Florida Bar Foundation Fact Sheet

Mission: To provide greater access to justice through grants that:

• Expand and improve representation and advocacy on behalf of low-income persons in civil legal matters
• Improve the fair and effective administration of justice
• Promote service to the public by members of the legal profession by making public service an integral component of the law school experience.

Established: 1956 as 501(c)(3) public charity to foster law-related public interest programs.

Total Grants Awarded in FY 2010-11: $35.1 million

Total Grants Awarded since 1982: $387.2 million

Management and General, and Fundraising expenditures as a percentage of total expenses for FY 2010-11: 9.02 percent

2010-11 Operating Budget (management and general, program-related and fundraising): $3.83 million. 22 FTE staff.

Grants for Legal Aid in Florida for 2010: Provides 36.8 percent ($36.6 million) of legal services funding in Florida at 31 organizations serving all 67 Florida counties. Grants supports work of 406 full-time and 41 part-time legal aid attorneys and grantees' pro bono programs involving more than 15,096 volunteers.

Legal Aid cases handled with general supports funds in calendar year 2010: 102,348

Children's Legal Services grants awarded in FY 2010-11: $2.2 million to 23 grantees. 100 percent of donations to Lawyers' Challenge for Children on Florida Bar Fee statement go to CLS grants.

2011 Legal Services Summer Fellows Program: Supported 21 law students as 11-week Summer Fellows at Foundation legal aid grantees. The students were from 10 accredited law schools in Florida, as well as the University of Pennsylvania and Ohio State University.

Improving Florida's Justice System: The Foundation's Improvements in the Administration of Justice (AOJ) Grant Program provides funding in four areas:
Improvement in the operation and management of the court system
Improvement and reform of the criminal, civil and juvenile justice systems
Public education and understanding about the law, including law-related education
Promotion and support for public interest legal representation
The Innocence Project of Florida, which has exonerated more than 11 wrongly convicted people using DNA evidence, is an example of an AOJ-funded project. AOJ funds also support the Voluntary Bar Association Community Service Grant Program.

Fundraising: More than 2,000 Florida lawyers and members of the general public have made a pledge of $1,000 to become lifetime members of The Florida Bar Foundation and support its core mission ($200/year or $100/year for young lawyers, judges, government and nonprofit employees). The Foundation also offers charitable gift annuities and other forms of planned giving and has received Cy Pres awards from state and federal cases.

updated 7/2011