Barbara McDowell was an exceptional advocate for social justice reform with a decorated legal career. Following her untimely death of brain cancer at the age of 56, Barbara’s husband, Jerry Hartman, established the Foundation in her name in 2009 to honor and continue her extraordinary work.

The Foundation makes annual grants of up to $50,000 to nonprofit organizations. Grantees must be currently litigating a social justice case that has the potential to make systemic change.

We select organizations pursuing litigation in the following fifteen issue areas:

Access to Benefits | Children’s Rights | Disability Rights | Discrimination | Domestic Violence | Due Process | Environmental Justice | Healthcare | Homelessness | Housing | Native American Rights | Prisoners’ Rights | Refugee and Immigration Rights | Voting Rights | Veterans’ Rights

From 2009 to 2022, the Foundation operated the High Impact Litigation Project – an initiative that coordinated pro bono civil rights litigation. Under its auspices, the Foundation coordinated the initiation of some 20 cases.

In 2022, the Foundation ended the High Impact Project and established the Barbara McDowell Public Interest Law Center to pursue litigation directly, engage in issue advocacy efforts, and educate the public on civil rights. The Law Center pursues cases that have the potential to make systemic changes, benefiting underserved and underrepresented communities across the country.

While the Foundation and the Public Interest Law Center are separate, the two organizations share common Board members and engage in coordinated efforts. 

We invite you to support our grantmaking or to help fund the legal costs of our own impact litigation cases.