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Grant
Projects
The following
grants, funded through gifts to The New
York Bar Foundation, have been awarded in
2009. Click on organization name for a description of the grant purpose.
ACCORD, A Center for Dispute Resolution, Inc., Binghamton
to assist Broome and Tioga County Family Court in the delivery of quality services to children at risk of abuse and neglect.
Al Sigl Center, Rochester
to underwrite the cost of providing direct legal services for families who would benefit from having Supplemental Needs Trust language incorporated into a simple will.
Alliance for Safe Kids, Inc., Yorktown Heights
to partially fund the part-time Yorktown Youth Court director position.
Brennan Center for Justice, New York
to fund the Access to Justice Project which aims to improve opportunities for low-income individuals, families and communities to secure effective representation and basic access to the courts in civil and criminal cases.
The Bronx Defenders, Bronx
to fund Reentry Net/NY, a prime resource for criminal defense attorneys, civil legal service providers, and other advocates assisting individuals overcoming barriers to successful reintegration after prison, jail, or a simple arrest. Partial funding was directed from The John R. Dunne Fund.
The Brooklyn Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project, Inc., Brooklyn
for the Foreclosure Intervention Program, which was established to reduce the number of foreclosures in Kings County, NY. The main goals are to provide pro bono legal services, reduce the number of homeowners in foreclosure who never make it to court, and provide free community education to homeowners facing foreclosure.
Capital District Women’s Bar Association, Albany
to conduct a law student fellowship to continue its Domestic Violence Legal Connection Program in upstate New York, which provides legal support to victims of domestic violence. Funding directed from The Joan L. Ellenbogen Memorial Fellowship Fund.
CASA of the Southern Tier, Inc., Corning
to provide funding to train volunteers to serve as neutral third parties in Family Court, Article 10 (abuse and neglect) proceedings in Chemung, Schuyler, and Steuben Counties.
Center for Court Innovation, New York
to launch a new youth court in Staten Island, New York which will receive youth offender referrals from families of the accused, police and schools. The Staten Island Youth Court will provide both family and criminal court judges with an important and effective option to address the difficult challenges posed by low-level offending. Funding was directed from The Judith S. Kaye Youth Court Fund.
Center for Court Innovation, New York
to fund the Courts and the Community Project which is dedicated to enhancing courts’ involvement in community outreach and engagement. This program will develop a recommended practices manual that will provide youth court coordinators with a set of documents that would offer best practices for youth courts and serve as the basis for developing a system to ensure a consistently high level of practice at youth court operations. Funding was directed from The Judith S. Kaye Youth Court Fund.
Center for Family Representation, Inc., New York
for the Community Advocacy Teams, which work to prevent the break-up of families, shorten children’s lengths of stay in foster care, and prevent children’s re-entry into foster care. Offering intervention, services referrals, and locating conveniently located foster care agencies, the program reaches and assists approximately 600 families per year. Partial funding was directed from The Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner, LLP Fund.
Center for Law and Justice, Inc., Albany
to provide funding to print the ninth edition of “On Your Own,” a directory of free legal information and services in the Capital District, that is targeted toward people returning to the area from jails and prisons. Partial funding directed from The John R. Dunne Fund.
Court Appointed Special Advocates, Inc.-New York, New York
to provide services to children in foster care who have incarcerated parents. Partial funding directed from The John R. Dunne Fund.
Court Appointed Special Advocates of Ulster County (CASA), Kingston
to fund the recruiting and training of fifteen volunteers in 2009 in order to accommodate the dramatic increase in cases. The program promotes the best interests of children in the Family Court System who have been abused or neglected by their parents or guardians.
The Door, New York
to fund its Parenting Advocacy Program aimed at offering legal advice, representation and advocacy to young people who are aging out of the foster care system. The Program is designed to provide young men and women with legal parenting issues ranging from their legal rights and responsibilities to visitation and support.
Fund for Modern Courts, New York
to provide funding to update and distribute the Guide to the Courts for Victims of Domestic Violence in New York State, a publication designed to educate victims of domestic violence on how to navigate the court system and understand how the judicial system works.
