Accelerator Grants

Accelerator Grants is sponsored by Legal Foundation of Washington. These one-time grants are designed to accelerate time-sensitive civil justice work and launch impactful projects, supporting innovative and responsive initiatives that would benefit from a one-time infusion of funds.

Accelerator Grant - Legal Foundation of Washington LFW is dedicated to being responsive to the emerging needs of the communities we serve. Our Accelerator Grants are one-time grants designed to accelerate time-sensitive civil justice work and launch impactful projects. The grants support innovative and responsive initiatives that would benefit from a one-time infusion of funds.

We seek to fund civil justice organizations doing strong anti-racist work, centering historically excluded communities, and impacting long-lasting systemic change. Accelerator Grants prioritize civil justice work for groups that have been disproportionally under-resourced by legal aid, including: Native American and Indigenous peoples clients without lawful immigration status, and re-entry and justice-system impacted individuals.

Grants are one year in length (January 1 – December 31) and typically range from $20,000-$100,000. Proposals must be focused on civil justice work in Washington State. Examples of recently funded projects are listed at the bottom of this page.

Civil legal aid providers or organizations in partnership with civil legal aid providers are eligible to apply. Proposals must be focused on civil legal aid work in Washington State. Typically range from $20,000 to $100,000.

One year from January 1, 2027 to December 31, 2027. A Letter of Intent (LOI) is the first step of the grant application process for Accelerator Grants. An LOI is an overview of your organization and project.

If invited to submit a full application, the full application will include more detailed questions about the goals and impact of your project. V isit our How To Apply page to learn how to submit an LOI. Join us for an informational webinar with Q&A on Thursday , July 23 at 11am by registering here .

The webinar will provide information on the grant process with the opportunity for attendees to ask questions about the application, selection criteria, guidelines, or other related questions. The webinar will be recorded for those unable to attend. Participation in the webinar is NOT required, but applicants are strongly encouraged to attend or view the recording.

Letters of Intent (LOIs) are due August 15, 2026. Applicants will receive notification by September 28, 2026, if invited to complete a full application. Deadline for applications Full applications are due October 9, 2026.

Questions or feedback? Contact LFW Grants Manager Arielle Handforth by email or find a time to meet by clicking here . Meet LFW’s 2026 Accelerator Grantees For the 2026 grant cycle, LFW’s Board awarded Accelerator Grants to seven outstanding projects.

We centered race equity in our evaluation process, considering the proposal’s fit within the grant’s criteria and priorities, the organization’s leadership, community involvement and anti-racist practices, and the potential impact the proposal could have on BIPOC communities.

2026 Accelerator Grantees Asian Counseling and Referral Service, in partnership with the Asian Bar Association and King County Bar Association Offering accessible, culturally grounded, and linguistically appropriate in-person civil legal clinics to low-income Asian and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (A&NH/PI) immigrants and refugees.

Catholic Community Services of Western Washington's Catholic Immigration Legal Services Responding to the closure of Seattle's Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) office, which left hundreds of unaccompanied children without legal aid after federal funding cuts, by coordinating rapid training with former KIND attorneys, expanding its capacity to serve vulnerable immigrant youth and strengthening long-term legal support in WA.

Colectiva Legal del Pueblo Strengthening support for immigrant communities by expanding critical immigration services, including direct legal aid, representation, and community workshops for asylum seekers and undocumented individuals, to help clients navigate complex legal systems and assert their rights.

Central Washington Justice for our Neighbors Expanding access to immigration-related legal services in Benton and Franklin counties by hosting clinics that provide notarized Family Preparedness Plans for all clinic participants and offering follow-up services that include direct legal representation, social service referrals, accompaniment, and rapid response when needed.

Increasing legal services for LGBTQ+ Latino/a/x immigrants, especially asylum seekers and those facing detention or deportation, by launching a new volunteer accompaniment program to assist clients during court appearances, enhance legal monitoring, and enable rapid response to rights violations.

Legal Counsel for Youth and Children: Advocating for the rights of foreign-born youth in foster care to change the way systems support and protect vulnerable youth and uphold their rights and access to pathways for lawful residency and citizenship.

Launching Spokane's first and only free "Crimmigration" Program that provides immediate legal defense for low-income immigrants without lawful status with complications due to criminal history that trigger deportation proceedings.

Prior Accelerator Grant Recipients Chelan-Douglas Volunteer Attorney Services: $30,000 Launching a re-entry initiative to meet the needs of justice-impacted clients in Chelan and Douglas counties by collaborating with the Department of Corrections Wenatchee Valley Reentry Center, local recovery navigators, and social service partners to provide monthly legal clinics for driver’s license reinstatement, legal financial obligations, and Blake issues.

Fair Work Center : $85,000 Using a worker-driven model to identify and defend workplace protections of restaurant workers who experience high rates of workplace violations, including meal and rest break violations, sexual harassment, and wage theft, by providing legal education, Know Your Rights trainings and rapid response coalition meetings.

