The Justice Catalyst Fellowship philosophy is problem-centric. Successful projects start with a problem in the world and identify the novel and potentially transformative ways to resolve it via litigation.

We get excited about proposed projects across a broad spectrum of topic areas and as you can see from our current and past fellows, each year we award fellowships focused on varied and diverse topics. Some issue areas where we would particularly welcome applications include:

• Access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD)

• Antitrust

• Climate & Environment

• Consumer rights

• Corporate and government accountability

• Decarceration

• Economic justice

• Labor

• Workers’ rights

Note that the Justice Catalyst Fellowship program has no subject area restrictions: we welcome projects focused on any and all issue areas. The fellowship program is primarily U.S.-focused but we occasionally support projects based outside of the country with a close nexus to the U.S.

To learn more, check out a list of some possible issue areas plus a list of current and former Justice Catalyst Fellows to see what issues they’ve tackled.

The Justice Catalyst Fellowship supports innovative litigation projects that use the law creatively and strategically to achieve broad-scale change. Many projects employ class actions, systemic litigation, or replicable legal strategies to deliver meaningful impact.

All fellowship projects should be focused on litigation, but the scope of focus may be (1) specific litigation (the most common), (2) an organization, project, or practice group, or (3) the social impact litigation ecosystem:

1. Specific Litigation: A project focused on filing and/or litigating a significant affirmative litigation matter.

2. Organization, Project, or Practice Group: Using the fellowship to grow and strengthen an organization’s litigation docket, with a focus on building a sustainable practice supported in part by fee-shifting or court-awarded fees. (For information on additional support for expanding litigation, see Justice Catalyst Access Fund.)

3. Litigation Ecosystem: A project that strengthens the broader ecosystem of social impact litigation, supporting or sustaining future litigation efforts and collaborations.

Regardless of which category is the focus of your application, many fellows work on multiple litigation matters. Please note that in past years the Justice Catalyst fellowship had a broader focus, so not all past projects are examples of one of these three categories.

We are especially enthusiastic about proposals that:

• Apply existing laws in innovative ways to new subject areas or situations

• Treat the law as a mechanism for compensating harmed groups and communities

• Hold powerful actors accountable for wrongdoing

Your theory of change is a key element of your project. Not only does it tell us about the impact your project seeks to make on the world, it also demonstrates how you think about your work.

A theory of change is what connects your proposed approach to the problem it seeks to address. A theory of change can be simple – it can be just 1-2 sentences explaining the precise mechanism by which your proposed approach will lead to your hoped-for outcomes. For example, a litigation-focused project might seek to:

• Directly transfer resources to a harmed community

• Enforce a law in a new factual environment

• Dissuade a bad actor from continuing their practices

• Demonstrate to other lawyers that a litigation theory is viable

• Persuade a judge to articulate a favorable precedent

There are multiple “right” ways to write a theory of change. See samples from previous successful fellowship candidates.