State Legal Aid Infrastructure & Innovation Grants
Funding Amount
$5,000,000
Deadline
October 6, 2026
10 days left
Grant Type
foundation
Overview
State Legal Aid Infrastructure & Innovation Grants
Funder: California Access to Justice Commission (CalATJ)
Amount: $5,000,000 total (for third year of appropriation)
Geographic Scope: California
Eligibility:
Focus Areas:
Background:
For the third year, the State has appropriated $5,000,000 through the Judicial Council for CalATJ to provide grants to nonprofit organizations. These funds support infrastructure and innovation in organizations providing legal services to create access to justice in civil matters.
Contact Information:
Application Portal: SmartSimple
How to Apply
Application Process
1. Eligibility Review: Carefully review eligibility and project requirements on the CalATJ website before applying
2. Portal Access: Visit the SmartSimple page and use your login credentials to access and submit your organization's application
- If you do not have login credentials, click "Register"
- Instructional videos are available on the external landing page
3. Before Starting Application:
- Log in to SmartSimple
- Click "Dashboard" in the top menu to view any draft applications
- Ensure a colleague has not already started an application for your organization
- If no application exists, click "Home" in the top menu to return to home page
4. Complete Application:
- Click "Start a NEW Application" button on your home page
- Remember to "Save Draft" often
5. Timeline for 2023-2024 Cycle:
- Application deadline: October 6, 2023 (early submissions appreciated)
- Conditional grant announcements: By January 19, 2024
- Budget and additional information submission: By February 2, 2024 (subject to extensions)
- Final grant announcements: By February 29, 2024
- Funding start date: April 1, 2024
- Application form via SmartSimple
- Grant budget (requested for conditional awardees)
- Additional information as requested
Required Materials:
- Recorded 2022 webinar available for process and program information
- FAQs and eligibility requirements available on CalATJ website
- Webinar designed to address inquiries (register on linked page for news and updates)
Resources:
- Celeste Orr: celesteorr.co@gmail.com
Contact for Questions:
What California Access to Justice Commission actually gave
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, 2025
- Grants in 2025
- 101
- Total given
- $6.09M
- Median grant
- $43K
- Range
- $10K–$350K
- By dollars: California >99%, District of Columbia <1%. Top recipient cities: San Francisco, CA; Los Angeles, CA; Oakland, CA.
- 0% of grants with a stated purpose were for general or operating support.
Example grants
CA Collab for Immigrant Just · Oakland, CA
Program Support
$350K
Clsepa · East Palo Alto, CA
Program Support
$186K
Immigration Inst of Bay Area · San Francisco, CA
Program Support
$183K
Mixteco Indigena Com Org PRJ · Oxnard, CA
Program Support
$172K
Immigrant Legal Defense Qbo · Oakland, CA
Program Support
$169K
Focus Areas & Funding Uses
Fields of Work
Categories
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