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- Access to justice grants are often described as support for system building
- The ABA has described two grant categories used in 2012 and 2013
- Expansion Grants were described as funding several common types of activities
- Civil legal aid funding is described as involving federal, state, and local sources
- Many access to justice efforts are state-centered even when funding is not
- Confusion often comes from mixing up different kinds of legal help
- Sources
Key Facts
- Federal and state: The American Bar Association describes civil legal aid funding streams that can include federal Legal Services Corporation funds and state-based sources such as IOLTA funds.
- Federal and state: The ABA states that, in 2012 and 2013, it made a series of one-time grants to grow the Access to Justice Commission movement in the United States with foundation funding.
- State level: The ABA describes Innovation Grants as supporting Access to Justice Commissions in developing and testing approaches that could be replicated in other states.
- State level: The ABA describes Expansion Grants as supporting efforts to explore creation of new Access to Justice Commissions and to help them launch.
- State level: The ABA lists Expansion Grant activities that included task force or coalition work, statewide hearings, strategic planning, and conferences to launch new commissions.
- Federal and state: The ABA identifies limited financial resources as a major barrier for civil legal aid providers serving low-income communities.
- State level: The ABA lists state and local funding sources that can include legislative appropriations, court filing-fee revenue, and revenue from attorney licensing fees and bar dues.
- Federal and state: The ABA describes a library of resource materials produced under Expansion Grants that can be used by other states working on Access to Justice Commission development.
Access to justice grants are often described as support for system building
Some “access to justice” efforts focus on how courts, legal aid providers, and other community partners respond to large numbers of people who face civil legal problems with limited resources. In materials from its Resource Center for Access to Justice Initiatives, the American Bar Association describes one-time grants intended to grow the Access to Justice Commission movement and share lessons learned across states.
The ABA has described two grant categories used in 2012 and 2013
According to the ABA, the grant work it describes from 2012 and 2013 included “Innovation Grants” and “Expansion Grants,” supported by funding from the Public Welfare Foundation, Kresge Foundation, and Bauman Foundation. The ABA describes Innovation Grants as supporting new approaches that could potentially be replicated in other states, and Expansion Grants as supporting exploration and launch activities for new Access to Justice Commissions.
Expansion Grants were described as funding several common types of activities
The ABA’s grant resources describe examples of activities funded under Expansion Grants. These examples include coalition or task force work to identify needs and solutions, regional or statewide Access to Justice hearings, strategic planning, and conferences used to launch a new commission.
Civil legal aid funding is described as involving federal, state, and local sources
When the ABA discusses civil legal aid funding, it describes multiple funding streams that may be part of the overall picture. The ABA’s list includes federal Legal Services Corporation funds, Interest on Lawyers Trust Account funds, and a range of state and local sources such as legislative appropriations, court filing-fee revenue, and certain attorney licensing fee or bar-dues revenue.
Many access to justice efforts are state-centered even when funding is not
The ABA’s materials commonly organize resources by state examples and describe work that can be replicated “in other states,” which reflects how access to justice initiatives are frequently coordinated within state court systems and statewide partnerships. At the same time, the ABA’s discussion of funding streams also includes federal funding, showing how access to civil justice can involve a mix of federal and state-level inputs.
Confusion often comes from mixing up different kinds of legal help
Access to justice discussions can span several topics at once, including funding, court process improvements, and the roles of commissions, courts, and legal aid organizations. One reason confusion happens is that “access to justice” can describe both services for individual legal needs and broader efforts to improve how civil legal problems get addressed across a state.
