[District of Columbia, July 6, 2020] – In response to the COVID-19 crisis, the DC Bar Foundation has committed a minimum of $100,000 to support the DC civil legal aid network’s ability to adapt and respond to the emergent needs of DC workers and families who are most vulnerable to the health and economic repercussions of the current pandemic.
As a part of the philanthropic response to COVID-19, the Foundation’s grants to the following nine legal aid organizations will help mitigate high-priority and short-term emergency civil legal aid needs of the most vulnerable residents in our community:
1. Bread for the City
2. Children's Law Center
3. DC Affordable Law Firm
4. DC Volunteer Lawyers Project
5. The Safe Sisters Circle
6. School Justice Project
7. Torture Abolition & Survivors Support Coalition
8. Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs
9. The Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless
In awarding these nine grants, ranging from $5,000 to $25,000, the Foundation prioritized requests addressing issues in the following three areas: employment law, family law, and public benefits. “Right now, we are facing an unprecedented demand for civil legal services because of COVID-19," says Kirra Jarratt, Chief Executive Officer of the DC Bar Foundation. "And that demand will only continue to soar as our DC neighbors face new and unanticipated legal problems in the coming months. While our COVID-19 Response grants serve an important purpose, we must remember that once the courts fully reopen, we expect to have a wave of individuals who need help with housing issues. These grants are a short-term solution, and a robust legal aid network with the capacity to serve all of our neighbors in need will be critical to the city’s recovery from the pandemic.” To read about the impact the DC Bar Foundation is having across the District, please visit www.dcbarfoundation.org. About the DC Bar Foundation: For DC residents in poverty, we make strategic investments to strengthen and expand our civil legal aid network, addressing critical needs and improving our community. As the largest funder of civil legal aid in the District, we are a steadfast community partner, committed to protecting access to justice in life’s most pivotal moments.
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