San Diego County Bar Foundation Awards $100,000 in Grants to 12 Local Nonprofits

San Diego County Bar Foundation Awards $100,000 in Grants to 12 Local Nonprofits
Grants Will Provide Legal Help to
Children, Elderly, Immigrants, Veterans and More

SAN DIEGO (Jan. 26, 2017) – The San Diego County Bar Foundation (SDCBF) awarded a total of $100,000 to 12 San Diego nonprofit organizations that offer legal services and public service programs that promote understanding of the legal system to county residents as part of its 2016 Grant Cycle.

SDCBF, the charitable arm of the San Diego County Bar Association, provides access to justice by investing in results and advocacy for people and communities in our region impacted by poverty, abuse and discrimination. With the help of an independent board of leading local attorneys and businesspeople, SDCBF selected 12 organizations, out of 23 requests, to award based on eligibility and need.

“The money directly helps those without access to the legal community, and it will benefit hundreds of children, elderly, domestic violence victims, immigrants and veterans in San Diego,” said Brent Douglas, 2016 president of SDCBF’s board of directors.

The foundation’s funds come from contributions from the local legal and business communities and from fundraising programs throughout the year, including its signature “Evening in La Jolla” benefit.

SDCBF’s Grant Review Committee carefully reviewed each grant application, conducted site visits, and selected the grant recipients based on the SDCBF’s mission and guidelines.

The grant awards were given to:

  • California Rural Legal Assistance – $5,000 to provide legal services and inform migrant farm workers of their rights on how to protect and empower themselves, including employment, housing and Supplemental Security Income. A first-time SDCBF grant recipient. crla.org 
  • Casa Cornelia Law Center – $10,000 granted in operating funds to provide sustained and responsive legal services to the indigent immigrant community. casacornelia.org
  • Center for Community Solutions – $10,000 to support a legal services program for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. ccssd.org
  • Community Law Project (California Western School of Law) – $7,500 granted for pro bono legal services and community education to low-income and indigent families in San Diego County. cwclp.org
  • Community Resource Center – $2,500 in support of a legal advocacy program that provides legal assistance and education for domestic violence survivors in San Diego’s North County. crcncc.org
  • Elder Law & Advocacy – $15,000 granted to support general operation and conduct 100 informational presentations to low-income seniors. seniorlaw-sd.org
  • Jewish Family Service of San Diego – $4,000 to assist underserved, eligible lawful permanent residents in becoming naturalized citizens. jfssd.org
  • Karen Organization of San Diego – $7,500 to provide additional advocates for legal cases of Burma refugees. karensandiego.org
  • Legal Aid Society of San Diego – $7,500 to continue needed civil and elder abuse temporary restraining order services for low-income San Diegans. lassd.org
  • San Diego Family Justice Center Foundation – $7,500 to form a Legal Center that will provide step-by-step legal assistance to victims of domestic violence, child abuse, stalking and sexual assault. sdfjcfoundation.org
  • San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program – $17,500 to support the Family Law Project, which provides free legal assistance to low-income individuals in their family matters, with priority placed on cases involving domestic violence. sdvlp.org
  • Think Dignity – $5,000 to fund a part-time clinic attorney to assist homeless youth with legal services, deliver educational materials to the indigent and provide quarterly community legal education clinics. thinkdignity.org

Since beginning its grant program in 1979, SDCBF’s beneficiaries have included more than 50 legal aid and public interest organizations, and has granted more than $2 million in funding. The next grant cycle will begin in June 2017.

To further support its mission, SDCBF is currently running a “Give an Hour” campaign, which encourages local attorneys, judges, legal professionals and community members to donate the monetary equivalent of one hour of their billable time, or any other amount desired. Donations may be tax deductible, and can be one-time or recurring.

For more information about the San Diego County Bar Foundation, or to make a donation, click here.

About San Diego County Bar Foundation
The San Diego County Bar Foundation (SDCBF) is the charitable arm of the San Diego County Bar Association (SDCBA). Through this partnership with the San Diego County legal community, SDCBF aims to benefit underprivileged communities in the region, by providing them with access to support, funding and public service programs with legal services. The foundation’s beneficiaries include over 40 legal aid and public interest organizations.