LSC to Grant $3.4M for Technology to Improve Access to Justice
Updated: The Legal Services Corporation announced this week that it will grant more than $3.4 million to organizations looking to improve Web-based resources for low-income Americans.
The money to 43 organizations in 25 states is meant to be used to enhance pro bono, expand websites for veterans and for disaster recovery, and to improve data collection and analysis. The data collection is a new grant category for the LSC.
In a statement about the grants, LSC identified several recipients:
• $63,739 to Idaho Legal Aid Services for development of a Web-based virtual law office. This project includes e-signature software, video conferencing, video court appearance software, and hybrid Voice Over Internet Protocol.
• $118,475 to Prairie State Legal Services to better measure the effectiveness and impact of legal services in Illinois in order to improve delivery of services throughout the state.
• $90,460 to Legal Aid Services of Northeastern Minnesota for a pro bono initiative that will involve creating a set of settlement checklists and client interview guides optimized for mobile devices.
LSC has also granted $130,000 to Lone Star Legal Aid to revamp the National Disaster Legal Aid site, which was launched after Hurricane Katrina, according to a separate LSLA press release (PDF). Long Star Legal Aid will lead a coalition, which includes the ABA’s Center for Pro Bono, in an effort to redesign and retool the site and enable resources to work on mobile devices even when access to the Internet is unavailable.
Since Congress authorized funding for LSC’s Technology Initiative Grants in 2000, the organization has awarded more than 525 of the TIG grants totaling more than $40 million.
Last updated 9:45 a.m. Friday to include a note about an additional grantee.
