Foundation Awards $9 Million in Legal Aid Grants
By Mark D. Killian
Managing Editor
Florida Bar News
January 1, 2003
The
Florida Bar Foundation awarded more than $9 million in IOTA grants in December
to Florida legal aid providers to help meet the legal needs of the poor.
The grants represent an approximately four percent
cut in Foundation funding for legal aid programs this year or $401,545 less than
the Foundation was able to grant a year ago, according to William H. Davis,
chair of the Foundation's Legal Assistance for the Poor Grant Committee.
Davis said cuts in bank interest rates and
reductions on investment earnings have taken a toll on the IOTA program, forcing
the Foundation to reduce funding to legal assistance programs by 25 percent over
the past four years.
"Unfortunately this year we see a continuation of
that process," Davis said, adding that as a general rule the Foundation this
year reduced the funding for programs which generally get more than $150,000
from the Foundation by 8.3 percent and cut funding to the smaller programs by
4.15 percent. Davis said the Foundation made the percentage cuts on the
assumption the larger programs—— many of
which also receive Legal Services Corporation funding——could
better absorb the larger reductions than could the smaller programs. Davis also
said many of the larger providers will be receiving more LSC money this year
"because of the unfortunate growth of the poor population in the state."
Some programs, however, did receive increases in
funding, due to added responsibilities.
At one time the IOTA program had raised as much as
$19 million a year to fund legal aid, administration of justice, and law student
assistance projects.
The applications for general support grants for
local programs are based upon a per capita formula, depending upon the number of
poor people in a county. Services are provided through staff and pro bono
attorneys. The cases handled are determined through local community priorities
set by local boards of directors. Predominantly, the cases handled are family,
housing, income maintenance, and consumer matters.
The Foundation's board of directors approved the
general support grants on the recommendation of its Legal Assistance to the Poor
Grant Committee.
Of the funds distributed, $4.4 million went to
general legal services programs that also receive Legal Services Corporation
funds; slightly more than $1 million went to legal aid organizations that do not
receive any LSC money; $938,000 was awarded to immigration service projects;
$574,000 was provided for legal assistance to the institutionalized; $15,000
went to law school clinical projects; and $2 million was awarded to statewide
legal aid programs.
Foundation grants for general support to programs
which also receive LSC funding include: Bay Area Legal Services, $556,769;
Central Florida Legal Services, $420,762; Florida Rural Legal Services,
$617,930; Gulf Coast Legal Services, $419,516; Gulf Coast Legal Services Pro
Bono Project, $30,023; Jacksonville Area Legal Services, $314,814; Legal Aid
Services of Broward County, $412,332; Legal Services of Greater Miami, $533,803;
Legal Services of North Florida, $384,303; Northwest Florida Legal Services,
$209,813; Three Rivers Legal Services, $297,535; and Withlacoochee Area Legal
Services, $237,593.
IOTA general funding grants awarded to organizations
which do not also receive LSC funding include: Brevard County Legal Aid,
$69,383; Community Law Program, $41,040; Cuban American Bar Association,
$27,297; Dade County Bar Association, $234,809; Heart of Florida Legal Aid
Society, $92,198; Lee County Legal Aid Society, $46,177; Legal Aid Foundation of
the Tallahassee Bar Association, $30,817; Legal Aid of Manasota, $15,821; Legal
Aid Society of Palm Beach County, $218,779; Legal Aid Society of the Orange
County Bar Association, $267,823; and the Seminole County Bar Association Legal
Aid Society, $52,076.
Foundation grants to organizations which provide
immigration services include: American Friends Service Committee, $106,422; Dade
County Bar Association Ineligible Aliens, $61,817; Florida Immigrant Advocacy
Center, $525,299; Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center Homeless Project, $59,779;
Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County, $71,274; and Legal Aid Society of the
Orange County Bar Association, $113,899.
Grants for legal assistance programs for the
institutionalized or incapacitated went to Florida Institutional Legal Services,
$297,126; the Florida Justice Institute, $223,231; and the Guardianship Program
of Dade County, $54,594.
IOTA grants for law school clinical projects in the
amount of $2,500 each went to Florida State University, Nova Southeastern
University, St. Thomas University, Stetson University, the University of
Florida, and the University of Miami.
General support grants for statewide projects went
to Florida Legal Services, $1.4 million; Florida Legal Services' Migrant
Farmworker Justice Project, $491,713; and Southern Legal Counsel, $192,324.
The Foundation deferred funding decisions until its
March meeting for the Gulfcoast Legal Services Pro Bono Project; Legal Aid
Society of Collier County; and Okaloosa County Legal Services.