The ABA Fund for Justice and Education (FJE) is a 501(c)(3) charitable fund that supports the public service, policy, and education programs of the American Bar Association to improve access to justice, strengthen legal services delivery, expand civic education and engagement, and support the legal profession.
A defining feature of the American Bar Association Fund for Justice and Education is its support for ABA public interest initiatives that aim to improve access to justice, strengthen legal services delivery, expand civic education and engagement, and support the legal profession. Recent grants show that the fund backs both large program grants and awards, with support flowing to organizations such as Search for Common Ground in Washington, DC and Grameen Foundation USA, also in Washington, DC. The grant record also includes subgrants to implement specific work through partners such as Westat Inc in Rockville, MD and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges in Reno, NV. That mix suggests a funder that uses multiple grant types to advance legal education, public interest programs, and capacity-building work. Its scholarship program for law students from historically underserved backgrounds is part of the same broader portfolio, alongside grantmaking for legal services, civic education, pro bono and public service, and legal profession support. The foundation’s recent activity centers on U.S. recipients and reflects a national reach with recurring support across program areas.
Within access to justice and public interest work, the fund gave $412,000 in general support to the American Bar Association in Chicago, IL, and also made awards and fellowships to legal aid organizations such as Greater Boston Legal Services in Boston, MA. In legal services and court-related work, it funded the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges in Reno, NV through subgrants in 2023 and 2024. The foundation also supports civic and policy-related initiatives: Search for Common Ground in Washington, DC received $1,052,312 in 2023 and $455,891 in 2024 for grant support. Another policy-oriented grantee, Center for International Private Enterprise in Washington, DC, received support in both 2023 and 2024. Its scholarship program is a separate strand focused on law students from historically underserved backgrounds.
Typical grant sizes are broad, with a p25 of $32,264, a median of $76,470, and a p75 of $203,978. The grant list shows repeat support to several recipients across 2023 and 2024, including Search for Common Ground, Grameen Foundation USA, Center for International Private Enterprise, Greater Boston Legal Services, and Appellate Judges Ed Institute. That points to recurring funding rather than isolated one-time awards in several lines of work. The foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not fund individuals directly. Its active programs include general grantmaking and the ABA Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund, with unsolicited applications not accepted.
$7.6M
$42.4M
$102.4M
$100.9M
Most grants fall between $32K and $204K, with a median of $76K.
25th Percentile
$32K
Median
$76K
75th Percentile
$204K
About 5% of grants go to recipients in DC.
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Giving is national, with all recent grants going to U.S. recipients. DC appears most often as the recipient location, including organizations in Washington, DC such as Search for Common Ground, Grameen Foundation USA, and Center for International Private Enterprise. Other repeated recipient locations include Boston, MA; Baltimore, MD; and Reno, NV. Illinois accounts for 3% of grants to recipients in the HQ state, so most grants are sent outside Chicago.
It supports ABA public service, policy, and education programs tied to access to justice, legal services delivery, civic education and engagement, pro bono and public service, and support for the legal profession. Its active program list also includes general grantmaking and the ABA Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund.
No. The active general grantmaking program notes that specific funding opportunities and priorities are published by the Fund, and unsolicited applications are not accepted.
No. The foundation is marked as not funding individuals directly, and its recent awards are made to organizations and institutions through grants, subgrants, and awards/fellowships.
The distribution is wide: the 25th percentile is $32,264, the median is $76,470, and the 75th percentile is $203,978. Recent grants range from smaller awards under $25,000 to six-figure and seven-figure grants.
