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News Release
Texas Access to Justice Foundation
Funds will support 30 nonprofits
that provide legal aid services
AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Access to Justice Foundation (TAJF) has announced its 2015 grants, totaling more than $63 million over the next two years, to be distributed to 30 nonprofit organizations throughout Texas that provide civil legal aid to disadvantaged Texans.
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 civil legal issues, such as benefits for veterans, health care for the elderly, domestic violence and foreclosures. Each year, TAJF grantees help more than 100,000 disadvantaged Texas families.
The grants are substantially funded through the $17.56 million biennium appropriation by the 84th 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.
More than 5.6 million Texans qualify for legal aid, and because of a lack of resources, less than 20 percent of the civil legal needs of low-income Texans are being met. To be eligible for civil legal aid, an individual must earn no more than $14,713 a year. For a family of four, the annual household income cannot exceed $30,313. “Access to a lawyer can be a lifesaver to disadvantaged families facing challenging times,” Justice Eva Guzman, Texas Supreme Court liaison for access to justice issues, said. “Legal aid plays a crucial role in ensuring that vulnerable Texans are able to access the court system.”
TAJF has awarded more than $480 million since
its inception in 1984. 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—2015-2017
-30-
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. For more information, please
visit: www.teajf.org.
Contact: Kimberly Schmitt512-320-0099, ext. 104 kschmitt@teajf.org
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