American Bar Endowment Awards Nearly $7.4 Million To 2018 Grant Recipients

CHICAGO, April 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Bar Endowment (ABE), an independent, not-for-profit public charity originally established to support critical nationwide and local programs to advance the American justice system, recently awarded nearly $7.4 million to the American Bar Foundation (ABF), ABA Fund for Justice and Education (FJE), and 12 boots-on-the-ground initiatives to support vital law-related research, education, public service, and grassroots programs for 2018.

"We're thrilled to provide our 62^nd year of funding to support such important initiatives across the country," Joanne Martin, Executive Director of the ABE, said. "Made possible by the generous donations of thousands of lawyer members who gift any available annual dividends* from their ABE-sponsored insurance plans, our collective efforts continue to support projects such as those offering assistance to veterans and their families, providing pro bono legal services to survivors of domestic violence, advancing the legal rights of underserved populations, and a wide variety of programs of vital service to the public."

For the 2018 grant cycle, the ABE awarded nearly $3.6 million each to the ABF and FJE. The 12 Opportunity Grant recipients received a total of nearly $297,000. Over the past 62 years, the ABE has granted nearly $292 million to the critical programs and projects of these entities. 

"As the nation's leading independent research institute for the empirical study of law, the American Bar Foundation advances justice and increases the understanding of the law through research projects focused on the most pressing legal issues in the U.S. and the world," Ajay Mehrotra, Executive Director of the ABF, said. "The ABE's annual grant is critical to the advancement of our research, and we are incredibly grateful to them and their generous members for their ongoing support."

Hilarie Bass, President of the American Bar Association, said, "The ABE is the largest annual unrestricted donor to the ABA/FJE, supporting robust public service programming. Our prioritized charitable efforts utilize the unique capabilities of a national bar association, namely a diverse, committed, and knowledgeable membership, whose expertise is the backbone of the ABA's charitable efforts. These public service and education projects and programs result in great impact by increasing access to justice and defending the rule of law especially for those who are most vulnerable."

For the second consecutive year, the ABE funded a series of Opportunity Grants, which provide a new level of direct support for needed boots-on-the-ground projects that focus on improving access to legal assistance in underserved communities. The 2018 Opportunity Grant recipients are:

Asian Services in Action, Cleveland, Ohio
Arizona Bar Foundation, Phoenix, Arizona
Minnesota Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, St. Paul, Minnesota
Colorado Legal Services, Durango, Colorado
ABA Center for Innovation, Chicago, Illinois
Alaska State Association for Guardianship and Advocacy, Anchorage, Alaska
Center for Access to Justice, Atlanta, Georgia
Community Activism Law Alliance, Chicago, Illinois
Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence, Nashville, Tennessee
Death Penalty Due Process Review Project, Washington, D.C.
Innocence Project New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana
Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project, Jackson, Mississippi

For more information on the ABE and its grant-supported programs visit www.abendowment.org.

About the American Bar Endowment (ABE)
The American Bar Endowment (ABE) was established in 1942 and is an independent, not-for-profit public charity. Through the leadership of the ABE, lawyer members of the ABA are able to protect themselves, their families, and their professional endeavors through participation in a range of ABE-sponsored insurance products underwritten by New York Life – with the option to seamlessly gift any available annual dividends* they would otherwise receive to the ABE as a tax deductible donation. In turn, the ABE makes grants that support critical law-related public service, educational, and research programs. At its core, the ABE is a charitable organization powered by generations of lawyers committed to ensuring equal access to justice for all.

*Annual dividends are not guaranteed.

MEDIA CONTACT
Britt Logan
[email protected]

SOURCE American Bar Endowment

Related Links

http://www.abendowment.org