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The people of Wisconsin have common needs: a home, access to medical care, a good job, safety from harm. But at times, barriers to meeting those needs exist. Unfair landlords, health insurance disputes, discrimination from employers or the fear of an abusive spouse or family member are obstacles that require legal help to overcome. The chasm that stretches between those who have access to the justice system and those who don’t is deep. Our neighbors face joblessness, impossibly high medical costs, loss of home and, in the case of severe domestic abuse, possibly the loss of their own or a loved one’s life.
The Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation, Inc. (WisTAF) was created in 1986 by the Wisconsin Supreme Court to help bridge that gap. WisTAF brings Wisconsin’s legal and financial communities together to generate funds which are used to make grants to agencies providing civil legal services to Wisconsin’s most vulnerable residents. Families and individuals throughout the state receive the legal help they need to deal with such issues as escaping domestic violence and abuse, foreclosure, bankruptcy, illegal eviction, and obtaining the medical benefits they are due to name just a few. Grant money also funds law-related services such as legal education, indirect legal services or other community services approved by the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Over the past quarter of a century, WisTAF has awarded more than $58 million to grantee agencies working for increased access to civil justice.
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 for their dedicated efforts in this great collaborative effort.
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