WASHINGTON — Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) today announced the launch of a new Court of Federal Claims (COFC) Clinic designed to support nonprofits, Tribes, local governments, and community organizations whose environmental and climate justice grants were unlawfully terminated by federal agencies this year. The Clinic is launching in partnership with the Environmental Protection Network (EPN), to help onboard grantees seeking assistance.
While grantees’ continue to assert constitutional claims that would restore funding nationwide, hundreds of communities have been left in limbo. Recent court decisions have pushed grantees toward the slower, more burdensome Court of Federal Claims, where each organization must file individually, secure legal counsel, and shoulder costs that many cannot afford.
““This entire process is designed to make people walk away, but L4GG’s Court of Federal Claims Clinic aims to stop this strategy of divide and exhaust from succeeding. If the government breaks a binding grant agreement, the law still provides a remedy, and we are here to help grantees pursue it.”
”Forcing hundreds of under-resourced organizations into one-by-one lawsuits is not justice. These communities were promised and constitutionally obligated funding by Congress to protect themselves from pollution, storms, and public health threats. Our clinic ensures they won’t be abandoned or bullied into submission just because the administration wants these programs to disappear.””
The COFC Clinic offers two forms of support:
Remote Pro Bono Clinic: L4GG and volunteer attorneys will help terminated grantees prepare their claims for filing, including reviewing documents, assessing damages, developing legal strategy, and drafting complaints.
Coordinated Pro Bono/Low Bono Representation in COFC: L4GG will match grantees with trained attorneys prepared to litigate COFC cases, ensuring organizations receive high-quality representation without draining limited budgets already strained by termination of their grants.
Under the administration’s approach, grantees cannot seek reinstatement of their programs in the Court of Federal Claims. COFC provides monetary damages only, creating an enormous barrier to justice, forcing communities to absorb the cost and time to litigate individually, and pressuring smaller organizations to give up entirely. L4GG’s COFC Clinic ensures they have the tools, representation, and support needed to fight back.
Hundreds of organizations across the country continue to confront flooding, wildfire risk, toxic air pollution, failing infrastructure, and rising energy costs—problems their grants were designed to address. Many have already experienced direct harm, including layoffs, lost contracts, stalled community projects, and worsening climate impacts.
If you are interested in learning more about L4GG’s COFC Clinic, or potentially talking with any of the more than 50 communities that have already signed up for assistance, we’d be happy to help arrange an interview.
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Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) is a nonprofit organization that harnesses the power of 125,000 lawyers, law students, and advocates in the fight for justice. We identify where lawyers can make the greatest impact and mobilize them to defend democracy and the rule of law, protect civil and human rights, and advance environmental justice through coordinated legal action and advocacy efforts that create meaningful change for all Americans.