Grant Projects

The following Grants, funded through gifts to The New York Bar Foundation, have been awarded in 2008:

Al Sigl Center, Rochester

Brennan Center for Justice, New York

The Bronx Defenders, Bronx

Brooklyn Bar Association, Brooklyn

Court Appointed Special Advocates of Ulster County, Kingston

The Family Center, New York

Jamestown Bar Association, Jamestown

Legal Aid Society of New York City, New York

Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York, Albany

Legal Aid Society of Rochester, Inc., Rochester

Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc., Geneva

Legal Services for New York City, New York

Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, Inc., New York

Mercy Haven, Inc., Islip Terrace

National Center for Law and Economic Justice, New York

New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, Inc., New York

New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, New York

New York State Bar Center, Albany

NYSARC, Inc., Buffalo

NYSBA Committee on Legal Education and Admission to the Bar, Albany

NYSBA Law, Youth & Citizenship Program, Albany

NYSBA Student Loan Assistance for the Public Interest Program (SLAPI), Albany

Pace Women's Justice Center, White Plains

Queens County Bar Association/Queens Volunteer Lawyer Project, Jamaica

Red Hook Community Justice Center, Brooklyn

Robert H. Jackson Center, Inc., Jamestown

Rural Opportunities, Inc., Rochester

South Brooklyn Legal Services, Brooklyn

Urban Justice Center, New York

WomensLaw.org, New York

Women's Prision Association, New York

Al Sigl Center, Rochester - to support the Future Care Planning Services Project, which will provide legal services, such as the execution of a will, to family members of adults with disabilities.

Brennan Center for Justice, New York - for its Access to Justice project, which improves opportunities for low-income individuals, families and communities by securing effective legal representation and basic access to courts in civil and criminal cases.

The Bronx Defenders, Bronx - for Reentry Net, an online resource that provides advocates with training and resources needed to help families through the reentry process. Partial funding was directed from The John R. Dunne Fund.

The Brooklyn Bar Association, Brooklyn - for its Civil Legal Advice and Resource Office (CLARO), which is a weekly advice-only clinic held in Kings County Civil Court to assist low-income unrepresented consumers attempting to respond to serve at least 35 additional children.

Court Appointed Special Advocates of Ulster County, Kingston - to recruit, train and supervise 20 additional CASA volunteers to become advocates for children in Family Court proceedings. The funding will enable the organization to serve at least 35 additional children.

The Family Center, New York - to support on-site legal services workshops for children and families impacted by the loss, absense or terminal illness of a parent or primary caregiver.

Jamestown Bar Association, Jamestown - to promote and produce materials for The People's Law School.

Legal Aid Society of New York City, New York - for the Section 8 Affordable Housing Project which will ensure that recipients of Section 8 vouchers are able to use them to stay in their current apartments. Partial funding was directed from The Richard J. Bartlett Fund.

Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York, Albany - to permit an attorney to work part-time in Schenectady County for the Children's Law Project. Partial funding was directed from The Richard J. Bartlett Fund.

Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York, Albany - to provide funding for a summer fellowship for a minority law student who will assist the organization in representing clients in local landlord-tenant courts. Funding was directed from The Real Property Law Section Fund.

Legal Aid Society of Rochester, Inc., Rochester - to fund the Immigration Program which provides legal representation in immigration matters to low-income persons residing in a 14-county area of upstate New York. Providing immigraton representation to farm workers is a priority. Partial funding was directed from The RIchard J. Bartlett Fund.

Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc., Geneva - to support the Law Students in Action Project, an Equal Justice Works Americorps Program dedicated to facilitating the delivery of legal services by recruiting law student volunteers to work for legal services providers.

Legal Services for New York City, New York - to continue the content development and management of the LawHelp.org/NY project, an online legal information clearinghouse that helps low-income New Yorkers find free legal services and retrieve information about legal rights. Partial funding was directed from The Richard J. Barlett Fund.

Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, New York - to provide free legal services to low-wage workers and to assist them with job-related rights, including workplace health, safety and unemployment.

Mercy Haven, Inc., Islip Terace - for continued support of the Mercy Advocacy Program which provides free legal representation to the poor, periodic legal seminars, legal consultation to the staff of Mercy Haven and other agencies serving the poor.

National Center for Law and Economic Justice, New York - to assist social service providers statewide to become compliant with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, Inc., New York - to support the Special Education Program which advocates for and provides representation to children with disabilities who seek appropriate educational placements from the Department of Education.

