Lowest - Funded States

Between 1990 and 2000, the resources targeted to equal justice nationwide doubled in size, growing from $400 million to $800 million per year. Since LSC funding was stagnant at $300 million, all of this growth is attributable to non-LSC sources. Funding from public and private non-LSC sources grew five-fold, from $100 million in 1990 to $500 million in 2000. Despite these successes, some states lag far behind, with systems limited to under-funded, restricted LSC-funded programs, able to meet only a small fraction of individual client need and prohibited from addressing some key problems facing their client communities. Per poor person, these states have only one-fifth the resources of the highest funded states to devote to civil legal aid, and the disparity among states is growing.

The Project is seeking to redress this disparity in five ways:

• Promoting successful models, developing new ones. In partnership with the ABA/NLADA SPAN project, the Project continues to promote the development in the lowest funded states of partnerships, messages and models that have a proven track record of success in other states. In addition, the Project will seek to develop new models for promoting state-level equal justice leadership in those states that face particular challenges in the area of resources.
• Integrated Project strategies. Nationwide, the withdrawal of legal aid programs from concerted racial justice advocacy has diminished responsiveness to the needs of communities of color. This development is at least partly attributable to federal legal services restrictions and funding cuts, but it is compounded in poorer states, especially in the South, where systems of access to justice are small and under-resourced. The Project will coordinate its resource development strategies in low-funded states with the outreach strategies it is pursuing to engage the civil rights and racial justice communities.
• Foundation outreach. The Project will continue its foundation outreach and education efforts, with a particular emphasis on educating national and regional foundations about the overwhelming resource needs in the Deep South, Rocky Mountain and Plains States regions.
• Growing state level advocacy. The Project will continue to provide forums for state level advocacy organizations in lower-funded states to share information about fundraising techniques and strategies to increase public support. The Project's particular focus will be on the new messages and models that may prove necessary to increase support for the more controversial work.
• Message and communications assistance. The Project will provide technical assistance to low-funded states to help them develop communications strategies for increasing funding and public support for civil legal aid. This assistance will enable state leaders to make optimum use of the communications tool kits and help in developing message strategies for target audiences. This focused technical assistance in the area of communications also will be integrated into the Project's new outreach to civil rights and community-based organizations.