News Release
Texas Access to Justice Foundation Funds will support 30 nonprofits that provide civil legal aid services AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas Access to Justice Foundation (TAJF) has announced its 2014-2015 grants, totaling more than $30 million, to be distributed to 30 nonprofit organizations throughout Texas that provide civil legal aid to the poor. With the help of grants from the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, public interest and pro bono lawyers provide legal representation to low-income Texans with basic civil legal problems, such as landlord-tenant issues, family law matters, employment law, access to earned benefits and consumer issues. Each year, TAJF grantees help more than 100,000 disadvantaged Texas families. Grant levels were able to remain stable for 2014-2015 due to the $17.6 million biennium appropriation by the 83rd Texas Legislature for basic civil legal services. This funding is critical as historically low interest rates continue to decimate the Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Account (IOLTA) program, a primary funding source for legal aid. Additionally, Texas legal aid providers who receive federal funding continue to see losses in legal aid funding. There are more than 5.8 million Texans who qualify for legal aid, the second-highest number in the nation. Due to a lack of resources, only about 20 percent of the civil legal needs of low-income and poor Texans are being met. To be eligible for civil legal aid, an individual must earn no more than $14,588 a year. For a family of four, the annual household income cannot exceed $29,813. “Access to a lawyer can be a lifesaver to disadvantaged families facing challenging times,” Betty Balli Torres, executive director of the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, said. “Legal aid plays a crucial role in ensuring that vulnerable Texans are able to access the judicial system.” TAJF has awarded more than $410 million in its 30 years. The organization collects and administers funds, including IOLTA, Basic Civil Legal Services (filing fees, fees assessed to out-of-state attorneys practicing in Texas, and other public funding), crime victims’ funds and private donations.
Texas Access to Justice Foundation
Grantees for the 2014-2015 Grant Year Headquarters - Program Name - Grants Austin Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse $351,500 Austin American Gateways $279,685 Austin Disability Rights Texas $1,385,654 Austin Equal Justice Center $236,977 Austin Oficina Legal del Pueblo Unido, Inc. $810,631 Austin Southern Disability Law Center $144,089 Austin Texas Legal Services Center $2,485,081 Austin Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas $236,823 Conroe Montgomery County Women's Center $65,004 Dallas Catholic Charities of Dallas $298,457 Dallas Dallas Bar Association Community Service Fund (DVAP) $235,975 Dallas Legal Hospice of Texas $172,387 El Paso Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services $312,459 Fort Worth Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas $6,088,740 Fort Worth Texas A&M Research Foundation $40,000 Harlingen Pro Bar-ABA Fund for Justice and Education $108,198 Houston Boat People SOS, Inc. $147,689 Houston Cabrini Center for Immigration Legal Services $324,802 Houston Cathedral Justice Project $133,533 Houston Earl Carl Institute $118,340 Houston Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program $607,041 Houston Lone Star Legal Aid $6,447,933 Houston South Texas College of Law $103,074 Houston University of Houston $135,251 Lubbock Legal Aid Society of Lubbock $253,282 San Antonio Family Violence Prevention Services, Inc. $192,190 San Antonio Refugee & Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services $166,608 San Antonio St. Mary's University School of Law Center for Legal and Social Justice $150,969 Sugarland Fort Bend Lawyers Care $56,098 Weslaco Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Inc. $8,421,970 TOTAL $30,510,440
# # # The Texas
Access to Justice Foundation, created by the Supreme Court of Texas in
1984, is the largest state-based funding source for the provision of civil
legal aid in Texas. The organization is committed to the vision that all
Texans will have equal access to justice, regardless of their income. The
Foundation administers a variety of funding sources, which are earmarked to
assist nonprofit organizations in providing legal aid to more than 100,000
Texas families each year. For more information, please visit: www.teajf.org. Contact: Kimberly Schmitt512-320-0099, ext. 104 kschmitt@teajf.org
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