These grantees received Administration of Justice funding for a range of programs that ensure various stakeholders are supported in navigating their roles in the legal system.
2025 Grantee Highlights: Programs Improving the Operation and Management of the Justice System
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In 2025, NC IOLTA’s Board of Trustees awarded $12M in grants to more than 40 organizations dedicated to providing legal aid to low-income residents across the state and improving the administration of justice in North Carolina.
The organizations highlighted here — Duke University School of Law’s Bolch Judicial Institute, Criminal Justice Innovation Lab at UNC School of Government, Incubator for Legal Practice and Innovation, North Carolina Center on Actual Innocence, and Wake County Legal Support Center — received funding under NC IOLTA’s Administration of Justice grants, which seek to improve the administration of justice in North Carolina through a variety of programs that have a statewide impact or provide seed funding to pilot an innovative program in a local area.
These grantees received a total of $247,000 in funding for their programs focused on improvement in the operation and management of the justice system. Read more about each grantee below.
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Bolch Judicial Institute provides unique educational opportunities for sitting judges in the United States and around the globe, conducts research and supports teaching and scholarship, and develops civic education initiatives to advance its mission.
In 2025, the Institute was awarded a $42,000 Administration of Justice grant to support the Trauma-Informed Courts project to educate and train North Carolina judges. The project’s curriculum helps judges, court officers and court administrators understand the nature of trauma; the origin and lasting effects of trauma and toxic stress; intergenerational trauma; the connection between trauma and addiction; approaches to mitigating stress and establishing coping strategies; and other essential knowledge. The course also offers concrete practices judges might adopt in order to better interact with affected parties, particularly juveniles; read and understand trauma assessments; and craft trauma-informed orders.
The Institute’s 2025 work to improve the operation and management of the justice system resulted in:
Read more:
- Find highlights of other 2025 NC IOLTA grantees on our Grantees page.
- Explore the impact NC IOLTA grantees make for their clients and communities on our Stories page.
- Learn about the importance of civil legal aid on our Media Resources page under “FAQs About Civil Legal Aid in NC.”
Legislation passed by the North Carolina General Assembly on July 9, 2025, bars NC IOLTA from grantmaking from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. Consistent with the legislation, our 2026 funding cycle has not been opened.
Learn more about NC IOLTA and find our most recent updates on this issue on our Media Resources page.
The NC State Bar and NC IOLTA continue to seek a resolution to preserve funding for civil legal aid, which plays a critical role in building a legal system that works for everyone, breaking down barriers and creating strong communities across North Carolina.