The DC Bar Foundation (DCBF) will award more than $4.5 million to strengthen and expand our civil legal aid network, addressing critical needs and improving our community through the 2017 Access to Justice Grants Program. Thanks to an appropriation from the DC Council starting in 2007, DCBF has awarded over $33 million to DC’s legal aid network, providing free legal assistance to about 30,000 low-income DC residents per year. These grants have greatly increased access to justice by, for example, opening legal aid offices in the poorest wards and placing attorneys in the courthouse to represent low-income litigants.
DCBF is now accepting applications from DC legal aid organizations for the 2017 Access to Justice Grants Program (public grants). The application is available online and is due by 3:00 pm on Wednesday, January 25, 2017. Funding is available for projects that address legal issues in underserved areas and housing-related matters, as well as for a shared legal services interpreter bank.
To learn more about our grantees and programs, please visit our grants page.