Connecticut Bar Foundation
The Connecticut Bar Foundation (CBF) is a public charity based in Hartford, Connecticut, established in 1952. It funds civil legal aid and other access-to-justice work for Connecticut residents who cannot afford an attorney, and supports financial-need-based law school scholarships at Connecticut law schools.
Connecticut Bar Foundation at a glance
In short: Connecticut Bar Foundation gave $26.3M across 13 grants in 2024 (avg $2.0M), mostly in Connecticut. 0% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $26,270,278
- +18.7% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 13
- -18.8% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $2,020,791
- +46.1% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $794,441
- Total assets
- $54,667,020
- +43.0% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 0% first-time grantees (0 of 13, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Connecticut (100% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Connecticut Bar Foundation
- How to Apply
-
For IICJ Legal Services Grants, new organizations must submit a preliminary questionnaire for CBF to assess eligibility. Eligible organizations must be tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonstock nonprofits whose principal purpose is delivering legal services to poor people in Connecticut, have certified financial statements for the preceding three years and an appointed independent certified auditing firm, and be registered with the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection. The Board makes funding decisions after considering the Grantmaking Committee’s recommendation. The website describes Emergent Needs Funding as available for current CBF grantees to request additional support; the stated funding period is 2025–2027.
- Review Cycle
- The website states that new-applicant inquiries for an upcoming IICJ cycle must be received by June 30, with applications shared with eligible organizations when the cycle opens in August. The 2027 IICJ funding cycle closed on September 14, 2026. The website says the 2028 cycle will open in fall 2027.
- Deadline
- The website states that new-applicant inquiries for an upcoming IICJ cycle must be received by June 30, with…
- Contact
Mailing address: 100 Pearl 11Th Floor, Hartford, CT 06103
Phone: (860) 722-2494
Website: https://ctbarfdn.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
6 open opportunities from Connecticut Bar Foundation
Emergent Needs Funding
Connecticut Bar Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
IICJ Legal Services Grants
Connecticut Bar Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
James W. Cooper Fellows Grant
Connecticut Bar Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Who Connecticut Bar Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Connecticut Legal Services ($11.3M). Together the top 10 received $26.0M.
Grant Size Distribution
69 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $500K–1M range: 16 grants of 69 (23%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
CBF’s grant programs and stated eligibility focus on Connecticut. All reported 2024 grant dollars went to Connecticut recipients.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Connecticut Bar Foundation open to new grantees?
0%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 0 of 13 grantees (0%) were first-time recipients. With only 13 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. How we count
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $14.4M (2021) to $26.3M (2024). In 2024 it made 13 grants totaling $26.3M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Connecticut Legal Services Middletown, CT | To Provide Legal Ser | $11,341,843 |
| New Haven Legal Assistance New Haven, CT | To Provide Legal Ser | $5,519,838 |
| Greater Hartford Legal Aid Hartford, CT | To Provide Legal Ser | $5,048,769 |
| Statewide Legal Services Wethersfield, CT | To Provide Brief Leg | $916,349 |
| Center for Children's Advocacy Hartford, CT | To Provide Legal Ser | $860,754 |
| Connecticut Veterans Legal Center West Haven, CT | To Provide Legal Ser | $823,549 |
| Connecticut Legal Rights Project Middletown, CT | To Provide Legal Ser | $794,441 |
| The Children's Law Center of Connecticut Hartford, CT | To Provide Legal Ser | $295,382 |
| Connecticut Fair Housing Center Hartford, CT | To Provide Legal Ser | $281,490 |
| Lawyers for Children America Hartford, CT | To Provide Legal Ser | $161,704 |
Ready to take the next step with Connecticut Bar Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Amounts below are reported for the indicated filing years.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $54,667,020 | $43,318,899 | $28,252,004 | $26,270,278 | 13 | $36,238 |
| 2023 | $38,223,904 | $38,897,629 | $23,909,178 | $22,135,840 | 16 | $19,700 |
| 2022 | $21,395,002 | $27,745,120 | $22,854,880 | $21,574,393 | 12 | $292,276 |
| 2021 | $15,826,247 | $17,157,685 | $15,531,730 | $14,432,598 | 14 | $354,497 |
| 2020 | $13,303,696 | $15,421,672 | $15,577,376 | $15,357,472 | 14 | $382,651 |
| 2019 | $13,203,454 | $20,128,343 | $18,034,030 | $18,501,409 | 13 | $312,874 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
CBF’s stated mission is to facilitate systemic change that advances civil justice for all, regardless of power or resources, toward a more just and equitable society. It says it pursues this through funding, volunteers, programming, data, innovation, and collaboration.
