Civil Legal Counsel Projects Program

The DC Bar Foundation is the leading funder of civil legal aid in the District of Columbia and has invested more than $200 million in DC's legal aid network since its inception in 1977. The Foundation supports legal services providers and critical issues affecting District residents in order to strengthen and expand the civil legal aid network and improve access to justice. In addition to its grantmaking, the Foundation administers loan repayment assistance programs for attorneys working at DC legal aid organizations and provides training and technical assistance. Through the Civil Legal Counsel Projects Program, the Foundation will provide grant funding to DC-based nonprofit legal services providers to make eviction prevention services available to District residents with low incomes or who are underserved. Funding for this program is supported by a grant from the District of Columbia Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants. Civil Legal Counsel Projects Program funding is intended specifically for free civil legal services associated with eviction prevention. Funds may be used only for free civil legal services, only for services to District residents with low incomes or who are underserved, and only for projects providing eviction-related proceedings and adjacent services intended to prevent evictions. Covered proceedings include actual or reasonably anticipated administrative or judicial proceedings in the District concerning eviction, rent increases, current rent, specified housing code violations, termination from a housing subsidy program, and specified rights under the Human Rights Act of 1977 or Rental Housing Act of 1985. Civil legal services must include individual representation of District residents and may include supervision of that representation. Representation must be performed by a qualifying Licensed Legal Professional. The source does not state an applicant award minimum, maximum, total program funding amount, or required cost share or matching contribution. Eligible applicants must generally be not-for-profit District of Columbia corporations located and operating primarily within the District and have tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Qualified legal services providers must possess expertise in housing law, landlord-tenant law, or related experience representing eligible individuals or groups in covered proceedings; use the funds only for covered proceedings; maintain adequate infrastructure and expertise for high-quality oversight, training, evaluation, and strategic responses to changing client needs; and demonstrate expertise in recognizing and responding to multiple legal issues affecting District residents with low incomes or who are underserved. A nonprofit organization may also apply jointly with a legal services provider meeting these requirements. Organizations may seek funding for one project, multiple projects, and/or joint projects, but must submit one project per application. For a joint project, each participating organization must submit its own application. Applications are evaluated against organizational and project standards and stated funding priorities. Strong organizations should demonstrate systems for identifying and responding to pressing civil legal needs, supervising and developing staff, incorporating stakeholder and client feedback, engaging pro bono attorneys, increasing accessibility of legal services, and coordinating with relevant stakeholders. Strong projects should establish ambitious but realistic service goals, expand access in underserved areas, support substantial pre-court intervention and collaboration, increase pro bono participation, demonstrate sufficient service-delivery capacity, and show a high likelihood of sustainability. Funding priority is given, all other factors being equal, to applications addressing critical legal needs associated with covered proceedings, expanding effective eviction-related assistance, avoiding duplication, improving accessibility, expanding pro bono participation, leveraging DCBF resources, providing services not supported by other funding sources, or testing innovative approaches. The application consists of Part One, Organization Profile, and Part Two, Application Proposal. The Organization Profile covers the organization's budget, mission and legal services, service-delivery systems, executive and board information, and board and staff demographic information. Required financial document uploads include Nonprofit Status, Organizational Budget, Form 990, and recent Audited Financial Statements. Part Two describes the proposed project and contains Project Overview and Information, Project Budget, Funding Sources, Project Staffing and Consultants, Application Narrative, Proposed Performance Measures, and Impact Demographics. Applications must be submitted through the DC Bar Foundation Grants Management System at https://dcbarfoundation.org/gms. Applicants log in or create an account, select Grants and Applications, choose NEW APPLICATION, and select the appropriate grant program. Organizations seeking support for multiple projects may submit multiple applications. Application samples were released July 24, 2026, and applicants could begin submitting applications in the Grants Management System on August 3, 2026. Applications are due August 31, 2026, by 5:00 pm; because the source does not identify a time zone, the deadline is treated as Eastern Time for data-entry purposes. Awards are scheduled to be announced in December 2026, and the grant year runs from January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2027. The source does not explicitly state that the opportunity recurs annually or on another fixed schedule, so it is not coded as recurring. Approved organizations must submit quarterly financial reports to the DC Bar Foundation, semiannual Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants metrics reports, and programmatic data to a third-party evaluator at intervals specified in the grant award. Grantees may also be required to participate in programmatic and/or financial site visits. Questions about the program, application process, or monitoring and evaluation may be directed to grants@dcbarfoundation.org.

Set ambitious but realistic measurable goals for eviction-related legal services; demonstrate increased access for residents in underserved areas; establish substantial pre-court intervention and collaboration goals; expand pro bono attorney and law firm engagement; demonstrate adequate capacity and sustainability; avoid duplication of existing services; improve accessibility of eviction-prevention assistance; leverage DCBF resources; identify services not supported by other funding sources; consider innovative approaches