Legal Services: I & R Grants; Sector Support Grants

The Bigglesworth Family Foundation aims to create systemic change by enhancing the capacity of non-profit organizations. Focused on addressing delivery system and historic challenges, it seeks to support programs with sector-wide impact potential. It collaborates with partners in legal services and technology to enhance access for underserved and underrepresented communities and aims to break the cycle of poverty.

Type of Support

Overview

The grant program focuses on supporting legal services through three main areas: Innovative & Replicable (I&R) Grants for new models that enhance organizational effectiveness and can be shared across the sector; Sector Supporting Grants for organizations that aid legal services programs in training, technical assistance, research, and advocacy; and Recruitment & Retention Grants to ensure a consistent pipeline of legal services professionals through support for loan forgiveness, assistance programs, fellowships, and staff well-being. Additionally, Advocacy Grants fund efforts to bolster the legal service sector's broader goals.

Eligibility

Organization's Location
USA
Program Location
Preferred locations: CA, All eligible locations: USA
Organization Type
501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations
Public entities
Organization Budget And Years
Organization's annual budget is between 1M and 5M
Other
  • Indirect cost recovery capped at 25% for project costs, applicable to nonprofits with budgets over $5M
  • Organizations with budgets less than $5M considered on a case-by-case basis
  • Primarily funds organizations in California
  • National organizations eligible for grants supporting: Access to Justice, Leadership development, Civil legal aid "think tanks"
  • Legal Services Organizations (LSOs) with budgets under $1M may request general operating support
  • LSOs with budgets between $1M and $5M encouraged to request general support or programmatic support with rationale
  • LSOs with budgets over $5M may request support for new/pilot programs or underfunded existing programs
  • Legal service programs within social service organizations or law schools with $5M+ budgets eligible for general operating support

Ineligibility

Organizations lobbying for new laws, legislation, or candidates
Organizations that discriminate based on age, political affiliation, race, national origin, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or religious belief
Individuals, direct scholarship applicants, or capital campaign fundraisers
Legal services organizations with operating budgets under $1M for program/project support
Legal services organizations with operating budgets over $5M for general operating support
Legal service programs within social service organizations or law schools with $5M+ operating budgets that lack a legal department and/or attorneys on staff.
10k – 30k

Submission

Schedule
Step 1: Letter of Inquiry
Application deadlines
Dec 2
May 9, 2025
Step 2: Full proposal (check website)

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