OVERVIEW: The Maryland Legal Services Corporation supports Maryland nonprofits that assist people in need of civil legal services.
IP TAKE: The Legal Services Corporation is an IOLA funder that supports organizations that offer legal representation to Maryland residents who would otherwise have difficulty affording it. It runs a transparent application program and is accessible if your organization works in its focus area. This funder does not fund programs that represent people facing criminal charges.
PROFILE: Established in 1982, the Maryland Legal Services Corporation (MLSC) is an Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts (IOLTA) foundation based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Maryland General Assembly established MLSC to raise funds and make grants to local nonprofits in need of civil legal assistance for low-income residents of the state. It has an executive director and a nine-member board of directors. The organization’s funding comes from the IOLTA program and surcharges on court filing fees. It aims to “ensure low-income Marylanders have access to stable, efficient and effective civil legal assistance through the distribution of funds to nonprofit legal services organizations.” MLSC funds local needs for civil legal services. Areas of interest include consumer rights, housing and family issues.
Grants for Criminal Justice
The Maryland Legal Services Corporation makes grants to nonprofit organizations that provide civil legal assistance for low-income Marylanders. Current MLSC grant programs include:
Operating Grants. MLSC’s largest grant program, these general operating grants support a wide range of legal services.
Judicare. This invitation-only program pays “private attorneys reduced fees to accept contested family law cases.”
Foreclosure Prevention Legal Services. This is an invitation-only program that serves “low-income Marylanders facing foreclosure, as well as low-income tenants facing displacement due to their landlord’s foreclosure.”
Workforce Legal Services. This is an invitation-only program that “embeds legal service providers at job training and other workforce development sites.”
Eviction Prevention (formerly Extended Representation) Project. This project funds “full representation of clients in judicial litigation or administrative proceedings.”
Past local grantees include Casa de Maryland, Catholic Charities Baltimore, and Heartly House.
Important Grant Details:
Grants range between about $15,000 and $500,000. Learn more about this funder’s local giving by examining its recent grantees. Grantmaking focuses on the state of Maryland.
MLSC funds must be used to “serve clients who meet income eligibility, defined in the statute as at or below 50% of Maryland median income.”
All grant decisions are made by the MLSC Board of Directors.
MLSC requires annual programmatic and financial audits of each grantee to ensure compliance with the terms and conditions of the grant award.
This funder also encourages “coordination among grantees and provide technical assistance to promote improvements in legal services delivery.”
This foundation accepts unsolicited grant applications from nonprofits. However, new applicants must contact MLSC prior to completing an application to discuss the idea and have a formal application sent to them.
In the past, the annual application deadline has been March 15. MLSC selects new grantees by May 31 and disburses funds by July 15.
Direct general questions to the staff at grants@mlsc.org or 410-576-9494.
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