As part of the Justice Catalyst Fellowship application, we ask you to identify which category below best describes the primary approach of your project. Below are some guidelines about each of the categories. 

Litigation is at the core of every fellowship project. For most projects, that means (1) filing and/or litigating a specific case or cases. In rarer circumstances, the project may focus instead on (2) developing or expanding a sustainable affirmative litigation practice at a new or existing organization, or (3) supporting an affirmative litigation ecosystem across multiple organizations.

We understand that many fellows also work on litigation outside their project’s primary focus. The central question for your application is: what is the main focal point of your project.

Category 1 | Specific Litigation

A project focused on filing and/or litigating a significant affirmative matter. In this category, your application should propose specific litigation that you will advance during the fellowship.

Keep in mind:

• Litigation may already be underway at your host organization, or may be initiated through your project

• Litigation can be at any stage: pre- or post-filing

• May involve a single case or multiple related cases 

Example projects:

1. Filing litigation against a state’s Department of Corrections to challenge a discriminatory policy denying access to medications for opioid use disorder in prisons statewide

2. Bringing cases against student loan providers for deceptive lending practices

3. Using bankruptcy, consumer rights, and property laws to challenge illicit transfers of unproductive fossil fuel assets by oil and gas companies

Category 2 | Developing a Sustainable Affirmative Litigation Practice

A project focused on growing an organization’s litigation capacity—by using the fellowship to develop or expand an organization’s sustainable affirmative litigation practice supported in some part by fee-shifting.

Keep in mind:

• This category is less about one case and more about building lasting litigation capacity

• The focus should be on creating a sustainable practice, at least partly supported by fee-shifting

• For information on additional support for expanding fee-generating litigation, see Justice Catalyst Access Fund.

Example projects:

1. Developing an affirmative litigation practice within a legal aid organization that primarily handles eviction defense and debt collection defense, by designing and piloting affirmative counterclaims that the organization’s tenant- and consumer-representation attorneys can routinely employ

2. Establishing a civil rights litigation practice at a nonprofit or firm previously dedicated to criminal defense or innocence work, to expand the practice into wrongful conviction or prison conditions litigation

Category 3 | Supporting the Litigation Ecosystem

A project that strengthens the broader ecosystem of social impact litigation, catalyzing affirmative litigation across multiple organizations.

Keep in mind:

• Projects should have a concrete plan for how litigation will be catalyzed as a result of the work, with identified lawyers ready to partner

• If the project includes generating resources, there should be a plan in place to ensure that they are employed

• Many projects benefit from host organizations with strong preexisting relationships with litigators (e.g. membership organizations) who have identified a high-volume need for this support

Example projects:

1. Creating a national resource hub and network to equip public defenders to pursue civil rights litigation, developed through partnerships with defenders and co-counseling with civil rights litigators

2. Establishing a legal collective that provides public interest lawyers with tools, funding, and operational support to launch sustainable, fee-generating practices

3. Launching a practice to develop and refer wage theft cases to litigators nationwide, funded in part by referral fees or co-counseling agreements