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Grants

Legal Services Grants

IICJ Legal Service Grants

Together we can build a more equitable justice system. 

CBF funds and awards annual operating grants to legal aid organizations, which support a full range of civil legal services to low-income Connecticut residents with limited access to, or representation in, the justice system.

  • CBF is the primary funder of civil legal aid services in Connecticut

    IICJ Legal Services Grants, CBF's primary grant program, combines Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts/Interest on Trust Accounts (IOLTA/IOTA); Court Fee Grants-in-Aid (CFGIA); and Judicial Branch Grants-in-Aid (JBGIA).

    In 2026, CBF's Board of Directors approved $24.5 million in funding to 12 organizations within Connecticut's legal aid network. This funding supports programs that help people access basic needs, support those struggling with housing, protect victims of domestic violence, help families struggling with crises, and more.

Grant Eligibility:

*The 2026 IICJ Grant application for Jan. 1, 2026-Dec. 31, 2026 was open from Friday, Aug. 22 through Sept. 12, 2025. 

Connecticut General Statue 51-81c stipulates that CBF’s Legal Services Grants  (IOLTA/IOTA; JBGIA; CFGIA) fund nonprofit organizations whose primary purpose is to provide civil legal services to low-income people in Connecticut.  

An IICJ grant recipient must: 

  1. Be a nonstock nonprofit corporation qualified as tax exempt under Sections 501(a) and 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; 
  2. Have as its principal purpose the delivery of legal services to the poor in Connecticut; 
  3. Have certified financial statements for the three preceding years and have an appointed independent certified auditing firm; and 
  4. Have registered with the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection. 

Nonprofit organizations that meet the above requirements and are interested in applying for a grant may fill out a preliminary form that CBF will review to assess eligibility. Funding decisions are made by the CBF Board of Directors, in consideration of the Grantmaking Committee's recommendation. 

*New applicant inquiries must be received by July 1st in order to be considered for the upcoming grant cycle. The application will be shared with eligible organizations when the cycle opens in August.

  • Supporting Legal Aid
    Supporting Legal Aid

  • CBF is proud to support grantees like the Connecticut Fair Housing Center (pictured left), whose work helps people solve life-changing legal problems.

    Image: CBF staff and Board members visiting CFHC. Pictured in front of a mural of their historical office building, the former Capewell Factory, built around 1900.

IICJ funding details

IICJ funding details

Connecticut Bar Foundation seeks to further the rule of law and assist in efforts to improve the administration of justice in Connecticut based on the fundamental premise that the rule of law is essential to an orderly and just society and must be available to all, regardless of power or resources. The Foundation tries to accomplish this objective in part by working to secure and administer a reliable and sufficient flow of funds to support legal services and access to justice for persons of limited means. 

IICJ Funds combine three funds:

Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts/Interest on Trust Accounts (IOLTA/IOTA): CBF receives and distributes funds generated from IOLTA and IOTA through grants that support nonprofit corporations whose principal purpose is providing legal services to the poor in Connecticut. This source of funding is also used to provide grants to the three law schools in Connecticut, to award scholarships to qualified law school students based on financial need.

Court Fees Grants-in-Aid (CFGIA): In an effort to replace drastically reduced IOLTA revenue after the Great Recession, the Connecticut General Assembly passed certain court fee increases in 2009, 2012, 2014 and 2016, directing the Judicial Branch to transfer the revenue from these increases to the Foundation to fund grants to IOLTA grantees. The Judicial Branch transfers the revenue from these increases to the Foundation monthly. The Foundation distributes the funds to current IOLTA grantees pursuant to Sec. 51-81c of the Connecticut General Statutes.

The public acts that established these increase are available here: Public Act No. 09-152, Public Act No. 12-89, Public Act No. 14-217 sec 179, or Public Act No. 16-26.  

Judicial Branch Grants-in-Aid (JBGIA): In 2005, the Connecticut General Assembly approved the initial funding in the Judicial Branch budget for legal services organizations. Since then, funds have been distributed to the Foundation, which administers the program, and grants have been awarded proportionately to the current IOLTA/IOTA grantees that provide civil legal representation to poor people in Connecticut.

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