Genesee County Youth Bureau, Batavia
to support the Genesee County Youth Court, that focuses on middle school adolescents and creates an atmosphere of equality through judgment by one’s peers.
Hillside Children’s Foundation, Mount Morris
for the Livingston County Youth Court, which seeks to hold youth accountable for their actions by providing an avenue for restorative justice.
Huntington Youth Bureau Youth Development Research Institute, Inc., Huntington
for the Huntington Youth Court, which provides an alternative to the juvenile justice system for first-time misdemeanor juvenile offenders.
In Our Own Voices, Inc., Albany
for the Ask-A-Lawyer Program. Designed and implemented by In Our Own Voices, Inc., The Legal Project, and Legal Aid of Northeastern New York, the program provides concise and comprehensive legal education and consultation to a population with few legal resources in the Capital District. Focusing on the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and people of color, this program strives to provide free legal clinics, and when needed, free legal representation to this under-served group of citizens thus enhancing their physical, emotional and psychological well-being.
inMotion, Inc., New York
to provide funding for inMotion’s participation in the New York Family Justice Center to join forces with the Mayor’s Office to combat domestic violence as an on-site partner. Its mission is to provide free legal assistance with matrimonial and family law matters, focusing on clients with complex civil cases.
LatinoJustice PRLDEF, New York
to provide legal information and referrals in English and Spanish to Latino immigrants.
Lawyers for Children, New York
for its Immigration Rights Project for Youth in Foster Care in New York City.
Legal Action Center, New York
to help low-income individuals with criminal records overcome discrimination so that they can gain employment, housing, and necessary services. Partial funding directed from The John R. Dunne Fund.
Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York, Albany
for the Mortgage Foreclosure Protection Project which was developed to assist the organization’s response to the mortgage foreclosure crisis in the Capital Region. The objective is to increase the amount of expert attorney representation available to low-income borrowers facing foreclosure.
Legal Aid Society of Rochester, Inc., Rochester
to fund the Home Owners Initiative which will strive to ensure that homebuyers, particularly first time, low-income home buyers do not become the next statistics in the declining housing market by providing comprehensive legal representation in all aspects of home buying.
Legal Aid Society, New York City
to fund the Foreclosure Training Initiative for Consumers Program. The program’s short term goal is to distribute valuable knowledge that will allow low-income residents to maintain their homes. Through the program community-based organizations, elected officials’ constituent staffers, and legal services offices will receive training to educate consumers regarding their rights in matters relating to foreclosure. Partial funding was directed from The Richard J. Bartlett Fund.
Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc., Geneva
for the Law Students in Action Project which recruits law student and private attorney volunteers to work for legal services providers throughout the year and during the summer.
Legal Services for New York City, New York
to fund the Bankruptcy Assistance Project which provides high quality legal assistance to low-income New Yorkers who are at or below 200% of the federal poverty line. Through this program, more than 300 volunteers provide pro bono legal assistance to New York’s neediest debtors and assists with the preparation and filing of Chapter 7 bankruptcy petitions with plans under way to expand into the Chapter 13 arena in response to the growing crisis in home foreclosures.
Legal Services of the Hudson Valley, White Plains
to provide funding for programs aimed at helping individuals struggling with mortgage foreclosure. Free legal services will be offered in the organizations seven-county area with the funding covering specific client costs associated with such proceedings, including fees for appraisals, title searches, discovery and credit counseling. Funding was directed from Business Law Section Fund.
Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, New York
for the Health-Related Legal Services Program which is designed to provide hundreds of indigent and vulnerable clients with legal services to assist in establishing their eligibility for and obtaining health care coverage from a wide variety of public health service providers. The program is also conducting several workshops in the community to educate clients on their rights to health-related benefits and how to obtain them.
Make the Road New York, Inc., Brooklyn
to help injured immigrant workers in New York City receive critical compensation benefits and to advocate for them to recover unpaid wages.
Mercy Haven, Inc., Islip Terrance
to provide free legal representation to the poor on issues such as subsistence and disability benefits, health care under the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and Food Stamps. Partial funding was directed from The Richard J. Bartlett Fund.
