Montana Justice Foundation gives over $600K to improve justice

MISSOULA, Mont. — The Montana Justice Foundation is having another round of grants.

The foundation is giving more than $600,000 to organizations across the Treasure State to improve access to justice.

The funds aim to give people direct civil legal aid services.

Five domestic violence organizations:

• YWCA Billings
• YWCA Helena
• YWCA Missoula
• Safe Harbor (Ronan)
• Sanders County Coalition for Families

Three Alternative Dispute Resolution organizations:

• Billings Mediation Center
• Center for Dispute Resolution Center (Missoula)
• Center for Restorative Youth Justice (Kalispell)

And five CASA organizations.

• Hill County
• Lake and Sanders Counties
• Missoula
• Yellowstone County and Eastern Montana
• The Montana Innocence Project and Montana Fair Housing

Since its inception in1979 MJF has giving more than $8 million to nonprofits across the state.

The Montana Justice Foundation announced the following:

Montana Justice Foundation (MJF) is proud to announce more than $600,000 in grants to organizations around Montana working to improve access to justice. Since its inception in 1979, MJF has awarded more than $8 million to nonprofit organizations across Montana.

“We are thrilled to support these incredible Montana organizations,” said Alissa Chambers, Executive Director of the Montana Justice Foundation. “For low-income Montanans, unresolved civil legal problems can have devastating consequences creating additional barriers to safe, stable housing, economic opportunity, education, and employment. Whether our grantees are supporting kids in foster care, helping survivors of domestic violence, protecting seniors from fraud, or helping mediate civil disputes, the staff and volunteers of our grantees are working to balance the scales of justice.”

2023 Grant recipients providing direct civil legal aid services include Montana Legal Services Association (statewide), Cascade County Law Clinic (Great Falls) and the Senior Defense Fund (statewide). MJF supported 5 domestic violence organizations in connection with legal services for survivors (YWCA Billings, YWCA Helena, YWCA Missoula, Safe Harbor (Ronan) and Sanders County Coalition for Families); 3 Alternative Dispute Resolution organizations (Billings Mediation Center, Center for Dispute Resolution Center (Missoula) and Center for Restorative Youth Justice (Kalispell)); 5 CASA organizations (Hill County, Lake and Sanders Counties, Missoula, Yellowstone County and Eastern Montana), the Montana Innocence Project and Montana Fair Housing.

“We are grateful to everyone who participates in making these grant awards possible,” said Chambers. “Their generosity will make a meaningful difference in providing essential legal help to those otherwise forced to navigate our civil justice system alone.”

MJF is an independent 501c3 nonprofit organization working to increase access to the civil justice system. MJF raises grant funds through the Interest on Lawyer Trust Account (IOLTA) program, Cy Pres or other court-ordered awards, and contributions from Montana lawyers, law firms, and other donors. IOLTA accounts are interest-bearing trust accounts pooling short-term client funds that do not independently generate returnable interest. Cy Pres awards are remaining funds in class action settlements or judgments donated for charitable purposes, including access to justice. For more information about the Montana Justice Foundation, visit www.mtjustice.org.