New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, New York - for continued support of the Child Permanency Mediation Program. The program expedites permanent placements for children in forster care by returning them to their homes or releasing them for adoption or other appropriate permanent placement ealier than through traditional court proceedings.

New York State Bar Center, Albany - to provide current materials for the law library.

NYSARC, Inc. - to support its Corporate Guardianship Program, which offers families, advocates and persons who do not have any family or an advocate with assistance in making decisions regarding health care, housing and appropriate day and recreational services. All guardianships are established through the Erie County Surrogate's Court pursuant to Article 17-A of the Surrogate's Court Procedure Act.

NYSBA Committee on Legal Education and Admission to the Bar, Albany - to continue the Legal Ethics Awards program, which honors law school students for exemplary writing or projects on issues on professional ethics. Each New York law school is invited to participate and is given $750 to award the winner(s). Funding is also used to offset the printing cost of the compendium.

NYSBA Law, Youth & Citizenship Program, Albany - to conduct a Constitution Day mini-conference for teachers. The program will raise awareness of the federal mandates regarding the teaching of Constitution Day and will provide specific ideas and materials for the fulfilling of the mandate.

NYSBA Law, Youth & Citizenship Program, Albany - to conduct the New York Statewide High School Mock Trial Tournament Finals Program.

NYSBA Law, Youth & Citizenship Program, Albany - to conduct a law-related education summer institute for up to 200 K-12th grade teachers. The program provides essential professional development to empower the teachers to effectively implement and utilize best practices in law-related civic education with their students.

NYSBA Law, Youth & Citizenship Program, Albany - to fund the New York State Mock Trial Camp, which brings together high school students from across the state to participate in a fast paced, intensive trial practice camp for five days. Students will work with seasoned trial lawyers on opening statements, direct and cross examination, closing arguments, objections and rules of evidence.

NYSBA Student Loan Assistance for the Public Interest Program (SLAPI), Albany - to provide loan assistance to new public interest attorneys, which offsets their high law school loan debt and enables them to continue in their public interest careers. Partial funding was directed from The Student Loan Assistance of the Public Interest Fund.

Pace Women's Justice Center, White Plains - to expand the services of its Elder Law Unit through a pilot project "Keeping Seniors Safe", which is designed to prevent financial exploitation of senior citizens through a public awareness campaign and through the utilization of a Legal Helpline staffed by pro bono attorneys from the General Counsel Office of Master Card.

Queens County Bar Association/Queens Volunteer Lawyer Project, Jamaica - for the Civil Legal Advice and Resource Office (CLARO) which is a free walk-in clinic that provides legal advice and infomation to pro se debtor litigants.

Red Hook Community Justice Center, Inc., Brooklyn - for continued support of the Red Hook Youth Court.

Robert H. Jackson Center, Inc., Jamestown - to assist the statewide initiative to educate students in 5th through 8th grades about the topics of tolerance, hatred and war; the plight of millions of Jewish children in Wolrd War II; and to advance the legacy of Robert H. Jackson. The project will include an essay contest based on the book, Hanna's Suitcase, by author Karen Levine.

Rural Opportunities, Inc., Rochester - to provide reimbursement for expenses of the Pro Bono Panel of the Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic. Expenses, such as gas mileage, are incurred by panel members as a result of providing free representation to low-income tax clients located in rural areas in matters relating to federal tax audit, appeals and collection issues. Funding was directed from The Tax Section Fund.

South Brooklyn Legal Services, Brooklyn - for its Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic which advises and represents about 200 low-income taxpayers throughout Brooklyn in matters relating to tax audit, appeals and collection issues.

Urban Justice Center, New York - for the Community Developement Project which matches New York City grassroots organizations in need of legal assistance with pro bono attorneys and 30 participating law firms that are able to assist in meeting their law-related needs.

WomensLaw.org, New York - to develop a Training and Supervision Program for pro bono lawyers who assist with its Email Legal Hotline. The Hotline provides free and easy access to legal information, empowering victims of domestic violence and sexual assault with knowledge to change their lives.

Women's Prison Association, New York - for the Law Project which assists women who are or who have been involved in the criminal justice system with issues concerning child custody, domestic violence, housing, benefits and employment. Partial funding was directed from The John R. Dunne Fund.

Click here to see the grants awarded in 2007