Provide grants, advocacy, and education to support impact litigation on behalf of communities seeking economic, environmental, racial, and social justice.
Focus Areas
Economic justiceEnvironmental justiceRacial justiceSocial justiceCivil rights impact litigationClass action supportLegal training and capacity building
Who They Fund
nonprofit legal service organizationspublic interest law firmsindividual plaintiffs/clients involved in litigation
Funding Style
restricted/project-specific support
About Impact Fund
The Impact Fund’s recent giving is built around recoverable support for impact litigation, with awards reaching class actions, multi-plaintiff cases, and environmental justice matters. That pattern shows up in grants to Hughes Socol Piers Resnick in Chicago for litigation costs, Upper Seven Law in Helena for litigation costs, and EarthRights International in Washington, DC for litigation costs. The foundation also supports organizations working on civil and human rights, poverty law, and legal capacity, reflecting a mix of case-specific support and broader litigation infrastructure.
Across the recent grants list, the funder backs nonprofit legal organizations, public interest law firms, solo practitioners, private attorneys, and small firms. Its grants are often tied to out-of-pocket legal expenses such as expert fees and discovery costs, and its program pages describe recoverable grants and rapid-response funding for immigration-related legal needs. The portfolio includes work connected to economic justice, environmental justice, racial justice, and social justice, with grantmaking aimed at cases that can affect large numbers of people or create systemic legal reform. Recent awards also include support for Disability Rights TX in Austin, Childrens Rights in New York, and Al Otro Lado in San Ysidro.
What Impact Fund Funds
Environmental justice is a clear part of the foundation’s litigation portfolio. In 2025, it gave $50,000 to Upper Seven Law in Helena for litigation costs, and in 2025 it also awarded $27,500 to Center for Food Safety in Washington, DC for litigation costs.
The funder also backs disability rights work and legal services for people in civil rights disputes. Disability Rights TX in Austin received $50,000 in 2024 and another $35,000 in 2025, both tied to litigation costs in the recent-grants list. In social-justice and legal-aid work, the foundation gave $30,000 to Florida Legal Services in Orlando for litigation costs and $30,000 to Civil Rights Education & Enfo in Denver for litigation costs.
Immigration-related impact litigation appears in the program lineup through Immigration Rapid Grants, a rapid-response track for urgent legal needs.
How Impact Fund Gives
The typical grant size is $11,625 at the 25th percentile, $25,000 at the median, and $30,000 at the 75th percentile. Recent awards show a mix of one-off and repeated support: Disability Rights TX appears in both 2024 and 2025, A Better Childhood Inc in 2024 and 2025, and several other recipients recur across the recent list. The Impact Fund is a regular funder rather than a DAF, and its grantmaking is described as recoverable or project-specific support for litigation expenses rather than general operating support.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$733K
Total Assets
$5.2M
Total Revenue
$4.2M
Total Expenses
$3.6M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $12K and $30K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$12K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$30K
Geographic Reach
National25 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
Lindsay Nako
Accepts unsolicited proposals
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Where Impact Fund Funds
Top 2 recipient countries by grant volume for Impact Fund.
Rank
Country
Grants
Total
Share
1
United StatesDomestic
90
$2.3M
98.9%
2
Canada
1
Deep Analysis
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litigation costslegal defense fundingimpact/strategic litigation support
Where Impact Fund Makes Grants
Grantmaking is national, with 98.5% of grants going to US recipients and one grant to Canada. California is the top state by grant count, but the recent awards also reach Chicago, New York, Austin, Helena, Washington, DC, and Orlando. On the West Coast, examples include Santa Monica, Fresno, Seattle, San Ysidro, and Sacramento; on the East Coast, New York City appears multiple times. The recipient geography reflects where litigation matters and legal organizations are located, not just where the funder is headquartered.
Frequently Asked Questions About Impact Fund
What kinds of litigation does The Impact Fund support?
The foundation supports impact litigation tied to economic justice, environmental justice, racial justice, and social justice. Its program descriptions also mention civil rights, human rights, and poverty law, with recent grants used for litigation costs, expert fees, discovery, and other out-of-pocket case expenses.
Does The Impact Fund fund organizations more than individuals?
Yes. The funder does not fund individuals and instead supports nonprofit legal organizations, public interest law firms, solo practitioners, private attorneys, and small law firms working on impact litigation.
What is a typical grant size?
Typical grant size centers on $25,000, with a 25th percentile of $11,625 and a 75th percentile of $30,000. The recent grants list also includes multiple awards at $50,000 and $40,000.
Can organizations apply unsolicited?
Yes. The active program listings for the Impact Fund Grant Program, Impact Litigation Case Grants, Impact Fund Recoverable Grants, and Immigration Rapid Grants all indicate that unsolicited applications are accepted.
Does The Impact Fund support immigration-related litigation?
Yes. One active program is Immigration Rapid Grants, described as rapid-response funding for immigration-related impact litigation and urgent legal needs in the United States.
Latest 990 Filing
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
$25K
1.1%
Recipient country reflects the grantee's headquarters per IRS 990-PF and Schedule F filings, not the program's implementation country.
Open Grant Opportunities
Current and upcoming funding from Impact Fund that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Open nowCloses Oct 29, 2026Award: $10K – $50K
Impact Fund Recoverable Grants for Impact Litigation
economic justiceenvironmental justiceracial justice+5 more
Who can apply: Open to nonprofit organizations, solo practitioners, and small law firms involved in impact litigation. Preference for cases that have been filed or are about to be filed. Pro se litigants are not eligible. Applicants should need funding to keep the case moving forward. Environmental cases are prioritized when affected communities are directly involved or clearly benefited. Funds are for future out-of-pocket litigation expenses only, not attorneys' fees, staff time, or overhead. Recipient must agree to repay the original grant plus 7% simple interest if fees or costs are recovered.
Deadline: Quarterly LOI deadlines and application deadlines for 2026 cycles: LOIs due Jan 8, 2026 / applications due Feb 5, 2026; LOIs due Mar 30, 2026 / applications due Apr 30, 2026; LOIs due Jul 7, 2026 / applications due Aug 6, 2026; LOIs due Sep 29, 2026 / applications due Oct 29, 2026.
Impact Fund Recoverable Grants (Impact Litigation Grants)
economic justiceenvironmental justiceracial justice+6 more
Who can apply: Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations, solo practitioners, and small law firms involved in public interest impact lawsuits. The fund prioritizes cases that have been filed or are about to be filed, seek systemic change, and involve economic, environmental, racial, or social injustice. Cases brought pro se are not eligible. Grants are for future out-of-pocket litigation expenses, not attorneys' fees, staff time, overhead, or reimbursement of past costs.
Deadline: Quarterly review cycles. Current/upcoming 2026 deadlines shown: LOIs due January 8, 2026; March 30, 2026; July 7, 2026; September 29, 2026. Applications due February 5, 2026; April 30, 2026; August 6, 2026; October 29, 2026.
Civil and human rightsEnvironmental justicePoverty law+2 more
Who can apply: Nonprofit legal firms, private attorneys, small law firms, and pro bono lawyers pursuing impact litigation in civil/human rights, environmental justice, or poverty law. Applicants should meet Impact Fund case grant criteria as described on their application pages.
Deadlines and eligibility are summarized from public sources and may change — always confirm the details on the funder's official application page before applying.