Nassau/Suffolk Law Services Committee, Inc., Hempstead
to fund the Consumer Debt Legal Assistance Project which provides legal assistance to prevent unscrupulous debt collectors from utilizing illegal and deceptive practices and intimidation against Long Island’s most vulnerable populations.
National Center for Law and Economic Justice, New York
for the New York State ADA Public Benefits Access Project. Hundreds of low-income New Yorkers with disabilities will gain better access to needed public benefits as local departments of social services are brought into compliance with new State policies. This statewide project is designed to work with legal services and other advocates to improve local compliance with the new policies and State enforcement and oversight of local agencies under them.
New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, New York
to fund the Guardianship Training Project through which training is offered to low-income parents and caregivers of children with disabilities on how to file for legal guardianship of their adult children. This project serves to ensure that the rights of children with severe disabilities are protected when they reach adulthood by helping their parents, family members or other caregivers when they apply for legal guardianship.
New York Legal Assistance Group, New York
for the Foreclosure Prevention Project which was developed to provide legal services to low-income home owners in New York State and to train other attorneys on foreclosure proceedings to increase the number of attorneys who can provide free legal services to clients. Partial funding was directed from Business Law Section Fund.
New York Legal Assistance Group, New York
to provide funding for a law student fellowship that would provide matrimonial representation for victims of domestic violence in New York City. Funding directed from The Joan L. Ellenbogen Memorial Fellowship Fund.
New York State Bar Association, Committee on Issues Affecting People with Disabilities, Albany
to continue funding for long-running Disability and the Law video series. This year’s project will address Parents with Psychiatric Disorders, raising awareness of parenting skills and issues among providers of mental health services, describe the needs of parents with serious mental illness and promote strategies and provide referral information to meet parents’ needs.
New York State Bar Association, Committee on Legal Education and Admission to the Bar, Albany
to fund the Law Student Legal Ethics Award. The purpose of this award is to encourage scholarship and service relating to the lawyer’s role as a representative of clients, officer of the legal system and public citizen having special responsibility for the quality of justice.
New York State Bar Association, Committee on Minorities in the Profession, Albany
to fund three Youth Law Day sessions for minority and economically disadvantaged high school students. These projects provide an introduction to the profession and practice of the law to local high school students who might not otherwise be aware of or consider a career in law.
New York State Bar Association, Law, Youth and Citizenship Program, Albany
to continue funding for the New York Statewide High School Mock Trial Tournament. Through participation in the Tournament program, students and teachers, as well as observers, are presented with learning opportunities regarding the rule of law, civic engagement, personal enrichment, and legal career pursuits.
New York State Bar Association, Law, Youth and Citizenship, Albany
to fund the Law-Related Education Program. In partnership with Project P.A.T.C.H., this program will serve 175 to 200 New York teachers to empower them to effectively implement and utilize best-practices in Law-Related Education with their students.
New York State Bar Association, Law, Youth and Citizenship Program, Albany
for the Mock Trial Summer Institute, a week long program that assists high school students participating in the Mock Trial Tournament program to increase their mock trial skills. In turn, they share the information they receive with mock trial team members at school in an effort to improve the team’s overall performance.
Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation, New York
to provide funding for its program which was initiated to provide the working poor with locally available legal representation, advice, education, advocacy and counseling in the area of consumer debt. Funds will go toward a portion of the full-time salary of a paralegal, enabling the organization to add staff hours to the project and serve more clients caught in an exploding debt burden.
Panthera, New York
to provide funding for a fellowship for a law student to pursue matters relating to Intellectual Property Law to improve its ability to execute its mission to effect changes in law and policy to protect wild cats. This will allow Panthera to better carry out its mission to serve endangered wild cat populations around the world and to improve the lives of the human populations that are positively affected by the preservation of wild cat habitats. Funding has been provided from The Intellectual Property Law Section Fellowship Fund.
Partnership for Children’s Rights, New York
to underwrite increasing legal costs associated with its advocacy for the rights of children with disabilities in New York City
Partnership for the Homeless, New York
to provide legal advocacy services to individuals and families who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless in New York City.
