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News Release
Texas
Access to Justice Foundation
September
13, 2013
Texas Access to Justice Foundation Announces
2013-14 Grant Awards
Funds will support 30 nonprofits that provide civil legal services
AUSTIN,
Texas — The
Texas Access to Justice Foundation (TAJF) has
announced its 2013-14 grants that will help fund 30
nonprofit civil legal aid organizations throughout
Texas.
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 low-income individuals and families
with their civil legal needs.
Grant levels were
able to remain stable due to the recent $17.6
million biennieum appropriation by the 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 in Texas.
Additionally, Texas legal aid providers who
receive federal funding continue to see losses in
that critical source of legal aid funding.
“Many times, 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
critical role
in ensuring that vulnerable Texans are able to
access the judicial system.”
TAJF has awarded more than
$370 million in its 29 years of existence. TAJF collects and
administers several 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.
To qualify
for legal help from a program funded by TAJF, an
individual normally cannot earn more than $14,363
per year. A family of four must earn less than
$29,438 per year.
TAJF was created by the Supreme
Court of Texas and is the largest Texas funding
source for legal services to the poor. The board of
directors is appointed by the Supreme Court of Texas
and the State Bar of Texas.
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Area
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Organization
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IOLTA/BCLS/CVCLS
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Austin
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Disability Rights of Texas (statewide)
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$1,385,654
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Austin
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Southern Disability Law Center
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144,089
|
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Austin
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American Gateways
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279,685
|
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Austin
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Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas
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236,823
|
|
Austin
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Equal Justice Center
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236,977
|
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Austin
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Oficina Legal del Pueblo Unido, Inc.
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810,631
|
|
Austin
|
Texas Legal Services Center (statewide)
|
2,397,581
|
|
Dallas
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Legal Hospice of Texas
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172,512
|
|
Dallas
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Dallas Bar Association Community Service
Fund
|
235,975
|
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Dallas
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Catholic Charities of Dallas
|
298,457
|
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El Paso
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Diocesan Migrant & Refugee Services
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312,459
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Ft. Worth
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Texas A&M School of Law--Law Clinic
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40,000
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Ft. Worth
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Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas
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6,088,740
|
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Harlingen
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Pro Bar (ABA)
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108,198
|
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Houston
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University of Houston Law Center Clinic
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135,251
|
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Houston
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South Texas College of Law Clinic
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103,074
|
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Houston
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Earl Carl Institute- Thurgood Marshall
School of Law
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118,340
|
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Houston
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Cathedral Justice Project
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133,533
|
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Houston
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Boat People SOS, Inc.
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147,689
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Houston
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Cabrini Center for Immigrant Legal
Assistance
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324,802
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Houston
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Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse
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351,500
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Houston
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Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program
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607,041
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Houston
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Lone Star Legal Aid
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6,447,933
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Lubbock
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Legal Aid Society of Lubbock
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253,282
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San Antonio
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St. Mary's Immigration Clinic
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150,969
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San Antonio
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Refugee & Immigrant Center for Education
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166,608
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San Antonio
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Family Violence Prevention Services, Inc.
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192,190
|
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Sugar Land
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Fort Bend Lawyers Care
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56,098
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The Woodlands
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Montgomery County Women's Center
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65,004
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Weslaco
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Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Inc.
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8,421,970
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# # #
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
approximately 100,000 Texas families each year.
Contact: Kimberly Schmitt
512-320-0099, ext. 104
kschmitt@teajf.org
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