The National Health Law Program accepts cy pres awards
What is cy pres?
A cy pres award permits remaining or unclaimed funds from a class action settlement or court judgment to be directed to a nonprofit organization whose work serves a meaningful public interest or closely relates to the issues underlying the case. This approach ensures that the funds are put to productive use in ways that benefit the public and further the objectives connected to the original litigation.
About the National Health Law Program (NHeLP)
The National Health Law Program is a leading national health justice organization that has worked for nearly 60 years to protect and expand health care for low-income and other underserved populations.
Our work focuses on:
- Health Care Access: advocating for improved access to health services and coverage
- Federal and State Policy Advocacy: shaping legislation to strengthen Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, and health equity
- Civil Rights & Disability Rights: ensuring enforcement of anti-discrimination protections in health care
- Litigation & Enforcement: protecting health care rights in state and federal courts through impact litigation
- California Advocacy: advancing progressive reforms in Medi-Cal (the nation’s largest state Medicaid program)
- Sexual & Reproductive Health: expanding access to comprehensive reproductive health care
- Delivery System Reform: improving how health care is delivered to underserved communities
- Fairness in Automated Decision-Making Systems: addressing harms from data breaches and algorithmic systems in health care
Why designate NHeLP as a cy pres recipient?
By designating NHeLP as a cy pres beneficiary, class-action counsel and courts can ensure that unclaimed settlement money continues to support meaningful legal advocacy, systemic reform, and protection of health care rights nationwide, thereby extending relief beyond direct monetary awards to class members and into durable, systemic protection of health care rights.
NHeLP is well-positioned to steward these funds effectively in service of health equity, drawing on nearly 60 years of national advocacy, litigation, and policy work to protect, improve, and enforce health and civil rights. Through our network of advocates, partnerships with legal aid and community organizations, and leadership in federal and state health policy, we ensure that cy pres funds support sustained legal advocacy and enforcement that advances access to care for underserved communities
How to designate NHeLP
If you are class-action counsel, a settlement negotiator, or involved in a case that may produce leftover or unclaimed funds, we invite you to consider naming NHeLP as the cy pres beneficiary. We are ready to provide documentation, linking language, mission-description drafts, and support for your submission to the court.
For more information, materials, or to discuss whether NHeLP is a good fit for your case, please contact us at: [email protected]
