Community Leadership in Justice Fellowship Call for Applications

The Law Foundation of Ontario makes grants to advance access to justice. Grants are made to nonprofit organizations that work to benefit the people of Ontario.

Fellowship candidates are senior employees in public interest organizations dedicated to law reform, legal advocacy, or the justice system. Candidates need not have a degree in law.

Academic hosts must be either a law school or a department dedicated to legal or justice studies, including but not limited to criminology, sociology, social work, political science or law and society programs.

The Law Foundation of Ontario is looking for creative proposals for new work; the proposal cannot be for replacement faculty to teach an existing course. Ideally, all three partners (fellow, academic institution and public interest organization) will expose one another to distinct and challenging perspectives on law and the justice system.

Where tenable, fellowship candidates interested in spending time at a law school may consult the appended list of CLJF law school contacts who may be approached to discuss opportunities.

The selection of the recipient of this fellowship will be based on merit. In assessing each application, the Foundation will consider:

• The proposal’s clarity and fit with the objectives of this fellowship program
• The partners’ ability to deliver on commitments
• The fellowship candidate’s leadership in the community and in justice-related areas
• Actively promoting equity and inclusion for all individuals
• The extent to which the fellowship would have a transformative effect on legal education or legal research – in other words, the promise of the individual and the promise of the project/collaboration

Up to a maximum of $65,000 to cover the fellow’s salary
Up to $15,000 awarded to the academic host for equipment and program-related expenses

Deadline: April 20, 2020 by 5:00 p.m.

Applications must come jointly from the fellowship candidate and the host academic institution.

Complete the application form and submit it by the deadline to: grants@lawfoundation.on.ca

• Download the application form in Word format here: Community Leadership in Justice Fellowship Application Form

Prospective applicants may contact a past fellow for advice on developing an application. Download the list of past fellows (Excel document) who have agreed to help.

Successful candidates (fellows, academic hosts and public interest organizations) will be expected to sign The Law Foundation of Ontario’s standard Letter of Agreement and will also be asked to provide written interim and final reports to the Foundation.

Two grants will be made. One grant will be made in the name of the public interest organization for up to $65,000 to cover the fellow’s salary. It is expected that this grant will be administered by the public interest organization. The other grant will be made in the name of the host academic institution for up to $15,000 to cover program-related expenses. It is expected that this grant will be administered by the academic institution. If you require alternative arrangements, please make this clear in your application.

Please note that The Law Foundation of Ontario does not fund indirect costs applied by universities or colleges to recover administrative overhead. Any administrative costs must be shown to be related directly to the project and should be clearly identified in the application with an explanation. Additional funds will not be provided for university overhead. Eligible program-related expenses include, for example, costs for workshops or seminars (materials, audio/visual equipment rental) and office supplies. Program-related expenses can also include travel expenses if the fellow lives in a different community than the academic host.

1. Read the example Letter of Agreement (PDF)
2. Discuss your idea with a Grants Officer

For more information, please email Helen Tewolde, Director, Policy and Programs.