After another year of increased interest earnings on lawyers’ general trust accounts, NC IOLTA will distribute nearly $12 million to organizations providing free civil legal services and other programs designed to improve the administration of justice.
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NC IOLTA Awards $12 Million in Regular Grants for 2025
North Carolina IOLTA will distribute nearly $12 million in 2025 to organizations providing free civil legal services and other programs designed to improve the administration of justice.
Established in 1983 as the philanthropic focus of the North Carolina State Bar, NC IOLTA improves the lives of North Carolinians by funding high-quality legal assistance. Since its inception, NC IOLTA has awarded more than $135 million in grants.
“Each year, many North Carolinians are navigating civil legal issues and simply cannot pay for an attorney to help them,” Shelby Duffy Benton, chair of the NC IOLTA Board of Trustees, says. “NC IOLTA believes all individuals should have support to meet their legal needs, and critical funding provided by NC IOLTA works towards this goal.”
Funding awarded by NC IOLTA in 2025 exceeds 2024 grantmaking as a result of increased revenue paid by the financial institutions that hold IOLTA accounts. With the additional funds, NC IOLTA was able to support several new programs and increase allocations to longtime grant partners.
“The dedicated organizations funded by NC IOLTA provide access to justice for vulnerable communities,” Mary Irvine, NC IOLTA Executive Director, says. “We are thrilled to support this necessary work which both changes lives and improves the administration of justice in North Carolina.”
In addition to its regular yearly grants, the NC IOLTA Board also approved $970,500 in funding to support organizations providing services to communities affected by Hurricane Helene.
Further, NC IOLTA will continue the IOLTA Public Interest Internship Program in 2025. This program offers summer stipends for law students who work in public interest internships in one of the 45 North Carolina counties that have been classified as legal deserts (i.e., counties with less than one lawyer per 1,000 residents). The IOLTA Public Interest Internship Program was reestablished in 2024 after it was discontinued due to decreased funding during the Recession.
Civil Legal Aid
In 2025, NC IOLTA will distribute nearly $12 million in grants to 35 nonprofits across the state. Ninety-three percent of those funds – more than $11 million – supports Civil Legal Aid Grants, which provide basic access to the justice system for individuals, families and children residing in every county in North Carolina.
$55,000
Civil Legal Aid Grant supports the Immigration Impact Lab.
$55,000
Civil Legal Aid Grant supports immigration legal representation.
$99,000
Civil Legal Aid Grant supports pre-petition advocacy for low-income parents.
$765,000
Civil Legal Aid Grants support programs including health care, housing, immigrant justice, low-income taxpayers and veterans. CCLA also received a system support grant for organizational capacity building.
$85,000
Civil Legal Aid Grant supports legal services for children in high-conflict custody cases. CLC also received a system support grant for strategic planning.
$50,000
Civil Legal Aid Grant supports the Immigration Legal Services program.
$135,000
Civil Legal Aid Grant supports the Custody Advocacy Program and the Education Law Program.
$550,000
Civil Legal Aid Grants support the Special Education Juvenile Justice Project and the Homelessness Prevention Project. DRNC also received a system support grant for technology upgrades.
$75,000
Civil Legal Aid Grant supports programs to preserve homeownership and property and to protect families from predatory financial practices.
$600,000
The Home Defense Project comprises six legal agencies working to preserve homeownership and housing stability for financially vulnerable and economically disadvantaged North Carolinians.
$110,000
Civil Legal Aid Grant supports legal services for immigrant populations.
$55,000
Civil Legal Aid Grant supports the Immigration Law Clinic.
$240,000
Civil Legal Aid Grant supports advocacy for survivors of human trafficking. JusticeMatters also received a system support grant for organizational capacity building.
$100,000
Civil Legal Aid Grant supports advocacy for family farmers and landowners.
$5,325,000
Civil Legal Aid Grants support programs including domestic violence, education, employment, health care, housing, public benefits and seniors. LANC also received a grant to support access to legal aid for rural communities and a system support grant for technology upgrades.
$50,000
Civil Legal Aid grant supports legal assistance related to health care access.
$160,000
Civil Legal Aid Grant supports the Pro Bono Resource Center.
$124,952
Civil Legal Aid Grant supports operating expenses.
$ 1,070,000
Civil Legal Aid Grant supports the litigation team. The Justice Center also received a system support grant for technology upgrades.
$66,500
Civil Legal Aid Grant supports the Safe and Humane Jails Project. NCPLS also received a system support grant for organizational capacity building.
$1,160,000
Civil Legal Aid Grants support programs including children’s law, domestic violence prevention, expunctions, health care, housing and more. PLS also received a system support grant for organizational capacity building.
$100,000
Civil Legal Aid Grant supports legal services for individuals impacted by domestic violence and sexual assault.
$55,000
Civil Legal Aid Grant supports the Humanitarian Legal Services program.
$55,000
Civil Legal Aid Grant supports the Immigration Legal Services program.
In 2025, NC IOLTA will distribute nearly $12 million in grants to 37 nonprofits across the state. Seven percent of those funds – nearly $850,000 – is directed to 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.
$42,000
Administration of Justice Grant supports the Trauma-Informed Courts project to educate and train North Carolina judges.
Up to $50,000
Administration of Justice Grant provides stipends for law students interning in legal deserts in North Carolina as part of the Public Interest Internship Program.
$50,000
Administration of Justice Grant supports restorative justice processes in Orange County.
Incubator for Legal Practice and Innovation
Up to $50,000
Administration of Justice Grant provides stipends for law students interning in legal deserts in North Carolina as part of the Public Interest Internship Program. Incubator for Legal Practice and Innovation
Up to $50,000
Administration of Justice Grant provides stipends for law students interning in legal deserts in North Carolina as part of the Public Interest Internship Program.
$15,000
Administration of Justice Grant supports a program for entrepreneurial attorneys building practices that serve underserved communities.
$39,000
Administration of Justice Grant supports a network of mediation centers across the state and their Criminal District Court mediation services.
$20,000
Administration of Justice Grant supports the development of the Judicial Learning Center, an online interactive e-learning resource.
$50,000
Administration of Justice Grant supports a program identifying, investigating and litigating credible claims of innocence.
Up to $50,000
Administration of Justice Grant provides stipends for law students interning in legal deserts in North Carolina as part of the Public Interest Internship Program.
$100,000
Administration of Justice Grant supports a pilot program to provide district criminal court mediation at no cost to participants.
$110,000
Administration of Justice Grant supports the Wake County Legal Support Center, a resource hub in the courthouse for self-represented litigants.
$110,000
Administration of Justice Grant supports the loan repayment assistance program.
$35,000
Administration of Justice Grant supports operating expenses.
$193,800
Administration of Justice Grant supports a Recruitment and Training Coordinator position aimed at improving retention and effectiveness of attorneys providing public defense. Their Office of the Juvenile Defender was awarded an additional grant to support the expansion of the roster of qualified juvenile attorneys.
$55,000
Administration of Justice Grant supports the Restorative Justice Durham project, an alternative process in Durham’s criminal-justice system to repair harms.
$30,000
Administration of Justice Grant supports technical assistance in rural, underserved Eastern North Carolina counties.
Up to $50,000
Administration of Justice Grant provides stipends for law students interning in legal deserts in North Carolina as part of the Public Interest Internship Program.
Up to $50,000
Administration of Justice Grant provides stipends for law students interning in legal deserts in North Carolina as part of the Public Interest Internship Program.