Reflecting on the Past and Looking Toward the Future

As the new year begins, I am reflecting on the DC Bar Foundation's evolution since I joined in January 2014. For many years, we have committed to “Invest in Justice,” and in the last 12 years, we have prioritized investing in programs and systems that give DC residents access to legal services when they need them. I am grateful for what we have been able to accomplish, none of which would have been possible without the partnership and commitment of so many. Indulge me a moment as I share a few highlights.

In the last 12 years, the Foundation has:

1. Adopted a networked approach to addressing the civil legal aid needs. A key moment during the past twelve years was the adoption of our current strategic framework in 2019. Through this Framework, we committed to transform the delivery of civil legal aid in DC through five key strategies. In particular, we understood that a more networked approach is a critical part of any effort to have true impact. To that end, we supported the launch of mini-networks in eviction prevention and family law. We also launched the DC Social Justice Transformations Network (DCSJTN) in 2021 as a collaborative effort to ensure the legal aid system is accessible for all DC residents. In the last five years, DCSJTN has fostered collaboration with social services providers, health care advocates, and others to better serve clients.

   
   

2. Prioritized systems change. With increased investments from our donors, including the District Government, IOLTA banks through better interest rates, and private donors, we have been able to invest in systems change. The best example of that is the DC Resource Bridge (DCRB), which the Foundation spearheaded in 2020. The DCRB launched in 2025 and is a streamlined and easily accessible way for DC residents to connect with legal help, removing the barriers that residents often experienced when trying to connect with a provider. This effort has been the Foundation’s most collaborative initiative to date. This work required sustained collaboration with legal aid providers, community partners, and other access-to-justice stakeholders to translate a shared vision into a functioning, citywide, coordinated intake and referral system. 

   
   

3. Listened to community voices. We have been intentional about listening deeply to ensure effective change. For example, as part of the DC Resource Bridge design process, we held nearly 50 focus groups with DC residents to hear their top concerns and learn more about what they want to see in a new system. Then, in 2022, in collaboration with Bread for the City, we piloted a participatory grantmaking effort through which Wards 7 and 8 residents determined how to award $50,000 in grants within their community. Finally, our public funding efforts have expanded to include videos that amplify the voices of many legal services providers, clients, and other partners/key stakeholders about the importance of funding legal aid.

   
   

4. Expanded our grants program to meet more of the civil legal aid need. With 38 grantee partners this year, the Foundation now awards more grants than at any time in its history, which allows us to expand into issue areas we were not funding in 2014, including probate and estate planning and legal services for specific populations, such as relative caregivers and DC residents combating wage theft and discrimination in their jobs. Through increased funding, the Foundation has also made advancements in supporting domestic violence and other victims of crime.

   
   

5. Invested more in housing. With the District Government’s increased commitment over the years, the DC Bar Foundation was able to more than double its investment in housing-related issues, representing 52% of our publicly-funded portfolio in 2025. Critically, this increased funding has supported early intervention strategies. One of those initiatives is the Eviction Prevention in the Community Project (EPIC), a coordinated effort between six legal services providers and three community-based organizations to pursue prevention-based strategies to halt evictions before they happen. Tenant canvassers work directly within communities to ensure tenants at risk of eviction are aware of the services that can help before a problem escalates.

In 2026, I look forward to collaborating with funders locally and nationally to leverage our combined resources, collaborating with the DC Consortium of Legal Services Providers, the DC Access to Justice Commission, and other key stakeholders to reduce the access to justice gap locally.

The Foundation would not be able to stand in this moment without a true partnership with the legal aid community, DC residents, the District Government, our IOLTA bank partners, private donors, and the many stakeholders who continue to collaborate with us to ensure DC residents have access to justice. A lot has changed over the last 12 years, but our collective commitment to ensuring access to justice for DC residents has only grown stronger.

Sincerely,

Kirra L. Jarratt

Chief Executive Officer