Across the United States, nonprofit organizations provide vital services and programming – including healthcare, professional development, community development, and support for the arts -- to communities that have often been overlooked or underserved. The Protecting and Advancing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (PADEI) Pro Bono Initiative helps ensure that these nonprofit organizations can continue to provide critical services and expand opportunity and access for communities in need, including Black communities and other communities of color.
Pro Bono Legal Assistance
The Lawyers’ Committee supports nonprofit resilience by providing free legal assistance to mission-driven nonprofit organizations advancing equity. Through the PADEI Pro Bono Initiative, we help nonprofit organizations conduct analyses of their racial equity and diversity, equity, and inclusion programs to proactively ensure they are compliant with relevant federal civil rights laws and legally defensible while still achieving their goals of advancing racial justice. For example, the Initiative provides advice and review of grantmaking programs, artist in residence programs, or leadership or fellowship programs, as well as programs supported by federal funding. Work generally not supported by the Initiative includes, bylaws review, 501(c)(3) status compliance, or immigration issues.
Fact Sheets and Resources
- Navigating Title VI’s Nondiscrimination Requirements and Advancing Equal Opportunity: Information for Organizations That Receive Federal Funding (August 2026)
- The March 26, 2026 Executive Order on Federal Contractors and Diversity, Equity Inclusion, and Accessibility: What You Need to Know (May 2026)
- Advancing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in a Time of Uncertainty: What Employers Need to Know (November 2025)
- The Department of Justice’s “Guidance for Recipients of Federal Funding on Unlawful Discrimination”: What You Need to Know (August 2025)
- Webinar: Executive Dis-Order: How the Trump Administration is Weaponizing Executive Orders to Dismantle Civil Rights (March 2025)
- Investing In Racial Equity Through Charitable Grants And Services (2025)
- Advancing Equal Employment Opportunity: Putting the Affirmative Action College Admissions Cases in Context (2023)
- Webinar: Ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity: Supreme Court Affirmative Action Decisions and the Workplace (June 2023)
Amicus Briefs
- Amicus brief in American Alliance for Equal Rights v. Hispanic Scholarship Fund (2026)
- Amicus brief in American Alliance for Equal Rights v. Fearless Fund Management LLC (2023)
- Amicus brief in Roberts v. Progressive Preferred Ins. Co. (2023)
Administrative and Public Comments
- Comment Opposing American Bar Association Proposal to Repeal Diversity and Inclusion Standard 206 (April 2026)
- Comment Opposing General Services Administration Proposal Affecting Applicants for Federal Grants (March 2026)
- Joint Comment Opposing Equal Credit Opportunity Act Regulation B Proposal (December 2025)
Other Resources
Links to external websites are provided for informational purposes only. Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law does not endorse, control, or guarantee the accuracy or completeness of information on linked sites, and accepts no responsibility for their content.
Federal funding, grant terminations
- National Council of Nonprofits - A Nonprofit Checklist: What to Do When Your Federal Grant or Contract is Terminated
- Lawyers For Good Government - Federal Funding Protection Resources
Certifications and False Claims Act
Government Investigations
- Protect Democracy - Nonprofit Toolkit: Resources for organizations facing government investigations
- Lawyers For Good Government webinar - Investigative Processes Webinar with EPN (March 2025)
- Lowell and Associates - Know Your Rights: What Happens If Law Enforcement Requests or Compels Election-Related Information, Records, or Equipment from You or Your Organization?
Cybersecurity, data retention and privacy policies