Global Rights Advocacy : $100,000 Establishing a Global Rights Immigration Justice Fellowship to provide direct human rights defense to detained immigrants at the Northwest ICE Processing Center and create a streamlined system for documenting and submitting human rights abuse complaints before the United Nations, Inter-American Commission, and ICE Office of Civil Rights and Liberties.

Developing and implementing plain language, bilingual farm and residential leases to protect the rights of farmers, particularly those without lawful immigration status. In collaboration with Viva Farms, project provides a solution to the currently poor defined farmer’s residential rights under Washington law that opens farmers to potential abuse and exploitation by landlords.

TeamChild & KidsAreKids : $60,000 Bringing attention to the inhumane, abusive and unsupportive conditions within the state’s juvenile legal system and creating a coordinated advocacy plan for change by facilitating a series of gatherings for the families and communities of young people who are currently incarcerated.

Responding to time-sensitive legal opportunities, including naturalization services and additional Deferred Action for Labor Enforcement (DALE) services, for farm workers and immigrants in Eastern Washington by leveraging the relationships and networks established by the Eastern Washington Farm Workers Rights Project, a coalition of legal service providers in rural Eastern Washington.

Benefits Law Center : $45,000 Reviving their highly effective Justice Bus – a mobile legal unit, to provide free legal services directly to clients in need from the parking lot of any human services provider, homeless encampment, or reservation while developing intentional relationships with local tribes and re-entry organizations.

Civil Survival : $100,000 Re-launching their Leadership Fellowship program, which gives community members legal advocacy training and hands-on experience with the legislative process to expand their policy advocacy efforts focused on re-entry civil legal issues led by individuals directly impacted by the justice system.

Manzanita House : $60,000 Expanding immigration legal services to better meet the needs of the immigrant community in Spokane, with an emphasis on survivor-bases cases, direct representation, community-based clinics, and educational workshops along with their network of regional partners.

Northwest Health Law Advocates : $60,000 Providing policy advocacy and trainings across the state for the new statewide healthcare system for undocumented immigrants launching in 2024 to ensure access and benefits are being implemented as required by law.

Seattle Clemency Project , Washington Defender Association , & Living with Conviction : $150,000 Building an infrastructure and pipeline for currently incarcerated individuals to complete motions for relief from legal financial obligations with the help of defenders, now available through legal reforms that took effect on July 1, 2023.

Tulalip Office of Civil Legal Aid : $100,000 Providing critical civil legal aid representation to Tulalip Tribal members, through direct legal aid, targeted re-entry services, and systemic advocacy, while simultaneously launching an advocacy effort to achieve tribal judicial parity for parents and youth in tribal dependency cases.

Unemployment Law Project : $60,000 Increasing new connections and legal services for Native communities in Eastern Washington by partnering with Spokane’s largest urban Native health clinic and local tribes to offer advice and representation to Native persons who are seeking to secure their unemployment benefits.

The United Farm Wo r kers Foundation : $100,000 Supporting victims of labor exploitation by expanding immigration legal services infrastructure for undocumented farm workers involved in labor disputes who may be eligible for a new path to deferred action announced in 2023, and launching a coordinated communication campaign to farmworkers regarding their rights and direct legal services.

Carl Maxey Center : $40,000 Launching Spokane’s first Racial Justice Help Center & Legal Clinic to provide free and confidential legal advice, support, and representation to directly address racial discrimination related to employment, housing, public accommodations, public education, healthcare, policing, and more.

Expanding services for justice-impacted youth by piloting an integrated legal aid program that includes individualized legal assistance, group workshops, and advising on civil matters such as eviction rights and immigration rights.

Disability Rights Washington & Look2Justice : $55,000 Building a peer-driven, self-sustaining, and replicable legislative advocacy training model by and for incarcerated people in Washington State prisons, focusing on criminal-legal reform, racial justice in sentencing, and how to advocate with impacted people and legislative committees.

El Centro de la Raza : $45,000 Serving the needs of undocumented Latinx clients by providing bilingual legal consultations and referrals on an assortment of legal issues, including immigration and civil legal issues, through in-person clinics at El Centro de la Raza and virtually throughout the state of Washington.

Expanding legal services clinic for low-income Latinx trans immigrants to focus on the community’s unique legal needs, including name changes and gender changes on identity documents.

Lavender Rights Project : $60,000 Stopping the deaths of transgender people of color at Seattle King County Jails through a community-led legal campaign advocating for meaningful policy change to raise awareness and end the mistreatment of people of color in the King County Jail System.

Skagit Legal Aid : $40,000 Providing high quality, thoughtful, and intentional legal services with local tribal communities in the Skagit Valley and creating a dedicated law clerk position and focused externship with Seattle University for tribal law issues.