The Civil Legal Counsel Projects Program (CLCPP) to DC-based nonprofit legal services providers to make available eviction prevention services to District residents with low income or who are underserved.
Donor Name: DC Bar Foundation
State: District of Columbia
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 08/30/2024
Size of the Grant: Not Available
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
The Foundation’s Standards for Funding
- Standards for Organizations
- Funding will be provided to organizations that have systems in place that align with widely accepted industry standards for promoting quality, efficiency, and effectiveness in the delivery of civil legal aid and/or legal aid adjacent services, including methods for self-assessment to provide feedback regarding the extent to which those systems are achieving their desired purpose.
- A strong proposal will demonstrate the applying organization:
- Seeks to identify and respond to one or more of the most pressing civil legal needs of District residents with low income or who are underserved, and make legal services accessible to this population;
- Has systems in place to ensure appropriate supervision, training, and development of its staff, applies feedback obtained from stakeholders and clients to evaluate and improve organization effectiveness and quality;
- Integrates pro bono attorneys and others to supplement and increase the effectiveness of its representation and other services;
- Provides other services designed to increase accessibility of legal services to DC residents with low income or underserved, such as assistance with self-help strategies, legal information through its website or other channels, community legal education; and
- Engages with other important stakeholders working on behalf of or serving its targeted client population, such as the judiciary, government agencies, social services agencies, and community groups.
- Standards for Projects
- Funding will be provided only to projects that measure and report to DCBF their performance against stated goals with respect to legal services to be delivered, outreach and training, pro bono development, and any other activities to be funded under the requested grant.
- A strong proposal will demonstrate that the project:
- Has ambitious yet realistic goals for delivering significant amounts of legal services, as measured by the volume and type of legal services to be provided, the number of DC residents to be assisted, the number of cases to be accepted, the DC wards from which the majority of clients are anticipated, and other measures.
- Seeks to increase access to services to residents in underserved areas of the District, as measured by the percentage of the total proposed legal services that will be provided in areas containing the greatest concentrations of residents with low income or who are underserved.
- Has high goals for providing significant amounts of outreach and training, as measured by the number of outreach efforts and/or trainings that will be conducted, the number of individuals to whom outreach will be conducted, the number of trainings to be held, the number of DC residents who will attend, the volume of materials distributed (literature, website accesses, etc.), and other relevant measures.
- Seeks to increase engagement of pro bono attorneys and law firms in the provision of legal services to DC residents who are low income or underserved, as measured by the number of pro bono attorneys recruited, the number of attorneys trained, growth in the total number of attorneys and firms participating, and other relevant measures.
- Has adequate capacity for delivering the services that are proposed, as indicated by experience in providing services similar to those being proposed, related current work that will be supported or enhanced by the proposed services, and other factors.
- Has a high likelihood of sustainability, taking into account such factors as potential funding sources beyond DCBF, a longer-term service delivery strategy, and other factors.
The Foundation’s Priorities for Funding
- Additionally, in allocating available funding, the Foundation will give priority to proposals that seek to address the most pressing legal needs of District residents with low income or who are underserved and make legal services accessible to this population.
- Proposals that address one or more of the following criteria will be given priority (all other factors being equal):
- Addresses underserved areas in the District, OR addresses housing-related matters, OR supports a shared legal services interpreter bank.
- Is likely to expand the number of DC residents who are provided legal assistance.
- Seeks to avoid duplication of services being provided in the District, in the same issue area, or to the same special population segments as those being proposed.
- Is likely to make legal assistance more accessible to DC residents.
- Is likely to expand pro bono participation by recruiting, training, and supervising law firm attorneys to help deliver free legal assistance to DC residents.
- Is likely to leverage DCBF resources by applying them strategically toexpand efforts by other service providers and/or provide services that could NOT potentially be supported by other funding sources.
- Will test innovative approaches for achieving the above priorities.
Grant Period
January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025.
Eligibility Criteria
Qualified recipients under the statutory provisions governing the Civil Legal Counsel Projects Program must:
- Be a not-for-profit DC corporation located and operating primarily within the District of Columbia;
- Have tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code;
- Possess expertise in housing law, landlord-tenant law, or related experience in representing eligible individuals or groups in covered proceedings;
- Engage only in “covered proceedings” with these funds;
- Have adequate infrastructure and expertise to provide consistent, high- quality, oversight, training, evaluation, and strategic responses to emerging or changing needs in the client communities served; and
- Demonstrate expertise in recognizing and responding to multiple legal issues facing low-income or under-served DC residents; or
- Be a nonprofit organization that applies jointly with a legal services provider that meets the requirements above.
For more information, visit DC Bar Foundation.
