The Initiative for Public Interest Law at Yale

The Initiative is a non-profit organization that provides start-up money for projects that protect the legal rights or interests of inadequately represented groups. The Initiative funds innovative projects that may have difficulty obtaining money from other sources due to the subject matter of the project or the approach taken by the project.  We fund cutting-edge projects whose successful execution might be a model for other organizations seeking new and better ways to represent clients.

This year we hope to fund two projects with $35,000 grants. Additionally, the Initiative may choose to award several partial grants of lesser amounts.

The Initiative conducts several activities every year to raise the money for these grants.  Annual fundraising events include the used book sale, the Public Interest Auction, and the Yale Law School Formal.  The Initiative also relies on donations from the legal community, Yale Law alumni, and Yale Law students to supplement its fundraising events.  Donations should be sent to P.O. Box 200100, New Haven, CT 06520, and checks should be made payable to "The Initiative for Public Interest Law at Yale." 

 To learn more about the Initiative and our recent grant recipients, please read our Fall 2010 Newsletter.