SC Bar Foundation awards $1.89 million in grants
July 10, 2012
COLUMBIA, SC – July 10, 2012 – The South Carolina Bar Foundation has awarded $1.89 million in grant funds to support civil legal aid, law related education and other legal related projects.
In Greenville, the Upstate Mediation Center received $15,000 to help provide family court mediation services to low income individuals. The Center estimates that 90 volunteers will serve 1,500 people in 650 mediations this year. The SC YMCA Youth in Government (YIG) program was awarded $15,000 for scholarships targeted at Title One schools. Students who were unable to participate in YIG’s model legislature and mock trial program now have the opportunity.
Statewide entities with a presence in the Upstate also received Foundation funding. South Carolina Legal Services ($1.4 million) is the only full-range civil legal services provider for low income citizens. With 14 offices throughout the state, the law firm serves thousands each year. The SC Bar Law Related Education Division promotes civic education through programs for the state’s youth ($216,000). The SC Bar Pro Bono Program ($100,000) works to serve those in need by utilizing volunteer lawyers.
The SC Access to Justice Commission ($82,400) explores ways to expand legal services for low income South Carolinians. The SC Center for Fathers & Families ($65,000) oversees and manages the operations of six fatherhood programs that connect low income fathers with a livable wage jobs. The Center also gives training and support to help the fathers become better dads. The SC Bar Ask-A-Lawyer Program ($40,000) hosts legal education clinics, phone banks and legal lessons seminars to advance the publics’ understanding of the law. SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center ($15,000) provides training for legal services lawyers, pro bono attorneys and the private bar on areas of law that affect the low income community.
About the South Carolina Bar Foundation
The South Carolina Bar Foundation funds the advancement of justice by improving access, education and accountability. Since 1987, the Foundation has allocated approximately $43.8 million to various legal related organizations that work on behalf of the justice community. Last year alone, Foundation grantees assisted more than 10,200 low income South Carolinians in need of legal services, 450 homeless men and women and 390 victims of domestic abuse. For more information, visit scbarfoundation.org.
