Children's Legal Services grants

Children's Legal Services grants is sponsored by Florida Justice Technology Center (FJTC) / Florida Bar Foundation (FFLA). The Florida Bar Foundation (FFLA) approves funding for Children's Legal Services grants to support organizations providing legal services to children.

Children’s Legal Services - FFLA Children’s Legal Services Recognizing that children have special legal needs, and that those needs were going largely unmet, The Florida Bar Foundation (now FFLA) began funding grants for legal assistance to children in the early 1990s. The mission of Children’s Legal Services is to provide legal assistance to needy children in critical areas that affect their safety, well being and future development.

This mission is promoted through an annual competitive grant program centering on, but not limited to, legal assistance to foster care children, children seeking and in need of health benefits and children needing special educational assistance. Grants are awarded to children’s legal services programs throughout Florida, both statewide and local.

Through this grant program, FFLA also seeks to engage private volunteer attorneys in the provision of legal assistance to needy children by the funding of pro bono programs. The funding criteria established by FFLA for these grants are designed to encourage local matching funds and collaboration with other agencies providing services to children and among children’s legal services grantees.

Read about the impact of our funding: Foundation grantee advocates for rights of children with disabilities CABA Pro Bono wins 2021 Doyle Children’s Advocacy Award With support of lawyers, foster children bloom into successful adults Keeping children with disabilities out of the school-to-prison pipeline Foundation-funded project protects the rights of chronically ill children to specialty care Grant amounts vary based on available funding.

Recent grants ranged from $25,000 to $315,000, with a median amount of $87,870. Grant applications open July 1. The funding period is January 1 – December 31.

FFLA shall make grants to organizations, not individuals.

Qualified grant applicants must: Be non-profit entities, tax-exempt and qualified to receive charitable donations within the meaning of the Internal Revenue Code; Operate within the state of Florida; Have an audit mechanism that provides accountability of FFLA funds; Agree to satisfy all FFLA’s reporting requirements, including the submission of audited financial statements; Have a primary purpose of providing legal services to low-income Floridians; or a primary purpose that advances the administration of justice in Florida Be current in all filings required to be made by it with any governmental authority; Be an equal employment opportunity employer; and Be able to demonstrate that it can utilize any funds granted to it in a manner consistent with rules and policies adopted by the Board of Directors of FFLA.

Register and submit applications here . If you are a new grant applicant, do not use the links on this page to apply. You must first be approved as an eligible applicant.

Begin this process here. Additional eligibility requirements may be included in the application.

This grant is funded by FFLA on an annual basis in accordance with FFLA’s grant allocation for the corresponding year which may be culled from all available sources including existing reserves, restricted donations, Endowment contributions, unspent or returned funds, past investment earnings, the annual Florida Bar fee statement and other funds which may become available.

This grant is funded in part by IOTA funds collected pursuant to Rule 5. 1-1(g), rules regulating The Florida Bar. In addition, this grant program is supported by annual contributions from Florida lawyers and other contributions to FFLA.

Such contributions add significantly to the IOTA resources committed to this grant program. 175 Lookout Place, Suite 100