New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty (NMCLP) is being recognized for its strong record of advancing systemic change for low-wage workers in New Mexico through litigation, policy advocacy, education, and community engagement. For over 25 years, NMCLP has worked directly with workers and community groups to build a powerful, collaborative movement for lasting change. In the process, it has notched historic victories for low-wage workers that helped extend basic rights to farmworkers, improve enforcement of wage theft laws, and usher in the state’s first statewide paid sick leave law.

EOF Announces New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty as 2023 Recipient of Law & Social Policy Legacy Award!


We are incredibly honored to be the 2023 recipient of the Law & Social Policy Award. The award and recognition will help us build even more momentum and support as we continue to work with the community to advance economic justice in New Mexico.
— Sireesha Manne, Executive Director, New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty
NMCLP was one of eight strong nominations for the $10,000 award, which was established to increase awareness within the philanthropic community of organizations working to advance law and social policy for low-wage workers’ rights. Nominees were evaluated on three criteria: significance, collaborative approach, and systemic impact.
A $10,000 award will be given by EOF with support from Public Welfare Foundation annually until 2030 as a part of their legacy investment into the Workers’ Rights field.
2023 Law & Social Policy Legacy Award Candidates
Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A: Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A advances social and economic justice and community empowerment through innovative, collaborative, neighborhood-based legal representation and advocacy. For over half a century, we have utilized an array of legal and advocacy strategies—community organizing, affirmative civil rights litigation, and eviction defense to defend the rights of individuals and families.
Columbia Legal Services: Columbia Legal Services advocates for laws that advance social, economic, and racial equity for people living in poverty. Through community-led movement lawyering and a systemic approach, we are supporting communities and movements by bringing deep legal expertise that is grounded in – and strongly guided by – an understanding of race equity.
Economic Progress Institute: The Economic Progress Institute – formerly The Poverty Institute – is a nonpartisan research and policy organization dedicated to improving the economic well-being of low- and modest-income Rhode Islanders. Since the organization was founded by Linda Katz and the late Nancy Gewirtz in 1999, it has become a respected authority on issues impacting the economic vitality of our residents and our state.
Equal Rights Advocates: Equal Rights Advocates fights for gender justice in workplaces and schools across the country. Since 1974, we’ve been fighting on the front lines of social justice to protect and advance rights and opportunities for women, girls, and people of all gender identities through groundbreaking legal cases and bold legislation that sets the stage for the rest of the nation.
Public Justice Center: Founded in 1985, the Public Justice Center uses legal tools to challenge poverty and racial inequity in Maryland and beyond.The PJC is a civil legal aid office that provides advice and representation to low-income clients, advocates before legislatures and government agencies, and collaborates with community and advocacy organizations.
Shriver Center on Poverty Law: The Shriver Center on Poverty Law is leading the fight for economic and racial justice. Over our 50-year history, we have secured hundreds of victories with and for people living in poverty in Illinois and across the country.
UFW Foundation: For 15 years, the UFW Foundation has mobilized farm workers and their organizations across the country to advocate for more equitable policies, such as immigration reform, pesticide protections, heat standards, hazard pay, and other worker protections.
2022 Law & Social Policy Legacy Award Winner
Northwest Workers’ Justice Project (NWJP) was selected for championing Oregon’s low-wage, immigrant, and contingent community by providing training to workers about employment and organizing rights, litigating major cases, and undertaking policy advocacy. These efforts have led to victories including the recovery of over $6 million in lost wages and damages for low-income workers across the state and policy reflective of comprehensive workplace protections. NWJP has started several collaborations – Oregon Coalition to Stop Wage Theft, Safe Jobs Oregon, and the Low Wage Worker Legal Network – creating pathways towards equitable and systemic change in the workplace.


