Glossary of Legal Accelerator Grant Application Terms

This is an Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) designation given to not-for-profit organizations that enables organizations to receive tax-deductible contributions. FurtherJustice will only provide grants to an organization: 

     (a) that has received a tax exemption determination letter from the IRS determining that an organization is entitled to 501(c)(3) status; or  

     (b) that is fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3).  In the case of a fiscally sponsored organization, FurtherJustice will provide the grant to an organization’s fiscal sponsor (see definition of “Fiscal Sponsor” below). 

An organization whose mission is driven by the needs of its local community or communities, and which works to generate improvements within the community/ies on a local level.  Community-based organizations are resource hubs that provide specific services to their community or to targeted people within their community. A non-exhaustive list of community-based organizations might include food banks, community health clinics, after-school programs, immigrant rights groups, domestic violence shelters, senior citizen centers, and other social justice organizations.

*Legal service organizations are ineligible for Legal Accelerator Grant funding if applying as a sole applicant. However, if a legal service organization is interested in partnering with a community-based organization that provides non-legal services to community members, we invite you to submit a joint application (see the Joint Application section of our FAQs).

Direct civil legal services is work with clients on matters when: 

     (a) the matter is not criminal in nature; and  

     (b) the matter is primarily legal in nature. 

Examples of civil legal services include (but are not limited to):  

     (a) assisting individuals or families in matters involving the essentials of life such as housing, access to health care or educational services, or the receipt of government assistance; 

     (b) representing individuals who are the survivors of domestic violence or elder abuse in legal matters such as restraining orders, guardianship or custody;  

     (c) advising workers who have not been paid a fair wage; or 

     (d) advising and/or representing undocumented immigrants in obtaining legal status.   

The scope of work can include limited legal advice, mediating claims or representation before a court, tribunal or agency. 

The FurtherJustice Legal Accelerator Grant will fund organizations that include policy advocacy and community education in their direct civil legal services programs, but the Grant does not fund organizations solely focused on policy advocacy and community education.  

A fiscal sponsor is a not-for-profit organization that provides administrative services to help build the capacity of a charitable project or organization. Such administrative services can include financial management, fiduciary oversight, and other back-office functions. A fiscal sponsor can receive and administer donations and grants on behalf of a charitable project or organization that is not yet recognized as tax-exempt under Internal Revenue Code 501(c)(3) or that does not plan to be recognized as tax-exempt under Internal Revenue Code 501(c)(3).  

In defining “low-income,” we look to the organization’s own criteria in determining who is eligible for its services. We would generally expect individuals served by the organization to be at or below 150-200% of the federal poverty guidelines.

An underserved individual is someone whose necessities of life are systematically unmet for reasons other than income. An underserved individual may experience a disparity in the provision and/or quality of services otherwise available to others in their community based on race, religion, language, gender, sexuality, immigration status or other social status. 

A “scarcity of legal help” means that free legal services are out of reach for eligible individuals within a community. A scarcity of legal help can be geographical (i.e., not enough legal services providers in a specific county or city) or it can be categorical (i.e., not enough free lawyers representing immigrants).