Reduced Inequalities

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If you are interested in a matter, please let us know as soon as possible by emailing Isis Bous and Allison Laubach through the “Ask About This Matter” button on the details page or directly (ibous@lexmundiprobono.org; alaubach@lexmundiprobono.org) and let us know which project(s) interests you. We will place matches with Lex Mundi member firms on a first-come, first-served basis.

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Consultation (3) Contracts (5) Corporate Governance (1) Data Privacy (1) Finance/Fundraising (2) Intellectual Property (2) Nonprofit Formation (2) Nonprofit Governance (2) Regulatory (3) Research (2) Tax (2) Tax Exempt/Nonprofit (4)

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People’s Courage International Inc.

Answer Discrete Questions Around Making Mission Related Investments

Summary:

Assist a nonprofit strengthening the resilience of migrant workers in Asia by answering discrete questions related to making mission-related investments.

Referred by:

Jurisdictions: U.S.
About the Organization: Founded in 2020, People’s Courage International (PCI) is a US-based nonprofit working across South and Southeast Asia to strengthen the resilience of informal and migrant workers. PCI envisions a future where every informal worker has access to effective social protections not only to manage risks at different life-cycle events but also to mitigate emerging climate risks that impact their health, livelihood and assets.
Legal Entity Type: Nonprofit/Charity
SDG(s):Climate Action, Decent Work and Economic Growth, End Poverty, Gender Equality, Partnerships to achieve the Goals, Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, Reduced Inequalities
Legal Issue(s):

Courage International wants to branch out making mission-related investments in its areas of operations (primarily SE Asia). They are seeking assistance answering a set of discrete questions before moving forward (e.g., can they lend from the nonprofit without setting up a separate entity; what are the tax implications). The full list of questions can be provided upon request. They are incorporated in Washington, DC.

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doctHERS

Incorporate and File for 501(c)(3) Status

Summary:

Assist an organization connecting foreign healthcare workers with underserved American seniors by incorporating and filing for 501(c)(3) status.

Referred by:

Jurisdictions: U.S.
About the Organization: The founders of the social enterprise doctHERS are establishing a new nonprofit entity in the United States (the “Nonprofit”). The Nonprofit will close two gaps at once: the shortage of qualified women healthcare providers in the workforce, and the exclusion of underserved American seniors from the care they need. The goal is to identify top-screened women doctors, nurses, and therapists (often from South Asian countries) and to reintegrate/integrate them into the U.S. health workforce — upskilling them on AI-enabled digital tools, telemedicine, and culturally competent care delivery. The Nonprofit will then connect them to the communities best served by exactly what they offer: people who share their language, their culture, and their lived understanding of what care should feel like. More details about their work and mission can be provided upon request.
Legal Entity Type: Unregistered
SDG(s):Climate Action, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Gender Equality, Good Health and Well Being, Industry Innovation and Infrastructure, Partnerships to achieve the Goals, Reduced Inequalities
Legal Issue(s):

The Nonprofit will be connecting top screened health care professionals with underserved American seniors.

Because these healthcare providers will be coming from abroad, it is important that the Nonprofit is set up in a way that allows it to sponsor cohorts of healthcare providers on H-1B visas.

The doctHERS team is seeking assistance incorporating this nonprofit and filing for 501(c)(3) status with these goals and considerations in mind. They anticipate working primarily in TX, GA, FL CA, NC, NY and NJ but are open to suggestions from the attorney on where best to incorporate.

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Women’s World Banking

Set Up First Loss Guarantee Facility

Summary:

Assist a nonprofit expanding the economic assets of low income women by setting up a first-loss guarantee facility.

Referred by:

  • Friend of the Foundation
Jurisdictions: U.S.
About the Organization: Women’s World Banking (WWB) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission to expand the economic assets, participation, and power of low-income women and their households by helping them access financial services, knowledge, and markets. They partner with financial institutions and policymakers to design, develop, and implement solutions and programs that facilitate systemic change for women.
Legal Entity Type: Nonprofit/Charity
SDG(s):Climate Action, Decent Work and Economic Growth, End Poverty, Good Health and Well Being, Partnerships to achieve the Goals, Quality Education, Reduced Inequalities, Zero Hunger
Legal Issue(s):

WWB has secured charitable grant funding from the Visa Foundation to host and manage a ~$650k first-loss guarantee facility to catalyze the extension of working capital credit by VP Bank Vietnam to under-served MSMEs across a closed-loop retail supply chain using digital payments. The program seeks to build the evidence base for lending to currently under-served MSMEs by establishing a consistent transaction history and repayment track record. WWB will work with the Bank on program design, leveraging WWB’s expertise in designing financial products and solutions tailored to the needs of under-served populations, in particular under-served women MSMEs, and will collect anonymized sex-disaggregated transaction data to analyze the impact and build the case for commercial sustainability, with the first-loss progressively winding down and the Bank accepting full underwriting risk.

Given the relatively small size of the facility, they would like to make the structure as straightforward as possible, with advice from US and Vietnamese counsel. WWB is seeking US pro bono counsel to lead on the structuring and legal documentation. The Lex Mundi firm Rajah & Tann has agreed to serve as Vietnamese local counsel on a pro bono basis. WWB anticipates this project involving coordination between the US and Vietnamese firms, as well as cooperation and negotiation with VP Bank.

