Since 1984, the State Bar has disbursed approximately $783 million for legal aid in California. In 2024, we delivered approximately $180.3 million in grants to 110 legal services organizations that provide free legal aid to low-income Californians. The total in 2023 was nearly $149.6 million.
Funds come from the following sources:
Any lawyer who handles client funds that are too small in amount or held too briefly to earn interest for the client must hold these funds in the Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOLTA). Revenue from interest generated on these accounts is remitted to the State Bar to be distributed to eligible legal aid grantees. These funds are distributed in accordance with California Business and Professions Code section 6210, et seq. More about IOLTA
In 2024, the State Bar distributed $95.3 million to legal aid grantees and $50.7 million was distributed in 2023.
Each fiscal year since 1999, the Legislature has appropriated funds for the Equal Access Fund. The first appropriation was $10 million. These funds come from taxpayers and court filing fees. Since its inception, the fund has grown. The Legislature sometimes designates funds for particular purposes, such as preventing homelessness, which the State Bar distributes through a competitive grants process. For example, for 2022, the Legislature allocated $70 million to the Equal Access Fund, of which $65 million will be distributed by the State Bar, and another $40 million for homelessness prevention.
Attorneys can donate to the Justice Gap Fund when paying their annual licensing fees or at any time throughout the year. Donations to the Justice Gap Fund are combined with IOLTA revenue to fund legal aid grants. More about the Justice Gap Fund
In 2015 and 2016, the State Bar received approximately $51 million in grant funds resulting from settlements between the U.S. Department of Justice and Bank of America and Citi. The State Bar administers these grants to legal services organizations to provide foreclosure prevention legal assistance and community redevelopment legal assistance. Grants began in 2016 and will continue into at least 2025.
In 2022, the California Homeowner Relief Corporation—a not-for-profit corporation created by the California Housing Finance Agency—contracted with the State Bar to administer approximately $12 million in grants for legal services. The funding comes from the federal Homeowners Assistance Fund. Grants were awarded to 11 organizations in California that provide legal assistance for foreclosure prevention to eligible homeowners. The grant period started July 2022 and will end June 2025. The 11 grantees are:
For more information on the grantees and their services under this grant, please visit the California Mortgage Relief Program website.