Civil Survival is excited to welcome our third Unlocking Legislative Advocacy (ULA) cohort!

The criminal legal system as we know it did not happen by accident. And it will not change by accident either.

The ULA Fellowship was created by and for people impacted by the criminal legal system. Fellows dig into the history of how unjust systems were built and how movements have dismantled them, gain the skills to influence policy at every level of government from Olympia to their own city hall, and do it alongside a community of grassroots advocates committed to dismantling the barriers that hold us back.

The ULA Fellowship builds leaders. And leaders build power.

Workshop and Training Content

This training series will build skills in legislative advocacy and will include the following topics:

  • How laws are made and how to change them, at the state level and in local government including city councils, county commissioners, and other elected bodies
  • The history of social movements and how grassroots organizing drives change
  • Racial disparities in the criminal legal system and the policies behind them
  • Meeting with your legislators and elected officials
  • Telling your story to influence policy
  • Coalition building and collective power
  • Understanding budgets, fiscal notes, and how money shapes policy
  • Legal Financial Obligations and barriers to reentry
  • Civic education, voting rights, and your power as a voter
  • Media, communications, and messaging campaigns
  • Understanding and navigating the trauma of doing this work

Program Details

Fellows participate in six mandatory in-person all-day sessions, optional weekly virtual sessions during the 2027 legislative session, and a culminating Advocacy Day in Olympia where graduates meet directly with legislators as leaders.

2026 Session Dates & Location

All in-person sessions will be held at the Tukwila Community Center located at 12424 42nd Ave S, Tukwila, WA 98168. Sessions will run from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM. 

  • August 15, 2026 — Kickoff Event
  • September 19, 2026
  • October 17, 2026
  • November 7, 2026
  • December 12, 2026
  • January 16, 2027
  • Advocacy Day — Early February 2027

Application Process and Other Details

Availability
We are accepting 20 participants. Applicants must be Washington state residents, and be available to attend all mandatory in-person sessions.

Compensation
Selected fellows will receive a $1,000 stipend distributed across the mandatory sessions.

Travel Support
Applicants traveling more than 60 miles one way will receive overnight lodging the night before each in-person session, a dinner per diem, and mileage reimbursement. Applicants traveling less than 60 miles will be reimbursed for mileage. Limited exceptions to the lodging policy may be considered based on accessibility needs, caregiving responsibilities, or other significant barriers.

Application Deadline
Applications must be submitted by June 19, 2026
Decisions will be communicated by July 10, 2026

How to apply

Thank you for your interest. Application are currently closed.

About Civil Survival

Who we are

Civil Survival organizes system-impacted people, provides legal representation, and advocates for policy reform to restore opportunity to communities harmed by the criminal legal system. We envision a world without incarceration, where people are not limited by their past and are valued for their humanity. Civil Survival was founded by people harmed by the criminal legal system to advocate for each other. Most of our staff have been directly impacted by the criminal legal system. Our foundational commitment to build an organization made up of members of the communities remains at the core of our identity. 

These values and commitments have allowed us to increase access to opportunity for those harmed by the criminal legal system. We have done this by: 

  • Organizing mass assistance days that provide legal financial obligation relief to hundreds of clients in a single day. During Civil Survival’s mass assistance day in Pierce County, the courts waived over $2.3 million in criminal legal debt. 
  • Representing clients in 1,095 cases across 92 courts, resulting in the waiver of approximately $3 million in criminal legal debt during 2023. 
  • Leading systemic advocacy to make reentry legal relief accessible and automatic. Civil Survival led the effort to pass HB 1412 and HB 1169, which allowed for restitution relief in over 100,000 cases and eliminated $600 in mandatory LFOs for every felony conviction; and 
  • Hosting weekly Game Changer groups that provide justice-involved individuals a place to learn how to advocate for systemic change, overcome their own reentry barriers, and provide peer support.