District of Columbia Bar Foundation DCBF

The DC Bar Foundation is on a journey essential for all justice-seeking organizations. The Foundation has a bold and visionary goal: “To transform the civil legal aid network, working closely with all stakeholders, so all District residents have a fair and equal legal experience.” We hope you will join us in this pursuit.

Access to Justice changes lives.

The collective pursuit of racial justice and racial equity by the Foundation’s leadership, staff, and extended family is critical to the transformation we seek in DC’s civil legal aid network.

By racial justice, we mean transforming society to eliminate racial hierarchies and advancing collective liberation so that all communities have the dignity, resources, power, and self-determination to thrive fully. And by racial equity, we mean the process of moving towards the vision of racial justice, including measurable milestones and outcomes.

About the DC Bar Foundation
The DC Bar Foundation is the leading funder of civil legal aid in the District of Columbia. We are committed to the vision that residents of the District have equal access to justice, regardless of income. Our mission is to fund, support, and improve legal representation of people who are financially disenfranchised or who are otherwise underserved in the District of Columbia.

The Bar Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, was established in 1977 to provide a vehicle for lawyers and law firms to contribute to legal services organizations in the District of Columbia. In 1985, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals established the District’s IOLTA program, which the Foundation administers. In 2006, the Council of the District of Columbia appropriated funds for civil legal services grants and a poverty lawyer loan repayment assistance program, designating the DC Bar Foundation as administrator.

The Bar Foundation awards grants to the District’s legal services organizations that provide free civil legal services to low-income and underserved people in the District. Since its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than $175 million in grants.

WHO WE SERVE

With high rates of poverty, unemployment, and homelessness, the need for free legal help in DC is immense. It touches everything. A woman needing protection from an abusive partner. A family about to be evicted from their home. A veteran being denied their disability benefits. A man not receiving his paycheck from his employer.

For the nearly 110,000 financially disenfranchised DC residents, legal help for these problems can be entirely out of reach, putting their homes, their families, and their health at risk.

Whether it is providing financially disenfranchised individuals with full representation in a court of law or leading a “know your rights” informational session in a local community center, civil legal aid gives a voice to those in need. DC Bar Foundation is the largest funder of civil legal aid and a steadfast community partner, committed to protecting the basic rights of all people. Through the help of the DC Bar Foundation, DC residents with low incomes can gain access to justice to protect and improve their lives, regardless of what they can afford.

Every DC resident should have access to the legal assistance necessary to improve their lives, protect their families, and strengthen their communities. Since 1978, the DC Bar Foundation has awarded civil legal aid grants totaling more than $95 million to ensure equal access to legal protection, regardless of income or circumstance. Our strategic investments go directly into the community to make a tangible difference in people’s lives.

KEEPING FAMILIES IN THEIR HOMES
While equal justice under the law is a fundamental American value, all too often that value is unfulfilled. Most DC residents who are low-income and facing housing-related legal issues are at a clear disadvantage when having to navigate a complicated court system alone.

PROTECTING PEOPLE IN THE MARKETPLACE
Assuring fairness for all in the justice system, regardless of income or circumstance, is central to our democracy. Often during their most challenging times, DC residents living in poverty are denied their rights as employees, consumers, and patients due to power imbalances and various bureaucracies in the legal system.

AMPLIFYING VOICES OF THOSE IN NEED
The bedrock principle of our founding fathers — justice for all, not just for those who can afford it — is especially critical for DC’s most vulnerable residents. For children, the elderly, and immigrants facing life-changing situations, navigating the justice system alone can be an insurmountable challenge.

Assuring fairness for all in the justice system, regardless of income or circumstance, is central to our democracy. Often during their most challenging times, DC residents living in poverty are denied their rights as employees, consumers and patients due to power imbalances and various bureaucracies in the legal system.

CONTACT DC BAR FOUNDATION:

TEL. 202.467.3750 | FAX. 202.467.3753 | INFO@DCBARFOUNDATION.ORG
200 MASSACHUSETTS AVE, NW, SUITE 700, WASHINGTON, DC 20001