2025 Philadelphia Bar Foundation Extraordinary Grant Application

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Introduction

In response to extraordinary government funding cuts, the Board of Trustees of the Philadelphia Bar Foundation has authorized a withdrawal of 2% from the Foundation’s Board Directed Investment Funds for this year —and 2026, if necessary.

These additional funds, totaling $119,000 in 2025, will support a limited number of supplemental grants for immediate distribution to civil legal aid nonprofit organizations that are serving the most vulnerable, low-income Philadelphians and that have been profoundly impacted by current funding restrictions.

These extraordinary grants are authorized in addition to the Bar Foundation’s regular grantmaking cycle.

What organizations are eligible?

Any civil legal aid nonprofit may apply for an extraordinary supplemental grant if it meets the following criteria:

is a current Nonprofit Partner of the Philadelphia Bar Foundation
has lost (or anticipates losing) a substantial amount of its funding (at least 1/3) as a result of government funding cuts.
provides civil legal services primarily in Philadelphia.

What’s Required?

Nonprofits interested in applying for an extraordinary grant must submit an online application by May 16, 2025, along with the following materials:

The organization’s current budget (Include a program/project budget if requesting support for a specific initiative)
Most recent audited financial statement
A two-page narrative describing the impact of the funding cuts

Grant decisions will be announced no later than June 30, 2025.

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Organization Information

Name of the nonprofit organization

Please upload a copy of the nonprofit’s current budget

Is your nonprofit seeking funding for a legal services project?

YesNo

If your nonprofit’s legal services are part of a larger organizational budget, please provide a legal services project budget.

Please upload a copy of the nonprofit’s most recent audited financial statement.

Nonprofit’s Tax ID #

Organization Website

Primary Contact Name

Primary Contact Title

Primary Contact Email

Primary Contact Phone Number

Government Funding Impact

What percentage of your organization’s overall budget, or the specific program’s budget, was supported by the government funding that has been reduced or is expected to be eliminated?

What is the total extraordinary grant amount your organization is requesting?

Please briefly describe how these supplemental funds would support the delivery of civil legal services. Additionally, indicate how quickly your organization could deploy the grant if awarded.
(Maximum 2,000 characters)

Please attach a narrative (maximum 2 pages) detailing the specific nature of the government funding cuts (e.g., loss of contracts or grants) and the resulting impact on your organization’s capacity to serve Philadelphia’s most vulnerable, low-income residents. This may include, but is not limited to, unhoused individuals, those experiencing food insecurity, LGBTQ+ communities, residents of marginalized neighborhoods, immigrants, women, and returning citizens.

Staffing & Volunteer Information

	# of Full-Time	# of Part-Time	# of Volunteer
Total Employees
Attorneys
Paralegal/Paraprofessionals
Other

Please specify types of other paraprofessionals (if applicable)

Please indicate the primary affiliation of your volunteer attorneys:

Law firmsCorporations/in-house legal departmentsLaw schoolsOther (please specify)

Please list the law firm(s) and describe the nature of the collaboration.

Please list the corporations/in-house legal department(s) and describe the nature of the collaboration.

Please list the law school(s) and describe the nature of the collaboration.

If other, please specify here.

Service Area & Client Base

What percentage of your clients served in the past 12 months reside in Philadelphia?

What percentage (or number) of legal matters handled in the last 6 months involved pro bono legal services?

Would your organization benefit from additional pro bono legal support?

YesNo

If yes, what types of pro bono assistance would be most helpful? (e.g., litigation support, administrative hearings, brief advice clinics, legal research, etc.)

Contact Information