This fund was created to help local independent journalists and non-profit news organizations around the country file Freedom of Information Act and public records lawsuits to bring transparency to police agencies who are using extreme and illegal secrecy to prevent accountability. The first grantees will be Invisible Institute and journalist Brandon Smith, both of whom were instrumental in forcing the release of the video showing a Chicago police officer killing Laqaen McDonald, which eventually forced the resignation of the Chicago police chief. As Brandon explained, major news organizations also had the opportunity to sue to force the video's release, but failed to do so. Often, it is independent journalists who can do the most effective local accountability reporting, and this fund will go to help those people.