capacity based on litigation outcomes and repayment performance

  • Forgiveness: Outstanding balances forgiven after predetermined number of years from last disbursement

  • Funds: Unrestricted (subject to charitable use requirement)

  • Draw: Recipients draw down funds when and as-needed

    • Key Benefits:

  • Flexible: Draw down funds as needed

  • Low Risk: Repayments collected only from successful case recoveries

  • Unrestricted: While repayment tied to cases, funds themselves unrestricted

  • Affordable: Interest rates significantly lower than commercial finance

  • Accessible: Serves cases and recipients that wouldn't qualify for traditional litigation financing

  • Mutually Supportive: Evergreen fund model allows recycling of repaid funds to support new cases

    • Oversight:

  • Control: JCAF has NO control over litigation decisions (ethical and legal limitation)

  • Case Exclusions: JCAF and recipient can mutually agree to exclude specific cases from portfolio

  • Co-counsel: Agreement solely between JCAF and organization; fee recoveries from co-counsel not implicated unless co-counsel donates fees to organization

    • Financial Terms:

  • Repayment Cap: Overall repayment capped at principal plus interest; maximum recovery portion from any given case capped

  • No Minimum Investment: No minimum for unrestricted grant support

  • Customization: Each Justice Note customized based on individual borrower needs including maximum draw amount, interest rate, and repayment terms

    • Contact: accessfund@justicecatalyst.org

    Organization: Justice Catalyst Access Fund (501(c)(3))

    How to Apply

    Application Process

    Step 1: Complete Intake Form

  • Submit JCAF Intake Form if interested in learning more

  • Contact accessfund@justicecatalyst.org with any questions or concerns

    • Evaluation Criteria:

  • Charitable impact

  • Ability to repay

    • Eligibility Questions to Consider:
    1. Are you a nonprofit or firm that litigates cases with broad social impact?
    2. Do you sometimes recover fee awards from your cases?
    3. Are you interested in flexible, risk-free funding that you'll only repay if you recover fees?
    4. Are you willing to repay those funds from your fee awards in successful cases?

    Process Details:

  • JCAF evaluates both charitable impact and ability to repay

  • Customized terms negotiated for each recipient

  • Coming soon: More detailed application process information

    • Contact: accessfund@justicecatalyst.org

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    What Justice Catalyst Inc actually gave

    Source: IRS Form 990 filing, 2024

    Grants in 2024
    1
    Total given
    $5M
    Median grant
    $5M
    • By dollars: Virginia 100%. Top recipient cities: Charlottesville, VA.

    Example grants

    • Justice Catalyst Access Fund Inc · Charlottesville, VA

      Public interest litigation funding projects

      $5M

    IRS Form 990 filing, 2024. Amounts as reported by the funder. Full 990 history →

    Focus Areas & Funding Uses

    Fields of Work

    nonprofitscriminal-justice

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