Funds Provide Legal Aid to San Diegans Impacted By Poverty, Abuse and Discrimination
SAN DIEGO (Jan. 5, 2017) – The San Diego County Bar Foundation (SDCBF) awarded a total of $105,000 to 14 San Diego nonprofit organizations as part of its 2017 Grant Cycle. Grant recipients promote public understanding of the law through public service programs, improve the San Diego court system and expand the availability of legal services to county residents.
“We are grateful to all our corporate and individual donors who make it possible for us to provide these grants every year,” said Neal Rockwood, president of SDCBF’s board of directors. “Our grants have benefitted tens of thousands of children, elderly, domestic violence victims, immigrants and veterans in San Diego for almost 40 years.”
SDCBF’s Grant Review Committee of leading local attorneys and businesspeople selected 14 organizations, out of 27 requests, to receive grants based on eligibility and need. The foundation’s funds come from the local legal and business communities and from fundraising events throughout the year, including SDCBF’s signature “Evening in La Jolla” benefit.
The grants 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:
- American Bar Association – $7,500 to support the Immigration Justice Project Pro Bono Program and assist with training pro bono attorneys to ensure high quality representation. www.americanbar.org
- California Rural Legal Assistance – $5,000 for direct legal services to those who work in the agricultural industry via the Migrant Farmworker Program. www.crla.org
- California Veterans Legal Task Force – $5,000 to support free legal assistance to poor, mentally challenged veterans. CVLTF helps clients remove legal obstacles to benefits, housing and employment. www.cvltf.org
- Cal-Western Community Law Project – $5,000 to provide one-on-one free legal consultations and regular community legal education to mainly low-income individuals. www.cwclp.org
- Casa Cornelia Law Center – $15,000 in operating funds to provide sustained and responsive legal services to the indigent immigrant community. www.casacornelia.org
- Center for Community Solutions – $7,500 to help provide trauma-informed, culturally sensitive services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking throughout San Diego County. Also provides bilingual legal advocacy, pro se legal assistance and direct representation. www.ccssd.org
- Community Resource Center – $5,000 to support general operations, The Legal Advocacy program and assist in increasing the accessibility and use of the legal system for domestic violence survivors, reducing their barriers to long-term safety and stability. www.crcncc.org
- Elder Law & Advocacy – $15,000 to provide pro bono legal services to low-income seniors of San Diego County. www.seniorlaw-sd.org
- Jewish Family Service of San Diego – $5,000 to assist with general operations and provide a full-time intake specialist who will conduct initial assessments, identify immigration service needs, and coordinate internal and external referrals. www.jfssd.org
- Legal Aid Society of San Diego – $7,500 to help continue the operation of the San Diego County Conservatorship Assistance Program. www.lassd.org
- San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program – $17,500 to support the weekly Family Law Clinic and provide free legal assistance to low-income individuals in their family law matters who otherwise would be unrepresented. www.sdvlp.org
- Voices for Children – $10,000 for a court-appointed special advocate (CASA) volunteer to monitor cases of 25 children and ensure that intervention and advocacy begins early in foster care. www.speakupnow.org
The San Diego County Bar Foundation is the charitable arm of the San Diego County Bar Association and funds advocacy and access to legal counsel for people and communities in the San Diego region impacted by poverty, abuse and discrimination.
Since beginning its grant program in 1979, SDCBF’s beneficiaries have included more than 50 legal aid and public interest organizations; it has granted more than $2 million in funding. The next grant cycle will begin in June 2018.
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 50 legal aid and public interest organizations.