The DC Bar Foundation is pleased to announce the General Support Grants Program.
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:
Legal services providers located in the District of Columbia are eligible to receive private funding in the form of general support for the organization or a civil legal aid project.
Funding for the General Support Grants Program comes from individual, law firm, and corporate donations, as well as revenue from the Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program. DCBF is the administrator of DC’s IOLTA program, which pools the interest accrued on eligible client funds held in trust by attorneys and funds legal aid programs throughout DC.
The primary purpose of the General Support Grants Program is to fund civil legal services to District residents with low incomes. Thus, funding will be provided:
ONLY for free civil legal services; and
ONLY for services to District residents with low incomes.
The Foundation’s Standards for Funding
Funding will be provided to civil legal aid 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, including methods for self assessment to provide feedback regarding the extent to which those systems are achieving their desired purpose.
A strong application will demonstrate that the applying organization:
Seeks to identify and respond to the most pressing civil legal needs of the people with low incomes it serves;
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;
Provides other services designed to increase the accessibility of legal services to DC residents with low incomes, 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, and social services agencies.
A strong application for private funding will also demonstrate that the organization:
Has adequate capacity for delivering the services that are proposed, as indicated by experience in providing services similar to those being offered, 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 prioritize applications that seek to address the most pressing legal needs of the District’s residents with low incomes and make legal services accessible to this population.
Applications that address one or more of the following criteria will be given priority (all other factors being equal):
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 to expand efforts by other service providers.
Is likely to provide services that are NOT 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 must:
Be a not-for-profit DC corporation;
Have tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code;
Operate primarily within the District of Columbia;
Be located within the District of Columbia; and
Have as a primary purpose of the provision of civil legal services to District residents with low incomes.
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