2024 Grantees
Category A:
Full-service civil legal aid providers
Association of Oregon Legal Services Programs
$1,375,450 The Association provides civil legal assistance to low-income Oregonians statewide through a network of offices in 17 communities. Assistance is coordinated and centered on the needs of the client community. Legal Aid Services of Oregon, Oregon Law Center, and Center for NonProfit Legal Services make up the Association.
Category B:
Other direct civil legal service providers
Immigration Counseling Service (ICS)
$175,000 Immigration Counseling Service improves the lives of Oregon’s immigrant communities, unaccompanied children, and survivors of human trafficking by providing affordable immigration legal services and free informational forums.
St. Andrew Legal Clinic
$141,750 St. Andrew Legal Clinic provides low- and moderate-income people with legal representation in family law cases bridging the gap for families who do not qualify for Legal Aid and cannot afford to hire a private attorney.
Disability Rights Oregon
$110,000 Disability Rights Oregon promotes and defends the rights of individuals with disabilities by providing statewide legal services to Oregonians with disabilities who are victims of abuse or neglect or have problems obtaining health care, special education, housing, employment, public benefits, or access to services.
Catholic Charities Immigration Legal Services (CCILS)
$83,000 CCILS provides low-cost consultations and legal representation to immigrants and refugees and educates the public focusing on family reunification and assistance to the most vulnerable immigrants and refugees, including survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking.
SOAR Immigration Legal Services
$75,000 SOAR Immigration Legal Services provides culturally competent, immigration-related legal representation and education to low-income refugees and immigrants in and around the Portland metro area.
Victim Rights Law Center
$63,000 The Victim Rights Law Center delivers free, holistic legal services to sexual assault survivors in Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington counties. VRLC’s legal services team prioritizes clients who live at the intersections of oppression.
New Avenues for Youth
$60,000 The New Avenues for Youth Legal Clinic is a partnership with the Metropolitan Public Defender and Lewis & Clark Law School providing pro bono legal services to young people experiencing housing instability.
Northwest Workers’ Justice Project / Northwest Employment Education and Defense Fund
$55,000 NWJP / NEED Fund provide community education and legal representation in employment matters to low wage, immigrant and contingent workers to protect workplace dignity and to improve wages and working conditions.
The Commons Law Center
$45,000 The Commons Law Center provides legal services to underserved communities; those who fall in the gap between being qualified or able to access legal aid services and those who can afford a private attorney.
Immigrant & Refugee Community Organization (IRCO)
$45,000 IRCO‘s Immigration Legal Services provides affirmative legal services, community education and navigation services, and community clinics.
Portland Community College Legal Resource Center’s CLEAR Clinic
$35,000 PCC’s CLEAR Clinic helps community members clear their records, clear up their housing and immigration issues, and clear their paths forward through free legal services and advocacy.
Lutheran Community Services NW
$33,075 Lutheran Community Services Northwest‘s Immigration Counseling and Advocacy Program provides a safe harbor for immigrants and refugees to learn their rights, maximize their legal status, and empower them to make the United States their home.
Catholic Community Services of Lane County
$28,000 Catholic Community Services of Lane County‘s Immigration Legal Services Program partners with Catholic Charities of Oregon to provide affordable access to quality legal services for the Lane County immigrant community.
Clackamas Workforce Partnership
$26,500 Clackamas Workforce Partnership provides no-cost pro se legal record expungement and fine forgiveness for eligible Oregonians through Clean Slate Clackamas. The program is also expanding to eviction expungements, gender marker changes, DACA filings and renewals, and assistance for undocumented people interested in obtaining legal documentation.
Youth, Rights & Justice
$25,000 Youth, Rights & Justice improves the lives of vulnerable children and families through legal representation and advocacy in the courts, legislature, schools, and community.
Clackamas Women’s Services
$20,000 Clackamas Women’s Services provides survivors of domestic and sexual violence with legal representation for contested protective orders through its Civil Legal Services Program.
Family Justice Center of Washington County
$20,000 The Family Justice Center of Washington County ‘s Access to Justice Project is a partnership with the St. Andrew Legal Clinic. This project will offer legal advice, assistance, and representation to victims in civil cases, including family law matters, Orders of Protection, and contested hearings.
Metropolitan Public Defender Community Law Division
$20,000 The Community Law Division ‘s mission is to address the negative impacts of an imbalanced criminal justice system by providing barrier reduction legal services to low-income, justice-involved Oregonians.
Volunteer Lawyer Project
$15,225 The Multnomah County Office of Legal Aid Services of Oregon has a specialized Pro Bono Unit operating six projects. Annually, approximately 1,800 clients are matched with volunteer lawyers who provide free legal help.
Lewis & Clark Law School’s Small Business Legal Clinic
$5,000 Small Business Legal Clinic provides transactional legal services to low-income small and emerging businesses throughout Oregon. The SBLC reduces legal barriers for individuals who have been historically disenfranchised, such as people of color, women and immigrants.
Category C:
Organizations that promote diversity or support education about the law
Portland State University’s Explore the Law Program
$19,000 PSU’s Explore the Law Program encourages diverse students to enter legal professions. Outreach for this program is targeted to communities and identities that are underrepresented in the legal field.
Civics Learning Project (formerly Classroom Law Project)
$15,000 The Civics Learning Project promotes public understanding of the law and legal process for 15,000 elementary and secondary students by incorporating the lessons and principles of democracy into the school curriculum.
Opportunities for Law in Oregon (OLIO)
$10,000 OLIO is the Oregon State Bar’s recruitment and retention program for law students who can contribute to the bar’s historically or currently underrepresented membership; who have experienced economic, social, or other barriers; who have personally experienced discrimination or oppression; or who can otherwise demonstrate a commitment to advancing the D&I Department’s mission.
Every year in addition to our grants budget, we dedicate part of our funds to our partners at the Campaign for Equal Justice. For 2024, we have pledged $30,000 to the CEJ.