PathStone Corporation, Rochester
to conduct outreach to inform English-as-a-Second-Language taxpayers about their rights and responsibilities under the tax law. Funding directed from The Tax Section Fund.
Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York, Albany
to provide funding for a quarterly newsletter distributed to prisoners in New York State to educate them about their legal rights. Partial funding directed from The John R. Dunne Fund.
Pro Bono Net, Inc., New York
to expand initiatives aimed at significantly increasing the number of New York lawyers providing pro bono legal services to the poor. Specific projects include expanding support for distance recruiting and learning through the new "Pro Bono in New York" Webinar series, and launching a new practice area for foreclosure to support the work of New York City and State advocates.
Public Utility Law Project of New York, Inc., Albany
to provide funding to update and re-publish the Law Manual which provides pro bono attorneys and other legal advocates with vital information regarding public utilities. Once completed, the Law Manual will be available to legal service providers on the organization’s Web site.
Red Hook Community Justice Center, Brooklyn
to support the Red Hook Youth Court, which intervenes in the lives of disadvantaged young people from South Brooklyn who have been involved in low-level criminal offenses.
Rural Law Center of New York, Inc., Plattsburgh
to provide legal support and advocacy for grandparents in rural counties of New York seeking custody of grandchildren who are at risk of being placed in foster care.
South Brooklyn Legal Services, Inc., Brooklyn
for the Child Care Employer Responsibilities Project which is assisting home-based child care providers in meeting their responsibilities as employers. Launched in 2000, the Child Care Project is the only program in New York City dedicated to addressing the legal needs of low-income family day care providers and the networks that serve them.
The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, New York
for the Child Permanency Mediation Program which seeks to expedite permanent placement for children in foster care, empowering parents to make cooperative, permanent plans for their children, increasing compliance with court orders, and relieving over-crowded court calendars. Through the cooperation of all involved parties interested in a child’s well-being, and by the facilitation of a neutral mediator, permanency can be achieved through a variety of means.
Urban Justice Center, New York
to provide funding for the Community Development Project which works to match pro bono attorneys with low-wage workers who need legal representation in areas of housing, consumer debt, and employment law.
Vermont Refugee Assistance, Burlington, Vermont
to provide funding for low-fee and pro bono legal services and advocacy to recently detained non-U.S. citizens housed at the Clinton County Jail in Plattsburgh, NY. Funding is restricted for use in Clinton County, New York.
Volunteers of Legal Service, New York
to assist families in New York City with legal issues that threaten to disrupt the education of their children, such as eviction or an interruption in public benefits.
Westchester County Bar Association, White Plains
to provide funding to the host organization for the Westchester County Bar Foundation’s Fellow program. Through the program, a newly admitted attorney or third year law student will be selected, trained and placed in a public service position at a host organization. In addition to the salary, the Fellow will be offered loan repayment assistance to enable pursuit of a career in public service law.
Western New York Law Center, Inc., Buffalo
to increase its capacity to provide foreclosure prevention services in Erie County. Partial funding directed from The Richard J. Bartlett Fund.
WomensLaw.org, Brooklyn
for the Latina Outreach Project which is designed to increase access to vital domestic violence and legal information for Latina populations in New York City. The program will also conduct a series of educational workshops which will reach approximately 150 Latina women who are victims of domestic violence, and recruit workshop attendees to assist with the project and act as peer mentors.
Women’s Prison Association, New York
for the Law Project which annually helps at least 120 women who are or have been involved with the criminal justice system to secure legal advocacy in pending matters. The ultimate goal is to provide them with the needed legal support and information so that they might make informed decisions regarding the care and custody of their children.
Workers’ Rights Law Center of New York, Inc., Kingston
to fund the Immigrant Women Workers Project which provides free legal services and community education to low-wage immigrant workers in nine counties of New York State. The overall goal of the project is to improve wages and working conditions for low-wage immigrant and other workers in the region in a way that is both effective and empowering to the workers.
Young Korean American Service & Education Center, Inc., Flushing
to provide funding provide comprehensive legal services to the under-served Asian-American population in Flushing, Queens.
Click
here to see the grants awarded in 2008 |
