Frequently Asked Questions

This fund is an act of solidarity with Palestine and is endorsed by the Toronto chapter of the Palestinian Youth Movement.

Good Question! The short answer is - we don't know. The variables that make this unknown are: how many people are criminalized (and when!), The cost of someone retaining a lawyer varies, the cost of a legal case changes if the charges are withdrawn, or a plea deal is reached or you go to trial. And finally the seriousness of the charges changes how much someone might need.

That's a number that is continuously changing because we get and then distribute the money!

Our very rough estimate is that we will need around 1 million dollars (still to be raised) over the next 12 months. This estimate is looking at people currently charged, their charges, and their legal strategies. This could change if we see hundreds of people arrested over this period of time.

• Legal costs from an arrest in Toronto related to Palestinian liberation/solidarity actions.
• Costs associated with an arrest in Toronto related to Palestinian liberation/solidarity actions.
• Costs due to criminalization in Toronto related to Palestinian liberation/solidarity actions.

Applications are reviewed by 5 trustees selected by the Palestinian Youth Movement -Toronto, including a PYM Toronto representative. Applications are kept anonymous and are weighted based on the legal risk and systemic barriers faced by applicants. The trustees are a group of community and movement elders whose work spans a wide range of issues.

Anyone facing costs due to the criminalization of their Palestine solidarity/liberation work is welcome to apply to the fund, regardless of access to resources. All applications will be reviewed and weighed based on the recognition that poor and working-class people, racialized people, Indigenous people, and Queer, Trans and Gender non-conforming people face systemic barriers to accessing resources related to their criminalization. These factors will be heavily considered in the allocation of funds.

• The timeline for funding is determined by emergent needs, based on resources, administration, and organizational and financial setup.
• If you have incurred expenses because of the criminalization of your alleged Palestinian liberation and solidarity work, please save receipts until your application has been submitted and reviewed.

No. This is not a charitable organization or non profit, it is a mutual aid community led initiative.

We understand that some of the questions in the application are personal and sensitive. You have the option not to answer any questions that you find intrusive, but please note that we have only included questions that will help the committee and trustees determine the allocation of available funds.

Your data is stored in the EU, which is the region of the world with the strictest data privacy laws. The data is only accessible to the Operations Committee. The Trustees do not have access to any identifying information.