Boston Bar Foundation IOLTA Grants

Boston Bar Foundation IOLTA Grants

Funder: Boston Bar Foundation (charitable affiliate of Boston Bar Association)

Geographic Scope: Greater Boston area

Funding Source: Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts (IOLTA) and John & Abigail Adams Benefit proceeds

Mission: To promote justice by funding and promoting innovation in legal services, enhancing access to justice for the underserved, and supporting the public interest activities of the bar.

Funding Objectives

The BBF invites applications from eligible non-profit organizations for projects that advance the following objectives:

• Provide civil legal services to low-income persons and/or underserved populations, especially organizations and programs that address an unmet legal need
• Develop and strengthen pro bono programs which generate substantial voluntary legal services by the private bar to low-income and underserved populations
• Enhance the administration of justice in Massachusetts by improving the courts' effectiveness, addressing systemic problems in the court system, or providing information to low-income, underserved, or special needs populations regarding their legal rights and/or accessibility to the courts

Eligible Applicants

• Non-profit organizations in the Greater Boston area
• Organizations serving vulnerable and historically marginalized populations including: transgender and non-binary communities, domestic violence survivors, immigrants, prisoners, communities of color, low-income families, elderly, disabled persons, homeless individuals, asylum seekers, veterans, artists, and youth

Focus Areas

Grants support organizations working in:

Civil rights and civil liberties

Housing and homelessness

Education law

Access to public benefits

Domestic violence services

Immigration and asylum services

Prisoner rights and criminal justice reform

Family law

Arts legal services

Veterans services

Youth justice and education advocacy

Contact Information

Summer Colley

Phone: 617-778-1938

Email: [email protected]

Ron Simms, Jr., Director of Communications

Email: [email protected]

Boston Bar Association

Address: 16 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02108

Phone: (617) 742-0615

Recent Grant History

• 2021: $1,200,000 distributed to 26 organizations
• 2020: $1,172,500 distributed to 25 organizations
• Recent years show consistent annual distributions ranging from approximately $1.1M to over $2M