We are deeply appreciative of this award because it recognizes the impact
that an organization like ours can have by empowering vulnerable workers.
We believe that true, long-lasting systemic change in the workers’ rights
movement must be led by our most vulnerable workers to improve the future
for all working families.
— Corinna Spencer-Scheurich, Director, Northwest Workers’ Justice
Project
To learn more about NWJP Contact:
Director/Attorney
Northwest Workers’ Justice Project
310 SW 4th Ave Suite 320
Portland OR 97204
(503) 525-8454
www.nwjp.org
2022 Law & Social Policy Legacy Award Candidates
Award Runner-Up: Workers Defense Project: Workers Defense Project is a statewide member-based organization building power for low-wage, immigrant workers across Texas. Through education, organizing and direct services, we empower workers to win fair, safe jobs and become effective advocates for themselves and their communities. By creating a community-led organization for workers’ rights, we seek to stop this cycle of negligence and empower construction workers to secure the basic workplace rights they are entitled to, from paid sick leave to humane working conditions. We nurture a community that can protect its own and ultimately change the way the construction industry is run. In doing so, we work each day to create a more just system that recognizes the power that construction workers hold.
Center for WorkLife Law: The Center for WorkLife Law is an advocacy and research organization at UC Hastings Law that seeks to advance racial, gender, and class equity. At WorkLife Law, we address inequality at a structural level by developing and implementing concrete, evidence-based interventions in schools and workplaces and changing public policy at the state and national levels.
Economic Progress Institute: The Economic Progress Institute – formerly The Poverty Institute – is a nonpartisan research and policy organization dedicated to improving the economic well-being of low- and modest-income Rhode Islanders. Since the organization was founded by Linda Katz and the late Nancy Gewirtz in 1999, it has become a respected authority on issues impacting the economic vitality of our residents and our state.
Georgia Justice Project: Georgia Justice Project strengthens our community by demonstrating a better way to represent and support individuals in the criminal justice system and reduce barriers to reentry. GJP promotes innovative change through direct legal representation, policy advocacy, education, and coalition building.
Instituto de Educación Popular del Sur de California: Instituto de Educación Popular del Sur de California (IDEPSCA) promotes self-determination in the Latino community in Southern California politically, culturally, and economically using popular education methodology. IDEPSCA organizes and educates low-income community members who want to resolve problems in their own communities.
Make the Road New York: Make the Road New York (MRNY) builds the power of immigrant and working class communities to achieve dignity and justice through organizing, policy innovation, transformative education, and survival services. We have over 24,000 members and operate five community centers in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Long Island and Westchester.
National Legal Advocacy Network: The National Legal Advocacy Network (NLAN) is a legal non-profit organization that believes in shifting the balance of power towards greater equity in our economy and society through organizing, empowering systematically marginalized people and challenging entrenched racial discrimination, sexual harassment and exploitative workplace practices and predatory business schemes. NLAN is dedicated to leveraging legal resources to enhance the capacity and sustainability of the low-wage worker movement through community focused lawyering, worker center support and strategic litigation.
New Mexico Worker Organizing Collaborative: The New Mexico Worker Organizing Collaborative (NMWOC) will implement strategies to improve the health and economic security of low-wage workers and their families by designing policy initiatives around Medicaid buy-in or similar affordability plans, and creating a statewide environment that is conducive to earned sick pay and protections for individual workers. NMWOC is led by Somos Un Pueblo.
Public Justice Center: Founded in 1985, the Public Justice Center (PJC) uses legal tools to challenge poverty and racial inequity in Maryland and beyond. The PJC is a civil legal aid office that provides advice and representation to low-income clients, advocates before legislatures and government agencies, and collaborates with community and advocacy organizations.
United for Respect Education Fund: United for Respect Education Fund supports a multiracial and multigenerational movement of working people who are dreaming big, winning big and building an economy that allows us to live and work with dignity. We elevate the voices of those employed in the retail economy to call on industry leaders and policymakers to transform jobs so people can lead safe and economically-secure lives.
What’s Next Washington: What’s Next Washington is an organization of formerly incarcerated individuals and allies working to improve the ability of people with conviction histories to reintegrate into society and achieve longterm economic stability. We believe every person has a right to a life of dignity and the right to full participation in society; those closest to a problem are closest to the solution; and collaboration with stakeholders leads to innovation.
2021 Law & Social Policy Legacy Award Winner


We are incredibly honored to be the inaugural recipient of the Law & Social Policy Award. This award and the recognition that comes with it will help us continue to draw attention to the plight of migrant workers and the importance of improving their work conditions in the U.S.
— Rachel Micah-Jones, founder and executive director of CDM
To learn more about CDM Contact:
In the US: 1-855-234-9699 | In Mexico: 01-800-590-1773
https://cdmigrante.org
2021 Law & Social Policy Legacy Award Candidates
Human Trafficking Legal Center: The Human Trafficking Legal Center is the only U.S. organization systematically training attorneys to pursue justice for trafficking survivors in civil courts. They lead national and international efforts to hold human traffickers accountable, secure restitution for victims, raise awareness of victims’ rights, and deter future exploitation. |
Instituto de Educación Popular del Sur de California: Instituto de Educación Popular del Sur de California (IDEPSCA) promotes self-determination in the Latino community in Southern California politically, culturally, and economically using popular education methodology. IDEPSCA organizes and educates low-income community members who want to resolve problems in their own communities. |
Make the Road New Jersey: Founded in 2014, Make the Road New Jersey builds the power of immigrant, working-class & Latinx communities to achieve dignity and respect through community organizing, legal, policy innovation and transformative education. Our policy wins – conceived of, executed and won by low wage immigrant workers, have impacted the lives of more than 1 million New Jerseyans. |
National Council for Occupational Safety and Health: The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (National COSH) is a national leader in the fight for safe, healthy working conditions. Founded in 2004, National COSH engages and impacts workers in communities across the country through a network of 23 state and local non-profit COSH groups (Coalitions/committees on Occupational Safety and Health). |
National Employment Law Project: For over 50 years, the National Employment Law Project (NELP) has researched and advocated for policies that create good jobs, expand access to work, and strengthen protections to support underpaid and jobless workers. NELP publishes research that illuminates workers’ issues; promotes policies that improve workers’ lives; lends deep legal and policy expertise to important cases and campaigns; and partners with allies to advance crucial reforms. |
TakeRoot Justice: TakeRoot Justice provides legal, participatory research and policy support to strengthen the work of grassroots and community-based groups in New York City to dismantle racial, economic and social oppression. TakeRoot Justice employs a unique model of partnership with grassroots and community-based groups, where partners take the lead in determining the priorities and goals for our work, and advance our understanding of justice. |
Worksafe: Worksafe is a California-based organization dedicated to promoting and protecting the basic right of all people to a safe and healthy workplace through policy advocacy, legal services and training, movement building, and public outreach. They are the only California legal support organization that focuses on occupational health and safety. |