Nonprofits Can Apply to New $70K Day Laborer Fund

by Judy Silberstein

(December 5, 2007) $70,000. That’s the amount the law firm Dewey & LeBoeuf, LLP has donated to underwrite grants to nonprofit organizations that offer services for Mamaroneck or Larchmont day laborers and their families. The sum represents the law firm’s share of the settlement of a federal law suit brought in 2006 against the Village of Mamaroneck on behalf of six day laborers. (See: Local Day Labor Issue Lands in Federal Court.)

Federal Judge Colleen McMahon ruled for the day laborers in November 2006, and a settlement was reached in June 2007 in which the Village agreed to a number of actions, including the payment of $550,000 for the day laborers’ attorneys. (See: VOM Settles Civil Rights Suit.) Of that, $480,000 went to the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund and $70,000 went to Dewey Ballentine (which has since become Dewey & LeBoeuf). Mamaroneck Village also paid approximately $500,000 to its own attorneys from the firm of Thacher, Proffitt & Wood, according to Mamaroneck Village Clerk Treasurer Augie Fusco.

Because Dewey Ballentine accepted the case pro bono, it opted to use its part of the settlement to establish the Day Laborers’ Fund that will be administered by the Larchmont-Mamaroneck Local Summit. “We donated the fees with the hope that they would be used for causes that would help the day laborers,” explained Janice Meyer, the attorney from Dewey & LeBoeuf who worked on the case.

The law firm could have asked for a much higher compensation, said Doreen Kushel, one of five Summit members overseeing the new fund. “It was much, much more than a million - but in the interest of getting a settlement and moving ahead, Dewey reduced its fee,” and accepted $70,000.

The Summit has established a process for disbursing the entire sum through grants. There are guidelines, an application, and a first round of awards to be made by February 28, 2008. The Summit hopes to keep the number of grants small in order to “maximize the impact.”

Who can get a grant?

Funds will only go to organizations, not to individuals. A successful applicant must show how the program or service to be funded will benefit day laborers and their families in the tri-municipal area. An organization that receives a grant in the first round may apply for a second round, if they can show that the funds have been used effectively. The Summit hopes to have allocated all the funds by the end of 2009.

“We’re looking for organizations that have innovative programs that enhance the wellbeing of day laborers,” said Judy Dobrof, another Summit member. “It could be everything from educational programs - English as a Second Language - to programs that provide support. It could also be for children – like an after school program.”

How to Apply?

Organizations should request an application and guidelines by mailing the Larchmont-Mamaroneck Local Summit, Box 811, Mamaroneck, NY 10543. Completed applications received by January 31, 2008 will be considered in the first round of grants.

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