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NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Feb. 10, 2023 – The Orange County Bar Association Charitable Fund announced its annual grant recipients, providing a total of $195,000 to 14 law-related organizations and programs in Orange County. Over the last decade, the OCBA Charitable Fund has provided over $1.4 million in grants to law-related charities in Orange County.
In previous years, the OCBA Charitable Fund grants provided critically needed services to a broad range of clients including victims of domestic violence, legal services for low-income residents of Orange County and foster youth, diversity pipe-line efforts, and assistance for homeless residents. This year’s grants will ensure that these vital community programs continue. Moreover, additional projects will support child abuse prevention, expand access to legal education, and serve the immigrant and homeless throughout Orange County.
A special reception for grant recipients was held on Feb. 9, 2023, at the OCBA office in Newport Beach, Calif. Attorney Larissa Dinsmoor, 2022 OCBA Charitable Fund Board President, presented the grants to recipients on behalf of the OCBA Charitable Fund.
The OCBA Charitable Fund extends its appreciation to the donors, sponsors, and volunteers who have helped to make this work possible through their support of its mission – to enhance the system of justice in Orange County and promote access to equal justice for all.
See the complete list of grant recipients below.
COLLABORATIVE COURTS FOUNDATION Orange County Participant Assistance Program • Grant awarded: $11,000 Provides Orange County Superior Court, Collaborative Courts participants with support necessary to graduate and become productive members of society.
COMMUNITY LEGAL AID SOCAL (CLA SOCAL) Consumer Debt Program • Grant Awarded: $20,000 Helps Orange County neighbors fight injustice by providing compassionate, high-quality legal aid, and advocating for stronger communities.
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS FOUNDATION, ORANGE COUNTY (CRF-OC) The Civic Education Project • Grant awarded: $35,000 Provides civic and law-related educational programs made available to all high school students in Orange County including Mock Trial, Peer Court, Constitution Day, Law Day, and the Orange County Career Forum.
COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATES (CASA) OF ORANGE COUNTY Mentor-Advocate Program • Grant awarded: $5,000 Provides a voice for youth in the child welfare system through a unique one-on-one relationship with trained and supervised court-appointed volunteer advocates.
ELDER LAW & DISABILITY RIGHTS CENTER (ELDR CENTER) Shelter Residents Right Advocacy • Grant awarded: $12,500 Provides access to justice and education through legal services for seniors, people with disabilities, and their families.
HUMAN OPTIONS Legal Advocacy Program • Grant awarded: $8,000 Provides victims of domestic violence and late life family violence with education on legal rights, court accompaniment and support, direct assistance, and resources.
LAURA’S HOUSE Legal Advocacy Services for Domestic Violence Survivors • Grant awarded: $8,000 Provides victims of domestic violence with a broad range of services and support to assist them in understanding and securing their legal rights so they can lead safe, productive, and violence-free lives.
ORANGE COUNTY GANG REDUCTION AND INTERVENTION PARTENERSHIP (OC GRIP FOUNDATION) “OC GRIP” Mission – To keep students on path towards success and away from criminal street gangs • Grant awarded: $4,000 Collaborative program involving multiple organizations, agencies, and volunteers to prevent kids from participating in gang related activity.
ORANGE COUNTY JUSTICE FUND (OCJF) Pro se deportation defense services for OC residents and families • Grant awarded: $6,000 Provides support for transformative and effective legal representation for some of the most vulnerable members of the Orange County community.
PROJECT YOUTH (OCBF) SHORTSTOP and STOP SHORT of Addiction • Grant awarded: $7,500 Provides an alternative to incarceration that includes group substance abuse prevention & treatment, intensive legal education, and an individualized restorative justice plan
PUBLIC LAW CENTER (PLC) Orange County Pro Bono Project • Grant awarded: $30,000 Provides free civil legal services, including counseling, individual representation, community education, and strategic litigation and advocacy to challenge societal injustices.
RADIANT FUTURES (Formerly WTLC) Survivor Immigration Legal Services • Grant awarded: $8,000 Assists individuals and families to escape the depths of domestic violence and exploitation, and specifically assists survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking with immigration relief such as U-Visas, T-Visas, and VAWA petitions.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE SCHOOL OF LAW Pre-Law Outreach Program (POP) • Grant awarded: $7,500 Provides assistance to undergraduate students from disadvantaged backgrounds to prepare for the law school application and admissions process, and to understand the unique demands of legal education.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE SCHOOL OF LAW Saturday Academy of Law (SAL) • Grant awarded: $7,500 Provides an educational pipeline program for underserved ninth-grade students from Santa Ana, Anaheim, and Garden Grove school districts.
VETERANS LEGAL INSTITUTE Pro Bono Veterans Legal Clinics • Grant awarded: $25,000 Provides pro bono legal assistance to homeless, at-risk, disabled, and low-income veterans and service members. Seeks to eradicate barriers to housing, education, employment, and healthcare and to foster self-sufficiency.
About the Orange County Bar Association Established in 1901, the Orange County Bar Association, with over 8,500 members, is one of the largest voluntary bars in California. The mission of the Orange County Bar Association is to enhance the system of justice, to support the lawyers who serve it, and to assist the community served by it.
About the Orange County Bar Association Charitable Fund Founded in 1995 as the charitable giving and fundraising arm of the Orange County Bar Association, the OCBA Charitable Fund provides resources to organizations and programs in order to enhance the system of justice in Orange County and promote access to equal justice for all. Over the last decade, the OCBA Charitable Fund has provided over $1.2 million in grants to law-related charities in Orange County.
Media Contact: Erick Palacios (949) 440-6700, ext. 123 epalacios@ocbar.org
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