L.A. Justice Fund

In Los Angeles County, more than two-thirds of people appearing in immigration court face a judge and federal prosecutor without any legal representation. In some cases, this even includes children as young as three years old.

The results can be tragic, separating families and disrupting whole communities. But representation makes a tremendous difference. Studies show that immigrants with legal counsel are five times more likely to be released from detention than those without.

Launched in 2017, the L.A. Justice Fund has granted $7.4 million to increase access to legal representation and counsel to individuals and families dealing with deportation and removal proceedings in Los Angeles County. The Fund seeks to reinforce a safety net that is pro-family, pro-economic growth and pro-civil and human rights.

The L.A. Justice Fund is a partnership with Los Angeles County, the City of Los Angeles, the Weingart Foundation and the California Community Foundation (CCF). Cities across the country have duplicated this innovative cross-sector approach.

Grantees of the fund include:

• Asian Americans Advancing Justice Los Angeles)
• Bet Tzedek Legal Services
• Central American Resource Center (CARECEN)
• Coalition for Human Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA)
• Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project, Catholic Charities of Los Angeles
• Immigrant Defenders Law Center
• Kids in Need of Defense, Inc. (KIND)
• Los Angeles LGBT Center
• Public Counsel
• USC Gould School of Law, Immigration Clinic
• Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA)
• Loyola Immigrant Justice Legal Clinic
• OneJustice
• Program for Torture Victims
• Southwestern Law School, Immigration Law Clinic
• Vera Institute of Justice, Center on Immigration and Justice
• Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC)

By donating to the L.A. Justice Fund, you are helping to preserve families, protect communities and defend the civil rights of all L.A. residents. Most importantly, you are standing up for the humanity, diversity and opportunity that define us as Angelenos. To learn more about the impact the Fund has had in it’s first year, click here. You can also explore the stories of individuals who have been helped through the L.A. Justice Fund here.

Organizations wishing to apply for grants through the L.A. Justice Fund should visit our grant application page. If you are an attorney who is interested in offering pro bono services to immigration court defendants, contact rarroyo [@] calfund [.] org to learn how you can get involved.

To make a secure, tax-deductible donation online, click on the button below. You may also send checks payable to the California Community Foundation, noting that the donation is for the L.A. Justice Fund. Checks should be mailed to:

California Community Foundation
717 W Temple St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012

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Contributions to the California Community Foundation represent irrevocable gifts subject to the legal and fiduciary control of the foundation’s board of directors. This charge will appear on your credit card statement as a payment to “Calif Comm Fdn – CCF”. In addition, California Community Foundation incurs a third-party administrative fee of 2.7 percent for credit card contributions. The foundation will charge the fee directly to the individual fund.