Private foundation funding for civil legal aid is on the rise. There is no complete documentation of overall foundation funding for legal aid; however, our survey showed that at least 300 foundations funded civil legal advocacy for poverty-related issues between 1997 and 2000. Foundations made approximately 5000 grants between 1997 and 2006 to organizations that provide some kind of legal assistance to low-income persons or communities. Foundations that support civil legal aid include national foundations, regional foundations, corporate foundations, community foundations and family foundations.

Most grants for legal and policy advocacy are tied to substantive areas such as employment, health care, domestic violence, housing or community economic development. Some foundations have funded infrastructure or capacity-building in the areas of technology, communications or resource development.

Please e-mail Kate Lang for a copy of the Survey on Foundation Grants for Civil Legal Advocacy: 1997-2000 or for other information about foundation funding for civil legal aid. See the Foundation Center for more information about how to conduct research on foundation grants.