The Massachusetts Bar Foundation (MBF) recently awarded nearly $2.6 million to 93 programs conducted by 59 nonprofit organizations across the state through its annual Interest on Lawyers' Trust Account (IOLTA) grants program.
"The MBF is proud to support our 2020 grant recipients, many of whom have been and will continue to be working on the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic," said President Richard J. Grahn of Mattapoisett. "Their resilience is unmatched in the quest for equal access to justice for all."
The MBF is one of three charitable entities that distributes funds from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court's IOLTA program. MBF IOLTA grants provide critical funding for legal aid programs across the commonwealth. Grants providing direct legal services include support for homelessness prevention, domestic violence programs, education advocacy, and immigration assistance. Grants to improve the administration of justice include court-connected mediation, conciliation and lawyer of the day programs.
Over 90 attorneys and judges, who are fellows of the foundation, volunteered their time and talent to help review applications, conduct site visits, and help ensure proper stewardship of IOLTA funds, even during these most challenging of times.
This year, in anticipation of a sharp decline in IOLTA funding, the MBF will rely even more heavily on the donations it receives from Massachusetts attorneys, judges, law firms and local businesses.
For a complete listing of the 2020/2021 IOLTA grant recipients, click here.