WisTAF makes third round of Legal Aid Advancement Grants
August 8, 2025
Contact: Benson Gardner, communications and development manager, bgardner@wistaf.org
The Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation (WisTAF) made a third round of Legal Aid Advancement (LAA) grants last month. A total of $3 million was distributed to 15 organizations that provide civil legal aid to people in Wisconsin who need access to justice but cannot afford to pay for professional legal services.
A rare piece of good news for people with unmet civil legal needs in Wisconsin, the Legal Aid Advancement grants are made possible by elevated interest rates on Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts (IOLTAs). Overall, higher interest rates on IOLTA accounts are not enough to completely offset the decrease in federal funds which has been hitting many civil legal aid providers. The increased revenue is also not sufficient to address all the estimated civil legal needs that currently go unmet for low-income people in Wisconsin. Still, WisTAF has seized the opportunity to mitigate access-to-justice challenges for those in economic disadvantage.
The foundation has awarded a total of $7.5 million in LAA grants over the past three years. To quickly and effectively help more people in need, LAA grants are distributed to current recipients of WisTAF's longest-standing grant program, Direct Legal Services.
WisTAF is the state's civil legal aid administrator established by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Civil legal aid means legal advice, legal representation, and high-quality legal information that allows people to protect their rights and seek justice through the legal system when they can't afford to pay for an attorney.
| Grantee organization | Area served | LAA Grant |
|---|---|---|
| ABC (Advocacy and Benefits Counseling) for Health, Inc. is a nonprofit public interest law firm serving families throughout Wisconsin on legal issues related to health care access and financing. | Statewide | $142,038 |
| Catholic Multicultural Center (CMC) is a social service agency on Madison’s South side. The CMC runs the Immigration Legal Services Program to help low/no income immigrants and refugees who are unable to afford the services of a private attorney. | Columbia, Dane, Grant, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Jefferson, LaFayette, Marquette, Rock, and Sauk counties | $31,494 |
| Center Against Sexual & Domestic Abuse (CASDA) provides free services to individuals hurt by domestic, sexual, or child abuse, as they advocate for a community effort to end violence. | Ashland, Bayfield, and Douglas counties | $46,241 |
| Centro Legal is a nonprofit corporation whose primary purpose is to provide legal representation to the poor and those with limited resources for a reasonable and accessible price in the Milwaukee area. | Milwaukee and Waukesha counties | $65,000 |
| Community Justice, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation that provides legal services to Madison-area low-income families and individuals on a sliding-fee scale based on federal poverty guidelines. | Dane, Dodge, Crawford, Columbia, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Juneau, Lafayette, Marquette, Rock, Sauk, and Waushara counties | $37,877 |
| Disability Rights Wisconsin defends the rights of people residing in Wisconsin’s public and private institutions, and represents individuals under the Americans with Disabilities Act through information and referral, direct legal representation, and in limited situations, class action litigation. | Statewide | $300,000 |
| End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin – RISE Law Center provides quality, affordable direct legal representation to low income survivors of Domestic Violence & Sexual Abuse, primarily immigrants and refugees with limited English proficiency, in an effort to prevent and eliminate violence in intimate partner relationships. | Statewide | $31,564 |
| Judicare Legal Aid provides civil legal assistance, information and education to low-income people, Native Americans, and others who might otherwise be denied access to justice. | 33 counties in northern Wisconsin, and Native American clients statewide | $450,000 |
| Kids Matter Inc. provides legal services and other advocacy for children in foster and kinship care in the greater Milwaukee area. | Milwaukee and Waukesha counties, limited services statewide | $82,855 |
| Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc. serves low-income clients in the areas of family law and domestic violence, housing, public benefits, special education, and economic development. | 39 counties in southern Wisconsin | $1,512,000 |
| Legal Aid Society of Door County is a volunteer organization that operates primarily as a screening and referral source to coordinate legal services through local pro bono attorneys. | Door County | $2,500 |
| Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee provides family law, public benefits, landlord-tenant, consumer, municipal ordinance defense and civil rights law to low-income people in Milwaukee. | Milwaukee County | $236,441 |
| LOTUS Legal Clinic, Inc. serves victims of gender-based violence and human trafficking through trauma-informed legal advocacy, policy initiatives, education, and survivor empowerment. | Statewide | $30,000 |
| Portage County Legal Aid Society is a volunteer attorney legal service that addresses the need for pro bono civil legal services for indigent persons in Portage County. | Portage County | $19,490 |
| Vivent Health is committed to being a respectful, caring partner serving everyone affected by HIV through comprehensive, integrated programs including legal services. | Statewide | $12,500 |
| TOTAL | $3,000,000 |
Staff listing | service@wistaf.org
203 S. Paterson St., Ste. 200
Madison, WI 53703
608-257-6845 or 877-749-5045 (toll-free)
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