More than $2.5M awarded to Indiana legal aid providers

Legal aid providers around the state that offer civil legal assistance to low-income Hoosiers have received a financial boost totaling more than $2.5 million from the Indiana Bar Foundation.

“Allocating funds to civil legal assistance programs and supporting individuals interested in a legal career exemplifies the multi-faceted commitment of the Indiana Bar Foundation to direct funding where it has the greatest impact,” Charles Dunlap, bar foundation president and CEO, said this week in a statement announcing the funding.

The pot of money is comprised of $1.5 million from the Indiana Civil Legal Aid Fund and $1 million in revenue from the Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts. Established in 1997, the Civil Legal Aid Fund is funded by the Legislature and provides support to organizations offering legal help to indigent families in the state. The bar foundation, in partnership with the Indiana Supreme Court, distributes the $1.5 million annually.

In all, 13 agencies around the state received money.

The largest recipient of funding was Pro Bono Indiana, which coordinates volunteer attorneys to provide pro bono services to low-income clients across the state. It received $1.08 million, which included $965,000 from IOLTA, plus $112,565.44 from the Civil Legal Aid Fund.

The other recipients and their awards:

Indiana Legal Services Inc.: $596,861.20

Neighborhood Christian Legal Aid Clinic: $313,027.43

Indianapolis Legal Aid Society: $209,055.31

Volunteer Lawyer Program of Northeast Indiana Inc.: $50,585.44

Center for Victim and Human Rights Corp.: $38,302.83

Child Advocates: $38,302.83

Disability Legal Services of Indiana: $38,302.83

Law School Legal Services Inc.: $38,302.83

Metro Community Outreach: $31,131.98

Legal Aid Society of Evansville: $22,056.70

Legal Aid Corporation of Tippecanoe County: $7,495.16

Whitewater Valley Pro Bono Commission Inc.: $4,010.41