Kansas Bar Foundation

• Year: 2025
• Citation: Vol. 94 No. 2 Pg. 22
• Pages: 22

Kansas Bar Foundation No. 94 J. Kan. Bar Assn 2, 22 (2025) Kansas Bar Journal April, 2025

Kansas Bar Foundation Awards $525,000 in Grants and Scholarships

By Anne Woods, Director of Public Services and LRS

Once a year, the Kansas Bar Foundation (KBF) Board of Trustees reviews recommendations from its Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts/ Community Reinvestment Homeowners Assistance Committee and the Scholarship Committee to approve organizations to receive grants and scholarships for law students. This year, eight organizations providing civil legal services to Kansans and 12 outstanding law students are the recipients.

"This year, the remittances from the IOLTA program provided an increase from previous years. We realize that might not always be the case," said KBF President Scott Nehrbass. "We were able to increase the total amount awarded this year from last year, and members of the IOLTA/CRHA Committee tried to select proposals that would benefit Kansans across the state"

"The number of scholarship applications doubled this year from last year. Selecting the 12 to receive scholarships was not an easy task. It does however give us much to look forward to for future accomplishments from this group of applicants"

IOLTA Grants

Funding for the Interest on Lawyer Trust Account program (IOLTA) comes from the interest on lawyer trust accounts. IOLTA is a partnership with over 100 financial institutions, the Kansas Bar Foundation, and attorneys who hold the accounts. Since 1984, interest from the accounts has provided over $5 million in funding for grants to support civil legal services programs, law related education, and projects throughout the state.

Kansas Legal Services — $163,600

To provide civil legal services to 3,000 Kansans. This grant will be used to supplement and enhance their work providing holistic legal services to victims of crime in Kansas, including representation and advice, and may include victim compensation, employment, housing, eviction, home foreclosure, victims' rights enforcement, orders of protection, divorce or spousal support, and child custody. www.kansaslegalservices.org

KBA Bench-Bar Committee — $22,200

To sustain and improve www.yourkansasjudges.org, a resource designed to educate Kansas voters about appellate judges in our state. This website offers survey results from Kansas lawyers, detailed biographic profiles, sample opinions, and key information on the Kansas Judiciary. One important goal is to explain the role of the judiciary in maintaining a fair legal system.

Disability Rights Center of Kansas — $20,200

To continue to expand its services and to better meet the civil legal needs of its clients. DRC provides free legal representation and legal advice in situations where the disabled person's civil or disability rights are at stake, or they are a victim of crime. www.drckansas.org

Kansas CASA — $12,000

To support statewide...