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- The 2013 grant announcement focused on expanding access to civil justice
- The reported 2013 recipients were courts and legal groups in five states
- Access to Justice Commissions are described as state focused
- ABA materials describe a one time grant initiative in 2012 and 2013
- The ABA described two different grant categories for this effort
- ABA materials list examples of activities funded by expansion grants
- The 2013 innovation grant deadline was described as part of the same project
- Federal and state roles can look different in access to justice work
- Public grant announcements usually emphasize recipients and related resources
- Sources
Key Facts
- State level: Access to Justice Commissions are described in public materials as state-focused efforts aimed at improving access to the civil justice system.
- Federal and state: In March 2013, the ABA Journal reported that an ABA commission announced grants to courts and legal groups in five states tied to access-to-civil-justice goals.
- State level: The five reported 2013 grant recipients were the Arizona Foundation for Legal Services and Education, the Supreme Court of Ohio, the Supreme Court of Oklahoma, the Philadelphia Bar Association, and the Rhode Island Judiciary.
- Federal and state: The ABA Journal article described these grants as supporting Access to Justice Commissions in states where such commissions did not exist at that time.
- Federal and state: ABA materials describe a 2012 and 2013 grant initiative connected to an Access to Justice Commission Expansion Project.
- Federal and state: An ABA resource page describes two grant categories from that initiative as “Innovation Grants” and “Expansion Grants.”
- Federal and state: ABA materials attribute 2012 and 2013 grant funding to philanthropic funders, including the Public Welfare Foundation and the Kresge Foundation.
- Federal and state: The ABA’s resource center also publishes materials and examples intended to support states developing or launching new Access to Justice Commissions.
As of February 2026: This article discusses historical 2013 grant announcements and a 2013 application deadline described in public sources, and program details can change over time.
The 2013 grant announcement focused on expanding access to civil justice
In a March 21, 2013 news item, the ABA Journal reported that an ABA commission announced grants to courts and legal groups in five states as part of an effort described as expanding access to civil justice.
The reported 2013 recipients were courts and legal groups in five states
According to the ABA Journal’s report, the recipients were the Arizona Foundation for Legal Services and Education, the Supreme Court of Ohio, the Supreme Court of Oklahoma, the Philadelphia Bar Association, and the Rhode Island Judiciary.
Access to Justice Commissions are described as state focused
When public sources refer to an “Access to Justice Commission,” they commonly mean a state-focused commission working on ways to improve access to the civil justice system, including coordination among stakeholders and projects aimed at reducing barriers for people who are not represented by a lawyer.
ABA materials describe a one time grant initiative in 2012 and 2013
On an ABA resource page about the Access to Justice Commission Expansion Project, the ABA describes making a series of one-time grants in 2012 and 2013 to grow the Access to Justice Commission movement in the United States.
The ABA described two different grant categories for this effort
The same ABA resource page describes two grant categories and frames them as serving different purposes: Innovation Grants for developing and testing potentially replicable approaches, and Expansion Grants for exploring the creation of new Access to Justice Commissions and helping them launch effectively.
ABA materials list examples of activities funded by expansion grants
The ABA resource page describes expansion grants as supporting activities associated with developing and launching new Access to Justice Commissions.
The 2013 innovation grant deadline was described as part of the same project
The ABA Journal report also stated that the Expansion Project was accepting applications for “innovation grants” at that time and that applications were due May 1, 2013.
Federal and state roles can look different in access to justice work
Even when a national organization announces funding, the programs described in these sources center on state-level commissions and state-based institutions, including state courts and state-focused legal organizations.
Public grant announcements usually emphasize recipients and related resources
The public-facing materials cited here focus on the purpose of the grants, the list of recipients, and resource materials associated with commission development, rather than describing any formal appeal process connected to a grant announcement.