Its primary grant program, IICJ Legal Services Grants, combines IOLTA/IOTA funds, Court Fees Grants-in-Aid, and Judicial Branch Grants-in-Aid. CBF says this funding supports services addressing basic needs, housing, domestic violence, and family crises. It also administers Right to Counsel programs for eligible tenants facing eviction and for income-eligible people seeking temporary restraining orders. A portion of IOLTA/IOTA funds supports financial-need-based scholarships at Quinnipiac University School of Law, UConn School of Law, and Yale Law School.
CBF supports a range of Connecticut legal-services and advocacy organizations. For example, Connecticut Legal Services says it provides access to justice and protects low-income individuals’ and families’ civil legal rights. Greater Hartford Legal Aid describes its work as free civil representation for clients living in poverty. The Center for Children’s Advocacy says it promotes the legal rights and interests of poor children involved with Connecticut’s judicial, child-welfare, health, mental-health, education, and juvenile systems. Connecticut Veterans Legal Center describes its mission as providing free legal assistance to Connecticut veterans facing barriers related to housing, health care, income, and recovery.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, CBF reported 13 grants totaling $26,270,278. Grant amounts ranged from $11,024 to $11,341,843, with a median of $794,441. The largest reported awards included $11,341,843 to Connecticut Legal Services, $5,519,838 to New Haven Legal Assistance, and $5,048,769 to Greater Hartford Legal Aid. Other substantial awards included $916,349 to Statewide Legal Services, $860,754 to the Center for Children’s Advocacy, $823,549 to Connecticut Veterans Legal Center, and $794,441 to Connecticut Legal Rights Project. All reported 2024 grant dollars went to recipients in Connecticut.
CBF’s website states that its Board approved $24.5 million for 12 organizations in 2026 through the IICJ program. Its 2025 annual report separately states that CBF provided general operating grants to 11 legal-aid organizations that year.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Victoria Woodin Chavey as president and Anika Singh Lemar as vice president. Directors listed include Hon. Barry F. Armata, Jennifer G. Brown, Art T. Corey, Karen DeMeola, Timothy A. Diemand, Heather Gerken, Edward J. Heath, and Joette Katz.
