Bar Foundation Awards $700K in Grants
The Indiana Bar Foundation Board of Directors has approved nearly $700,000 in grants to various civil legal aid nonprofits throughout the state. The foundation says the funding will be used for community redevelopment and mortgage foreclosure prevention efforts.
The grants, totaling $670,859, will be distributed in May. The foundation says expand free legal services and "strengthen the infrastructure that delivers vital legal support when Hoosiers’ basic human needs are at risk and they cannot afford a lawyer."
The foundation adds housing-related issues were prioritized and expungement programs received funding as well.
The recipients include:
| Agency | Amount | Purpose | Areas Served |
| Indianapolis Legal Aid Society Inc.,Heartland Pro Bono and Indiana Landmarks | $225,000 | Assist senior and disabled adults whose homes are threatened with condemnation. Provide legal services to individuals dealing with foreclosure, housing and debt issues. Train and place pro bono lawyers in housing cases. Legal assistance for acquiring and rehabilitating livable homes in low-income neighborhoods. | Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Marion, Morgan, Shelby |
| Indiana Legal Services Inc., Prosperity Indiana | $185,000 | Provide community lawyers to work on a lack of affordable housing, environmental justice, substandard housing conditions and abandoned properties; and provide legal assistance to nonprofits working in underserved areas. | Statewide |
| Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic, Indiana Legal Services, Indianapolis Legal Aid Society | $75,000 | Collaborate on the delivery of expungement legal assistance in central Indiana in a joint initiative. | Central Indiana |
| Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic, NeighborLink Indianapolis, Marion County Health Department | $50,000 | Ensure elderly without means may remain in their homes without significant health code violations and corresponding citations. Provide foreclosure prevention services for vulnerable homeowners. | Marion |
| Indiana District 4 Pro Bono Corporation (District D) and Wabash Valley Volunteer Attorneys, Inc. (District E) | $40,000 | Expand civil legal clinics through a joint project in Pro Bono Districts D and E, with an emphasis on housing-related and expungement issues. | Benton, White, Carroll, Clinton, Boone, Parke, Montgomery, Vermillion, Fountain, Warren, Tippecanoe, Cass, Fulton, Grant, Howard, Miami, Pulaski, Tipton, Wabash |
| Volunteer Lawyer Network, Inc. (District B) | $30,000 | Develop a pool of trained attorneys to take foreclosure cases. Recruit attorney volunteers to provide pro bono legal services to community revitalization efforts in underserved areas. | Elkhart, Kosciusko, St. Joseph, Starke, Marshall, LaPorte |
| Volunteer Lawyer Program of Southwestern Indiana, Inc. (District K) | $25,859 | Assist self-represented litigants filing for expungement. Assist low-income residents to maintain and improve housing stability. Provide legal service to nonprofits and low & moderate income entrepreneurs to benefit underserved communities. | Primarily Vanderburgh County |
| Volunteer Lawyer Program of Northeast Indiana, Inc. (District C) partnering with Indiana Legal Services, Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic, RSVP Volunteer Center | $25,000 | Expand Second Chance clinic focused on expunging criminal records and obtaining specialized driving privileges. Provide legal advice clinic to low-income individuals with barriers to securing employment and/or suitable housing. | Allen, Adams, DeKalb, Huntington, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wells, Whitley |
| District 10 Pro Bono Project (District H) | $10,000 | Assist individuals with legal services for housing-related issues. | Clay, Greene, Hendricks, Lawrence, Monroe, Morgan, Owen, Putnam, Sullivan, Vigo |
| Whitewater Valley District 9 Pro Bono Commission, Inc. (District I) | $5,000 | Assist individuals with legal services for housing-related issues. | Randolph, Union, Wayne |
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