Legal Aid Grants
Funding Amount
Approximately $500,000 annually
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Grant Type
foundation
Overview
Legal Aid Grants
Status: No open RFP (Request for Proposals)
Geographic Scope: California
Background: According to California statute, California ChangeLawyers distributes approximately $500,000 annually in grants to legal aid organizations across California to increase access to justice.
Distribution Process: ChangeLawyers is mandated to grant awards to organizations deemed eligible by the State Bar of California's Legal Services Trust Fund Commission. The organization does not conduct competitive grant rounds.
Eligible Organizations: 102 legal aid organizations across California have received funding, including organizations serving:
Contact Information:
How to Apply
Application Process
There is no open RFP for these funds. Organizations cannot apply independently. Eligibility is determined by the State Bar of California's Legal Services Trust Fund Commission.
For Questions: Fill out the contact form at changelawyers.org and the Director of Programs will respond.
What California Changelawyers actually gave
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, 2024
- Grants in 2024
- 24
- Total given
- $692K
- Median grant
- $30K
- Range
- $10K–$80K
- By dollars: California 82%, District of Columbia 12%, Illinois 6%. Top recipient cities: Oakland, CA; San Francisco, CA; Los Angeles, CA.
- 0% of grants with a stated purpose were for general or operating support.
- 29% of recipients were new grantees, not repeat recipients.
Example grants
For the People · Oakland, CA
Legal fellowship
$80K
Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area · San Francisco, CA
Legal fellowship
$80K
Equal Justice Works · Washington, DC
Legal fellowship
$42K
American Bar Association Fund for Justice and Education · Chicago, IL
Legal empowerment fund
$40K
California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice · Oakland, CA
Legal empowerment fund
$40K
Focus Areas & Funding Uses
Fields of Work
Categories
Browse similar grants by category
Related Grants
Open grants from this funder and similar programs
ChangeLawyers California Immigration Legal Fellowship
California Changelawyers
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling / Open
California Immigration Legal Fellowship
California Changelawyers
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Legal Empowerment Fund
California Changelawyers
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling / Open
ChangeLawyers Next Gen Scholars Program
California Changelawyers
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Missouri ID Access Subgrants
Ashrei Foundation
Amount
Up to $5,000
Deadline
December 1, 2026
Boston Bar Foundation IOLTA Grants
Boston Bar Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
February 28, 2027
Ready to apply for Legal Aid Grants?
Grantable helps you assess fit, draft narratives, and track deadlines — so you can submit stronger applications, faster.