Thank you for supporting access to justice in Massachusetts!

Dear Friend,

Once again this year, Massachusetts Bar Foundation funding has provided a lifeline to low-income individuals and families seeking legal assistance to overcome great obstacles in their lives. Because of your generosity, the MBF awarded $3.4M in much-needed IOLTA grants to 76 legal aid programs in every region of the Commonwealth.

MBF-funded programs had a tremendous impact in 2023, providing legal assistance to more than 45,000 clients statewide, clients like Francisco, Jenny, Yusuf, and Sarah:

Meet Francisco:
Thanks to help from MetroWest Legal Services, “Francisco,” who came to the U.S. at age 12 and has survived years of abuse and abandonment by his family, obtained Special Immigrant Juvenile Status and legal permanent residency, allowing him access to the financial aid needed to fulfill his dream of studying criminal justice at a four-year college.

Meet Jenny:
After years of harassment and physical abuse from her ex-husband, “Jenny” was now facing his attempt in a Worcester court to take full custody of their two children before an attorney from Community Legal Aid negotiated an agreement in her favor, which included Jenny maintaining physical custody of the children, moving parenting exchanges to a police station, and increasing her child support.

Meet Yusuf:
“Yusuf,” a Boston teen with autism, was able to avoid expulsion from his school after a physical incident, and to renew his right to proper educational services when a Massachusetts Advocates for Children attorney successfully demonstrated that the behaviors leading up to the incident were a manifestation of Yusuf’s disability.

Meet Sarah:
With the intervention of Berkshire County Regional Housing Authority’s legal assistance program, “Sarah”, a disabled woman who lost her apartment of 22 years due to a fire, could end her period of homelessness and receive relocation benefits and a new apartment for herself and Daisy, her emotional support dog.

These brief stories of success offer a glimpse into the broad spectrum of ways in which donors like you have improved the lives of thousands of individuals and families without resources of their own. But the need is still great;  47% of eligible legal aid clients must be turned away due to the lack of available funding.

A generous gift to our annual fund will significantly impact our ability to close the justice gap in Massachusetts. Please join us in these critical efforts today by making your tax-deductible contribution today.

If you would prefer to make your gift by mail, please download our donation form.

Track our progress with our MBF Snow Globe