Grant Types: Legal Services
General Operating Support Grants
General Operating Grants are made only to organizations based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Grants for general operations are generally made to organizations who provide unique services within their communities. This includes funding to legal service providers who are based in “legal deserts”.
Example of General Operating Support Grant
Legal Aid of
Sonoma County
As the largest legal services organization serving Sonoma County, we believe LASC is integral to the low-income and marginalized communities it serves. Now serving as a second responder in the aftermath of the 2017 Northern California Fires, LASC continues to make its clients needs the top priority.
​
​
I & R Grants
Our I & R Grants target projects and programs that are both innovative and replicable. We support these grants to allow legal services leaders to test new models that have the potential to help their individual organizations and when replicated, to help their peer organizations.
​
This includes, but is not limited to, new strategy-focused projects designed to enhance the effectiveness of an organization to answer questions posed by either the organization or by the legal services sector.
Example of an I & R Grant
Open Door Legal
Lives of Legal Aid
Through striking photos and the stories of Open Door Legal's clients, the Lives of Legal Aid Project, hopes to highlight how vital access to legal services are to every community.
​
Example of Sector Supporting Grant
Equal Justice Works
Campaign to Preserve Public Service Loan Forgiveness
The current federal program that allows public servants, including public interest attorneys to earn forgiveness of student loan debt by devoting at least 10 years of their career to public service is under assault. Through this campaign, EJW is building a multi-sectoral coalition to defend this vital program.
​
Sector Supporting Grants
Recruitment and Retention & Advocacy
Recruitment and Retention Grants: In an effort to support the legal services sector and ensure a strong and consistent pipeline of new legal services staff, we support grants that focus on recruitment and retention of legal services attorneys. Examples of such grants include:
-
Public Services Loan Forgiveness Programs
-
Loan Assistance Repayment Programs
-
Fellowships
-
Staff Well-Being
Advocacy Grants: In an effort to help improve Access to Justice, we fund efforts to support to the legal service sector. However, do not fund lobbying efforts on new laws, legislation or for candidates.
Organizational Development Access Grants
OD Access grants seek to strengthen an organization's ability to efficiently deliver services to clients. ​ Ranging from $1,000-$5,000, these grants facilitate access to existing tools that might otherwise might be out the organization's financial reach, that have a direct benefit to the organization or the clients they serve.
In an effort to be responsive to the needs of our grantees, OD Access Grants are reviewed within 30 days of date the application is submitted.
​
Example of Minor OD Grant
Pangea Legal
Expert Witness Fees
Expert witness testimonies can often be vital to secure a positive outcome for a refugee seeking asylum in the United States to escape life-threatening conditions.
Access grants with quick turnaround times can allow organizations to access the tools they need to best serve their clients that may not be accessible otherwise due to financial constraints.
​
​