Their timeline is as follows:

  • Kick-off: Early August
  • Facility design completed: By Oct 2026
  • Facility established and operational: By end of Q1 2027
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FreeFrom

Research on State Lobbying Laws

Summary:

Assist a nonprofit supporting victims of gender based violence by conducting research on state lobbying laws.

Referred by:

  • Anonymous Collaborator
Jurisdictions: U.S.
About the Organization: FreeFrom is a nonprofit working to end gender-based violence with survivors by building safety and economic freedom. They innovate with survivors to create tools, resources and environments that offer support before, during, and beyond moments of crisis. Survivors can then build financial security to support their indvididual, intergenerational, and community healing.
Legal Entity Type: Nonprofit/Charity
SDG(s):End Poverty, Gender Equality, Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, Reduced Inequalities
Legal Issue(s):

As FreeFrom, a 501c3 nonprofit, continues to build their state policy strategy in advocating for survivor financial security centered policies, they need information on each state’s lobbyist requirements. This will ensure they are in compliance with each state’s law and lobbyist reporting requirements as they expand their work across the nation.

FreeFrom has a template of the information they need for each state along with 6 discrete questions (e.g., what are the requirements for registering as a lobbyist in the state). These can be provided upon request.

Any volunteer/firm can handle the research for as many or as few states as they are able to accommodate. A list of priority states can be provided upon request.

Ideally, they would love for the research to be completed by the end of October. However, this is not a hard deadline.

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Anseye Pou Ayiti

Incorporate and File for 501c3 Status

Summary:

Assist an organization transforming Haiti’s education system by helping them to incorporate in the U.S. and apply for 501c3 status.

Referred by:

Jurisdictions: U.S.
About the Organization: Anseye Pou Ayiti (APA) works with local civic leaders who are transforming Haiti’s education system towards liberation, equipping generations of Haitians with the knowledge, skills, and mindsets to achieve their full potential.
Legal Entity Type: Nonprofit/Charity
SDG(s):Partnerships to achieve the Goals, Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, Quality Education, Reduced Inequalities
Legal Issue(s):

Anseye Pou Ayiti is a nonprofit in Haiti and has worked under a fiscal sponsor in the US for the past 13 years. They have now decided it makes sense to establish a “Friends of Anseye Pou Ayiti” nonprofit in the US to facilitate U.S. based donations. They will not have a team or any operations/programming in the US.

They are now seeking assistance incorporating and filing for 501c3 status. Although Anseye Pou Ayiti will not have permanent staff in the US, they do have some board members in the US (Maryland, DC, California). They also already work with an accounting firm and conduct annual audits with US-based firms. They are open to suggestions from the attorney on where best to incorporate.

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Cycling Without Age

Advise on Rights Under Tech Development Contract

Summary:

Assist a nonprofit offering recreational mobility to seniors by advising on their rights under a tech development contract (contract governed by IL law).

Referred by:

Jurisdictions: U.S. (contract governed by IL law)
About the Organization: Cycling Without Age (CWA) is a nonprofit organization founded in Denmark in 2012. CWA offers recreational mobility to to seniors in the form of volunteer-piloted trishaw rides. The initiative has expanded into 50 countries, serving over 1.5 million people worldwide.
Legal Entity Type: Nonprofit/Charity
SDG(s):Reduced Inequalities
Legal Issue(s):

Cycling Without Age signed a contract with a tech company (the “Company”) in January 2026 for the development of a new global booking system. It was meant to go live in April 2026 but is still far from being launched. There have been multiple delays, and the Company appears unable to deliver on several of the features (e.g., GDPR compliance; language translation) guaranteed in the contract. Additionally, the Company was bought out by another organization.

Throughout this, Cycling Without Age has maintained an amicable relationship with the Company. However, they are seeking assistance from an attorney to better understand their rights and to discuss best next steps. They certainly do not anticipate any sort of dispute. But they would like to discuss: (i) their payment obligations; (ii) the Company’s obligations under the contract; and (iii) whether it makes sense to exit the contract. The governing law of the contract is Illinois.

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Land Use Atlas, Inc.

Research on Zoning Laws

Summary:

Assist a nonprofit democratizing information hidden within zoning codes by conducting research on zoning laws.

Referred by:

Jurisdictions: Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey (official maps only), Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Washington State, and Wisconsin.
About the Organization: Land Use Atlas is a nonprofit working to digitize, demystify, and democratize information currently hidden within zoning codes. Their flagship project, the National Zoning Atlas (NZA), is a multi-institutional research collaboration centralizing data about zoning – the most important power of American local government, and the little-understood force shaping our lives. Their online interactive map exposes how thousands of communities use zoning – long a tool for racial and economic segregation – to shape housing choices, health outcomes, transportation patterns, environmental degradation, and climate response, among other things.
Legal Entity Type: Nonprofit/Charity
SDG(s):Climate Action, Life on Land (sustainability of ecosystems), Reduced Inequalities, Sustainable Cities and Communities
Legal Issue(s):

The Land Use Atlas team is seeking volunteers to research/contribute information about whether jurisdictions have zoning. The volunteers will review jurisdictions’ websites and ordinances, contact jurisdictions when needed (including submitting public information requests), identify the existence of zoning codes, and extract zoning codes. The President of Land Use Atlas is an attorney and a professor at Cornell Law School. The Land Use Atlas team will provide detailed written instructions and guidance. They are also available to facilitate webinar trainings for groups of volunteers.

 

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