"Equal justice is not a caption on the facade of the Supreme Court building. It is perhaps the most inspiring ideal of our society. It is one of the ends for which our entire legal system exists … It is fundamental that justice should be the same, in substance and availability, without regard to economic status."

    Justice Lewis Powell, Jr., Former Associate Justice, U.S. Supreme Court

The Independence Foundation is committed to the support of free legal services for poor and disadvantaged residents of the Philadelphia region. Agencies funded under the Public Interest Legal Aid Initiative address civil legal issues confronting individuals from diverse populations who do not traditionally have adequate access to legal representation, including the indigent, the elderly, the disabled, and the homeless.

In 2000, Independence Foundation began awarding multi-year general operating grants to select legal aid organizations. These grants provide core operating support to strengthen the administrative capacity and the direct service programs of those agencies that deliver critical legal services.

Each year, a limited number of organizations are invited to apply for grants under our Public Interest Legal Aid initiative. Requests for proposals are distributed in the summer, with grant awards announced in the early fall. As with all of our initiatives, Independence Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals.

All organizations not previously funded by the Independence Foundation should follow the guidelines for submitting Letters of Inquiry outlined on the Grant Application Procedure page.