Cy Pres Settlement Funds

Our work

The Tech Cy Pres Fund

We administer the Tech Cy Pres Fund for the California Department of Justice. It directs residual funds from three price-fixing cases the Attorney General brought over CRT and LCD monitors to projects that close California's digital divide.

Where the money came from

The California Attorney General's Office sued manufacturers of cathode ray tubes (CRTs) and liquid crystal display (LCD) panels for price fixing. Settlements in three of those cases, all in San Francisco Superior Court, left residual funds for cy pres distribution:

  • State of California, et al. v. Chunghwa Picture Tubes, Ltd., et al., No. 513732 LCD
  • State of California, et al. v. Samsung SDI, Ltd., et al., No. 515784 CRT
  • State of California, et al. v. Chunghwa Picture Tubes, Ltd., et al., No. 515786 CRT

Each final approval order allows the funds to be combined into one technology fund and granted to state and local entities and public interest organizations, through a competitive process run by a neutral, third-party cy pres administrator. Grants are approved by the California Department of Justice.

What the fund supports

The fund builds on the 2017 CRT Samsung Cy Pres Fund, which Harry M. Snyder administered with members of our team. That program funded California organizations to increase competition in technology through advocacy, research and expanded access, and to offset the economic harm alleged in the cases, with priority for underserved communities.

The Tech Cy Pres Fund renews support for those grantees, so the gains from their earlier grants are preserved and extended: community technology upgrades, projects that close the digital divide, and replacements for outdated or missing equipment.

How we ran it

A streamlined, competitive renewal.

Because every eligible applicant had already been vetted as a CRT grantee, we ran a shorter process built around one narrative, one budget and one disbursement.

Nexus to the cases

Projects had to benefit Californians and address the basis of the lawsuits: reducing the digital divide and improving technology access and functionality.

No supplanting

Public agencies could not use grants for expenses they had already budgeted. Grants paid for new enhancements, not existing line items.

Overhead capped at 6%

Indirect costs were limited to 6 percent of the request, as in the original CRT fund.

Project-based only

No general operating support, and nonprofits had to be registered with the Attorney General's Registry of Charities and Fundraisers.

Review criteria: alignment with the fund's objectives, ability to implement, impact on California's underserved communities and the digital divide, and innovation in closing technology gaps.

Project examples

Examples of funded projects.

A sample of the 26 projects the Tech Cy Pres Fund is supporting, from emergency services to digital-skills training. Grantees are not named.

City government

Emergency communications that stay online

A server, laptops and satellite internet keep secure remote access and emergency communications running when local infrastructure fails.

County public defender

Case files in the field

Attorneys now carry cellular-enabled tablets with case files and evidence, improving representation for low-income, rural and unhoused clients.

City senior services

Programs that reach homebound seniors

Livestreaming, captioning and multilingual translation let homebound seniors and adults with disabilities take part in senior-center programs from home.

Community nonprofit

Digital skills in two languages

Bilingual digital-literacy training and new computing devices for adults and seniors in rural communities, many of them farmworkers and immigrants.

Youth workforce nonprofit

A manufacturing technology bootcamp

Hands-on training in CNC machining, 3D printing and computer-aided design prepares young people from underrepresented communities for engineering and digital careers.

Child care nonprofit

Peer tech mentors for child care providers

Child care providers with strong digital skills mentor peers on business software, websites and communicating with parents online.

Our history

Two decades of cy pres funds.

Harry M. Snyder administered cy pres funds for courts and Attorneys General from 2002, and our team worked with him from 2003. Selected funds:

  1. 2002Vitamin Cases Consumer Settlement FundAppointed by the San Francisco Superior CourtHealth and nutrition
  2. 2003Taxol Settlement FundCalifornia Department of JusticePharmaceuticals
  3. 2003Salton Settlement FundCalifornia Department of JusticeConsumer appliances
  4. 2005Mylan Settlement FundCalifornia Department of JusticePharmaceuticals
  5. 2008Cardizem Settlement FundFor the Attorneys General of all 50 states, D.C. and Puerto RicoPharmaceuticals
  6. 2008Reformulated Gasoline (RFG) Cy Pres GrantsAppointed by the U.S. District Court, Central District of CaliforniaPetroleum
  7. 2008–09Consumer and Prescriber Grant ProgramOregon Department of Justice and a special committee of state Attorneys GeneralPrescribing, nationwide
  8. 2015eBay Settlement FundOffice of the California Attorney GeneralTechnology employment
  9. 2016CRT Settlement FundOffice of the California Attorney GeneralTechnology
  10. 2016DRAM Settlement FundCalifornia Department of JusticeTechnology
  11. NowTech Cy Pres FundCalifornia Department of Justice, administered by Cy Pres Settlement Funds LLCTechnology

Funds before 2024 were administered by Harry M. Snyder. Source: Snyder's curriculum vitae, filed as Exhibit A in In re DRAM Antitrust Litigation, No. M-02-1486-PJH (N.D. Cal. Mar. 12, 2018).

Running a cy pres program for your office?

We can take on a fund at any stage, from drafting the framework to the final report.

Discuss a settlement

Or email Matt Iverson-Comelo at matt@cypressettlementfunds.com