The Foundation has the following grant programs

Civil Legal Aid FoR Low-Income Households

To learn more about the grantees the Michigan State Bar Foundation funds see: 2023 MSBF Grantee Services Report.

Supporting civil legal aid for low-income households is the focus of the Foundation’s largest grant program. Civil legal aid helps ensure fairness for all in the justice system, regardless of how much money you have. Civil legal aid helps individuals escape an abusive partner, stop a wrongful foreclosure, and defend against a fraudulent debt collector.  Nonprofit legal aid offices provide a full range of legal assistance including self-help services, access to information and representation in court. 

The Foundation provides approximately $8 million in recurring annual operating grants to four statewide and six regional nonprofit legal aid programs. With the help of the Foundation, our annual grantees continue to provide civil legal help to families facing urgent problems and advocate for systemic solutions to ensure fair outcomes. In addition to annual operating grants, the Foundation also provides funding for civil legal aid project grants. For information about the Foundation’s project grants click here.

Improvements to the Administration of Justice

In the last decade, the Foundation has distributed approximately $2.2 million for projects that improve the administration of justice (AOJ) through law-related education, conflict resolution, or assisting the delivery of civil legal aid to the poor. The AOJ grants are typically project-based grants which provide funding for innovative ideas.  These grants have included efforts such as helping develop a Medical Legal Partnership between a civil legal aid program and a community health center, helping citizens learn about being a juror, and helping an organization enhance their website to provide law-related educational materials for teachers and children. For information about AOJ grants, click here.