WisTAF

OUR MISSION

The Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation works with civil legal aid organizations in Wisconsin to increase access to justice. We oversee funds and invest in services and projects to help people resolve legal problems.

Does the FDIC protect funds in IOLTA acounts? For the answer to be yes, lawyers and financial institutions both have obligations to fulfill, and there is an important caveat related to client deposits. Learn how FDIC insurance applies to IOLTA accounts.


"The opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is justice.”
— Bryan Stevenson. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption.

"Without access to quality representation there is no justice.”
— U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Remarks celebrating 40th anniversary of the Legal Service Corporation.


Who we are

The Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation (WisTAF) works with civil legal aid organizations to increase access to justice. We oversee funds and invest in services and projects to help people solve their legal problems.

We are the state's administrator for civil legal aid funding established by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1986. We’re proud to play a leadership role in Wisconsin’s civil legal aid landscape. Learn more about our charge.


How we help

Thanks to WisTAF-funded services, including counsel from attorneys, clients address life-altering challenges and obtain the justice they’re entitled under the law.  

In 2021, WisTAF provided funding that directly helped 9,547 people, spread across every county in Wisconsin, to access the civil justice system. The flexibility of WisTAF funding also makes it play an outsized role in providers’ work to direct aid where people need it most.

All over Wisconsin, people avoided wrongfully losing their homes and jobs, secured their safety through restraining orders, protected their health or veterans’ benefits, and—one person at a time—helped strengthen their communities.

Learn more about our impact in our annual reports.


Partnerships at work

WisTAF wishes to thank its many partners from Wisconsin’s financial institutions and practicing attorneys & judges on the funding side, to grantee agencies and individual providers on the service side, as well as members of the new Civil Legal Aid Alliance of Wisconsin, for all their dedicated efforts to increase access to justice.

If you'd like to help this cause, there are simple things you can do to support civil legal aid.

We also welcome inquiries about new partnerships.

UPCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS
September 29, 2023
Racial Justice Workgroup meeting
October 11, 2023
WisTAF Board Meeting
November 17, 2023
Racial Justice Workgroup meeting
WHAT'S NEW
Civil legal aid delivers 8.4x economic return to Wisconsin
WisTAF announces 2023-2024 grants for civil legal assistance related to domestic violence and sexual abuse
Does FDIC protect IOLTA funds?
WisTAF is accepting applications for domestic violence/sexual abuse civil legal services funding through March 17th
WisTAF announces $7.4 million in COVID-related grant awards

More...

PRIME PARTNER SPOTLIGHT

One of our longest-standing Prime Partners, Farmers State Bank goes above and beyond IOLTA participation requirements by paying additional interest on its clients' IOLTA accounts — helping to expand access to civil legal services in Wisconsin. Farmers State Bank's participation reflects an admirable commitment to justice for all in Wisconsin.


Contact us
WisTAF
4600 American Parkway, Suite 104, Madison, WI 53718
Phone: 608.257.6845 or 877.749.5045 (toll-free)
Email: service@wistaf.org

Board & Staff
WisTAF
Board of Directors
WisTAF
Rebecca Murray, Executive Director
WisTAF
Tehmina Islam, Assistant Executive Director
WisTAF
Benson Gardner, Communications and Development Manager
WisTAF
Jeff Brown, Grants Program Manager
WisTAF

©2023, Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation, Inc., 4600 American Parkway, Suite 104, Madison, WI 53718
877-749-5045 (toll free) • service@wistaf.org • To report problems with this site, contact the webmaster.
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