The Children's Legal Services grant program helps to provide legal assistance to needy children in areas of law which affect their safety, well-being, and future development. Annual grants are available to:

• organizations providing direct legal representation of children, in matters ranging from delinquency to access to special education, mental health, and foster care services;
• organizations engaging in impact litigation and/or systemic legal reform efforts on behalf of children;
• organizations that provide lay advocacy for children in legal proceedings, such as CASA; and
• organizations that assist with the administration of justice with respect to children, such as Teen Courts or other court-ordered programs.

As with all Bar Foundation funds, priority will be given to organizations providing direct legal representation. Teen Court and CASA programs are eligible for seed funding, but after three years such programs will be subject to the Bar Foundation's sunset policy. The sunset policy calls for decreasing funding over a three-year period. After the third year, the LBF will end its support to free up dollars for new CASAs or Teen Courts, or for programs providing direct legal services.

View Program Guidelines