Loyola Law Project Received Grant for Innocence Claims
The Audrey Irmas Foundation awarded a $150,000 grant and $300,000 in matching funds to the Loyola Project for the Innocent.
Updated on Sept. 21, 2026 in Criminal Justice
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Loyola Law School announced a new funding agreement to bolster the work of the Loyola Project for the Innocent. The initiative focuses on providing legal representation to inmates in Los Angeles County sentenced to death or life without parole.
Why it matters
This grant supports the ongoing investigation of innocence claims and legal advocacy for incarcerated individuals. The funding will specifically assist in challenging convictions involving eyewitness misidentification.
The project currently maintains three active cases centered on eyewitness misidentification. These efforts contribute to a track record of 24 successful exonerations since the clinic opened in 2011.
The players
Loyola Project for the Innocent
This legal clinic operates out of Loyola Law School to challenge wrongful convictions.
Audrey Irmas Foundation for Social Justice
This organization provides philanthropic support for legal and social justice initiatives.
The details
The project utilizes habeas corpus petitions to represent inmates while conducting research on the fallibility of eyewitness memory to overturn wrongful convictions. Beyond individual cases, the clinic has successfully sponsored over a dozen bills signed into California law over the last seven years.
Timeline
2011: The clinic was established at Loyola Law School.
Past seven years: The project sponsored over a dozen bills enacted into state law.
September 21, 2026: Loyola Law School officially announced the grant funding.
Legal Context
The project follows a established pattern of legislative advocacy, having successfully sponsored over a dozen bills enacted into California state law over the past seven years. This dual approach of individual litigation and systemic policy reform remains a standard strategy for innocence clinics.
Residents may see an increase in legal challenges to local criminal convictions as the project expands its capacity. The initiative directly aims to rectify wrongful incarcerations within the Los Angeles County justice system.
The takeaway
The infusion of $450,000 in potential funding allows the clinic to sustain its long-term litigation and policy goals. By focusing on eyewitness misidentification, the project targets one of the most common factors in documented wrongful convictions.
Further reading
For more on legal developments in the region, explore the Criminal Justice section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by My News LA.
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