NY Bar Foundation awards $600K to legal aid groups, including Brooklyn organizations

May 5, 2023 Rob Abruzzese

New York Bar Foundation President Carla M. Palumbo (center) presents a grant check to Empire Justice Center for their School Discrimination Helpline. The Foundation presented grants to ninety-five organizations throughout New York State. Photo courtesy of the NY Bar Foundation.

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The New York Bar Foundation announced that it distributed more than $600,000 in charitable and educational grants to ninety-five legal services organizations across the state, including several Brooklyn-based groups.

These grants are critically important as they help fund programs related to access to justice in areas such as education, elder law, domestic violence, racial equity, veterans matters, housing, and family stability.

Foundation President Carla Palumbo also highlighted the allocation of grants for attorney well-being, recognizing the statewide need for attorney wellness and mental health support.

“These grants are critically important as they help fund programs related to access to justice in areas such as education, elder law, domestic violence, racial equity, veterans matters, housing, and family stability,” Palumbo said. “Included in these allocations were grants for attorney well-being, recognizing the statewide need for attorney wellness and mental health support.”

The impact of The New York Bar Foundation is profound. A compilation of 2023 Grantee reports showed that grants served more than 1.2 million people and benefited over 2.7 million of our neighbors in need of legal services throughout New York State.

Brooklyn-based organizations that received grants from the New York Bar Foundation include Access Justice Brooklyn, Brooklyn Defender Services, Brooklyn Legal Services, and Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A.

Lucia Whisenand, Chair of the Foundation’s Grants Review Committee, emphasized the significance of these grants in fulfilling the legal community’s commitment to upholding human rights and fundamental freedoms. The Foundation receives more than $1 million in grant requests each year, with grants typically ranging from $5,000 to $15,000.

“As lawyers we are committed to upholding human rights and fundamental freedoms,” Whisenand said. “These grants assist in fulfilling that commitment and amplify the impact of the donations we receive. The people we assist through the programs we support are our neighbors, the people we pass on the street, and members of the communities in which we live. Often, the grants are helping people out of dire situations.”