Connecticut Bar Foundation is led by Victoria Woodin Chavey, President since 2023 (on filings since 2019); 2 of 28 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Victoria Woodin Chavey
President
Director → Vice President, 2022
Vice President → President, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Barry F. Armata
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Calvin K. Woo
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Edward J. Heath
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Franklin E. Perry
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Isabella M. Squicciarini
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Moy N. Ogilvie
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Namita Shah
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Timothy A. Diemand
Director
Preseident → President, 2021
President → Director, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Cesar A. Noble
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Joette Katz
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Art T. Corey
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Karen Demeola
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Robert A. Richardson
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sonia Pedraza
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Eboni S. Nelson
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Heather Gerken
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jennifer G. Brown
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Margaret Middleton
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Vincent P. Pace
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Yamuna Menon
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Cecil J. Thomas
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Richard Knotek
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Angela Schlingheyde
Executive Di
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$22K (2023) → $168K (2024)
Bruce Hiltunen
CFO
On filings since 2023
25 hrs/week
$88K (2023) → $133K (2024)
Keith J. Soressi
Secretary
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Stephen L. Lewis
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Anika Singh Lemar
Vice President
Director → Vice President, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (30)
- Former: Anne E. Goico (2019–2023) — Finance Director · Filing note: Thru June 23
- Former: Natalie S. Wagner (2019–2023) — Executive Di · Filing note: Thru feb 23
- Former: Juliett L. Crawford (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Richard A. Robinson (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Alex Lloyd (2023) — Director
- Former: Frederick S. Ury (2023) — Director
- Former: Joseph D. D'alesio (2023) — Director
- Former: Steven Eppler-Epstein Jan - Oct (2023) — Interim Executive
- Former: William Logue (2023) — Director
- Former: Andrea Barton Reeves (2019–2022) — Director · Filing note: Resigned 517
- Former: Charles L. Howard (2019–2022) — Director · Filing note: Resigned 11/2030
- Former: Margaret I Castinado (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Vanessa Roberts Avery (2019–2022) — Director · Filing note: Resigned 37
- Former: Steve Eppler-Epstein (2022) — Acting Exe D
- Former: Dean Heather Gerken (2019–2021) — Ex-Officio D
- Former: Dean Eboni S. Nelson (2020–2021) — Ex-Officio D
- Former: Dean Jen Brown (2020–2021) — Ex-Officio D
- Former: Denise V Zamore (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Elizabeth Drummond (2019–2020) — Assistant Director
- Former: James T Shearin (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Janet C Hall (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Krista Hess (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: William H Bright Jr. (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Daniel A Schwartz (2019) — Ex-Officio Director
- Former: Dean Timothy S Fisher (2019) — Ex-Officio Director
- Former: Don Philips (2019) — Executive Director
- Former: Interim Dean Brad Saxt (2019) — Ex-Officio Director
- Former: Joseph A Santos (2019) — Director
- Former: Lawrence J Fox (2019) — Director
- Former: Richard A Robins (2019) — Ex-Officio Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $168K, to Angela Schlingheyde (Executive Di). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Connecticut Bar Foundation
How much does Connecticut Bar Foundation give each year?
Connecticut Bar Foundation gave $26.3M across 13 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $22.1M across 16 grants.
What is Connecticut Bar Foundation's typical grant size?
Connecticut Bar Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $794,441, and its average grant was $2,020,791, across 13 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990.
Where does Connecticut Bar Foundation give grants?
Connecticut Bar Foundation gives mostly in Connecticut: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Hartford, CT (7 grants), Middletown, CT (2 grants) and New Haven, CT (2 grants).
Does Connecticut Bar Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 12 grants with a stated purpose on Connecticut Bar Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "To Provide Legal Ser" (10 grants).
Who are Connecticut Bar Foundation's largest grantees?
Connecticut Bar Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Connecticut Legal Services ($11,341,843), New Haven Legal Assistance ($5,519,838) and Greater Hartford Legal Aid ($5,048,769), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 83% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Connecticut Bar Foundation?
Connecticut Bar Foundation reported $54.7M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $43.3M.
What does Connecticut Bar Foundation fund?
CBF’s stated mission is to facilitate systemic change that advances civil justice for all, regardless of power or resources, toward a more just and equitable society. It says it pursues this through funding, volunteers, programming, data, innovation, and collaboration. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Connecticut Bar Foundation?
For IICJ Legal Services Grants, new organizations must submit a preliminary questionnaire for CBF to assess eligibility. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Connecticut Bar Foundation's EIN?
Connecticut Bar Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 06-6079763. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2024.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 8, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 11, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS September 25, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS September 19, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Connecticut Bar Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Connecticut Bar Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/connecticut-bar-foundation-morg_40a6d7fc6a734ec88d13c2d44908ac5a
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_066079763_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Connecticut Bar Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/connecticut-bar-foundation-morg_40a6d7fc6a734ec88d13c2d44908ac5a},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-13. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Connecticut Bar Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Connecticut Bar Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?