DC Bar Foundation Channels $865K of Additional Funding to Local Legal Services Providers
By Steve Grumm and Jamie Bence
Some exciting news for legal aid providers in the capital:
“The DC Bar Foundation announced awards totaling $865,000 to support direct civil legal services for the poor and underserved in the District. These grants are in addition to the $2.8 million the Foundation awarded in April 2011 with funding from the District government, and to the more that $500,000 the Foundation awarded in FY2011 Loan Repayment Assistance Program loans to DC poverty lawyers, and training and technical assistance for the District’s legal services community.”
“The economic downturn has created an enormously challenging environment for non-profit civil legal services organizations, precisely at a time when the need for their services is increasing. We are grateful for the continued support of our legal community, and the commitment of local financial institutions to securing a baseline of funding for legal services in our city,” said W. Mark Smith, President of the D.C. Bar Foundation.
The grants will help fund 22 organizations that make legal services available to those less fortunate who would not otherwise have access to assistance. The grants are made after a detailed evaluation of grant proposals, site visits and interviews.
You can read the Bar Foundation’s complete release here, including a list of the grant recipients, which include the Legal Aid Society, the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project, and exactly 19 others.
