LEADERS REIMAGINED
That was our resounding theme in 2019.
ChangeLawyersSM made some big bets on the next generation of leaders this year, and it paid off. As a public foundation whose mission is to build a better justice for all Californians, we know that the changes we want to see in law and society won't happen overnight. But we know that if we lay the groundwork for diverse law students and young lawyers now, we set them on the path to success in the future.

Our country and our state need leaders who look like the people of California. We need courageous legal changemakers to realize their own potential. In this annual report you'll see how we invested $765,000 to right historical wrongs in the courtroom, classroom, and beyond.

But we also know that there is more than we can do as foundation. In addition to our grantmaking, we utilized other tools at our disposal in order to both create community and level the opportunity playing field.

Thanks for joining us on this journey. Happy scrolling! ​

Christopher Punongbayan, Executive Director
2003 California ChangeLawyersSM Scholar
SCHOLARSHIPS FOR JUSTICE
I had the audacity to think that someone like me could become a lawyer.
Jonathan Verdugo
ChangeLawyersSM Scholar
Watch Jonathan’s video
$ 435,000
Awards for First- and Third-year Law Students
ChangeLawyersSM Scholarship Recipients in 2019
Womxn and
Female-Identified
Queer-Identified
Languages Spoken
Scholarships distributed since 1990
Our Scholars come from these schools:
  • California Western Law
  • Columbia Law
  • Harvard Law
  • La Verne Law
  • Loyola Law
  • Santa Clara Law
  • Southwestern Law
  • Stanford Law
  • Thomas Jefferson Law
  • UC Berkeley Law
  • UC Davis Law
  • UC Hastings
  • UC Irvine Law
  • UCLA Law
  • UOP McGeorge Law
  • USC Gould Law
  • USF Law
  • Vanderbilt Law
  • Washington and Lee Law
  • Yale Law
See the Future Lawyers
See the Future Lawyers
OUR GRANTMAKING
I don't just represent my clients. I'm their lawyer, but I'm also part of their community.
Hugo Ivan Salazar
ChangeLawyersSM Fellow stationed at the U.S.-Mexico border
$ 330,000
For Social Justice Fellowships & Diversity Pipeline Nonprofits
Grantee Partners
  • American Bar Association, Judicial Internship Opportunity Program
  • Al Otro Lado
  • Bar Association of San Francisco, Justice & Diversity Center
  • California Indian Law Association
  • Center for Youth Development through Law
  • Centro Legal De La Raza
  • Council on American-Islamic Relations
  • Immigrant Defenders Law Center
  • Imperial County and Quechan Tribal Court Appointed Special Advocates
  • Loyola Marymount University Young Lawyers Program
  • Silicon Valley Urban Debate League
  • UCLA Law Fellows
CONVENINGS
When I am in spaces with other lawyers of color, I feel a sense of ease in my ability to navigate this profession as a young, Black woman and believe,
Yes, I can do this.
Mia Akers
UC Berkeley Law Class of 2018
Total number of attendees at ChangeLawyersSM events, including the sold-out Leaders Summit. Our events are designed to launch diverse lawyers into judgeships, prosecutor offices, and other positions of power.
Christina Avalos, ChangeLawyersSM Board Member, and Kevin de Leon, President Pro Tem Emeritus of the California State Senate
Black.
Latinx.
API.
Queer.
Non-Binary.
Undocumented.
​Womxn.

Elevate all voices.

GOALS FOR 2020 & BEYOND
$1.1 Million
Our 2020 next investment in the next generation of ChangeLawyersSM
1208 Lawyers
Number of ChangeLawyersSM we want to launch into positions of power and influence
Statewide Network
Imagine a multi-racial, gender and ability-inclusive network of progressive lawyers
FINANCIALS
Based on 2018 audited report