Amid an especially difficult environment for the funding of civil legal aid programs, the Boston Bar Foundation (BBF) today announced that it will make grants totaling $900,000 to 28 community legal service providers. Among the grantees are organizations working to assist low-income families and individuals who face problems relating to immigration, domestic violence, and homelessness, as well as increasingly prevalent issues such as human trafficking and environmental justice.
BBF President Jack Clymer stated:
“As revenue from Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts (IOLTA), once the primary source of funding for civil legal aid, continues to decline, the BBF has worked diligently to fortify these grants with monies derived from the BBF’s 2013 Adams Benefit, BBF Reserves, and other BBF fundraising efforts. IOLTA funds account for just 55 percent of the grants we announce today.
“Working with a limited pool of money required tight scrutiny of each and every project, and in the end, some very tough choices. We take seriously our fiduciary responsibility to ensure that the grants made by the BBF will go to organizations that will have the greatest impact on our community. We feel a strong obligation to ensure that the groups we fund can demonstrate both the ability to provide meaningful services to people in need and economic sustainability over the long haul.
“These grants would not have been possible without the generous contributions of the lawyers, law firms, and businesspeople who support the mission of the Foundation. Thanks to our donors, we are able to continue to fund legal services even while other resources have dwindled. We are grateful to our donors for helping facilitate access to justice.”
The Grants Committee was chosen for its knowledge of the Boston community as well as the expertise and experience to optimize a limited sum of money.
The following organizations received grants ranging from $3,000 to $350,000:
Alternatives for Community & Environment
Brazilian Immigrant Center
Casa Myrna Vazquez
Centro Presente
Children’s Law Center of Massachusetts
City Life/Vida Urbana
Community Legal Services and Counseling Center
East Boston Ecumenical Community Council
Finex House, Inc.
Greater Boston Legal Services
Irish International Immigrant Center
Lawyers Clearinghouse on Affordable Housing and Homelessness
Legal Advocacy & Resource Center, Inc.
Lutheran Community Services, Inc.
Massachusetts Advocates for Children
Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health
Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
Medical-Legal Partnership | Boston
MetroWest Legal Services, Inc.
Neighborhood Legal Services, Inc.
Political Asylum/Immigration Representation Project
Prisoners’ Legal Services
RESPOND, Inc.
Shelter Legal Services Foundation, Inc.
Tri-City Community Action Program, Inc.
Victim Rights Law Center
Volunteer Lawyers Project of the Boston Bar Association
Women’s Bar Foundation