Several organizations appear in both 2023 and 2024, including Search for Common Ground, Grameen Foundation USA, Center for International Private Enterprise, Greater Boston Legal Services, and Appellate Judges Ed Institute. That pattern indicates recurring support across program areas.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Bar Association | Chicago, IL | $6,686,722 | 2026 | General Support |
| Westat Inc | Rockville, MD | $237,587 | 2026 | Subgrant |
| DNA-Peoples Legal Services Inc | Window Rock, AZ | $154,150 | 2026 | Awards/Fellowships |
| Wayne State University | Detroit, MI | $136,500 | 2026 | Awards/Fellowships |
| Lewis & Clark Law School | Portland, OR | $73,374 | 2026 | Awards/Fellowships |
| Sustainable Economies Law Center | Oakland, CA | $69,713 | 2026 | Awards/Fellowships |
| Legal Aid of Arkansas Inc | Springdale, AR | $68,219 | 2026 | Awards/Fellowships |
| Mid Minnesota Legal Aid | Minneapolis, MN | $61,551 | 2026 | Awards/Fellowships |
| National Judical College | Reno, NV | $55,048 | 2026 | Awards/Fellowships |
| New Mexico Legal Aid Inc | Albuquerque, NM | $7,500 | 2026 | Awards/Fellowships |
| Legal Aid of Nebraska | Omaha, NE | $7,500 | 2026 | Awards/Fellowships |
| American Bar Association | Chicago, IL | $11,647,540 | 2025 | General Support |
| Westat Inc | Rockville, MD | $350,944 | 2025 | Subgrant |
| DNA-Peoples Legal Services Inc | Window Rock, AZ | $97,612 | 2025 | Awards/Fellowships |
| Mid Minnesota Legal Aid | Minneapolis, MN | $73,861 | 2025 | Awards/Fellowships |
| Center for Taxpayer Rights | Washington, DC | $70,320 | 2025 | Awards/Fellowships |
| Sustainable Economies Law Center | Oakland, CA | $69,713 | 2025 | Awards |
| National Judical College | Reno, NV | $53,714 | 2025 | Awards |
| Legal Aid of Arkansas Inc | Springdale, AR | $22,740 | 2025 | Awards/Fellowships |
| Arizona Capital Representation Project | Phoenix, AZ | $10,000 | 2025 | Awards |
| Grameen Foundation USA | Washington, DC | $809,464 | 2024 | Grant support |
| Westat Inc | Rockville, MD | $532,288 | 2024 | Subgrant |
| Search for Common Ground | Washington, DC | $455,891 | 2024 | Grant support |
| American Bar Association | Chicago, IL | $412,000 | 2024 | General Support |
| NCJFCJNat'l Council of Juvenile | Reno, NV | $169,712 | 2024 | Subgrant |
| Center for International Private Enterprise | Washington, DC | $83,065 | 2024 | Grant support |
| Center for Taxpayer Rights | Washington, DC | $77,406 | 2024 | Awards/Fellowships |
| Greater Boston Legal Services | Boston, MA | $75,818 | 2024 | Awards/Fellowships |
| Appellate Judges Ed Institute | Durham, NC | $52,180 | 2024 | Awards/Fellowships |
| New Mexico Legal Aid Inc | Albuquerque, NM | $32,686 | 2024 | Awards/Fellowships |
| La Posada Tax Clinic | Twin Falls, ID | $24,239 | 2024 | Awards/Fellowships |
| Search for Common Ground | Washington, DC | $1,052,312 | 2023 | Grant support |
| Grameen Foundation USA | Washington, DC | $625,168 | 2023 | Grant support |
| NCJFCJNat'l Council of Juvenile | Reno, NV | $331,173 | 2023 | Subgrant |
| Westat Inc | Rockville, MD | $306,775 | 2023 | Subgrant |
| Public Knowledge LLC | Federal Way, WA | $97,500 | 2023 | Subgrant |
| International Legal Foundation Ltd | New York, NY | $91,863 | 2023 | Grant support |
| Center for International Private Enterprise | Washington, DC | $86,240 | 2023 | Grant support |
| The Community Tax Law Project | Richmond, VA | $79,786 | 2023 | Awards/Fellowships |
| Legal Aid of Nebraska | Omaha, NE | $77,123 | 2023 | Awards/Fellowships |
| Greater Boston Legal Services | Boston, MA | $75,818 | 2023 | Awards/Fellowships |
| Appellate Judges Ed Institute | Durham, NC | $55,774 | 2023 | Awards/Fellowships |
| Lutheran Immigration & Refugee Svc | Baltimore, MD | $50,000 | 2023 | Subgrant |
| Villanova University | Villanova, PA | $45,720 | 2023 | Awards/Fellowships |
| Moss Adams LLP | Pasadena, CA | $33,000 | 2023 | Subgrant |
| Children's Law Center of California | Monterey Park, CA | $31,000 | 2023 | Subgrant |
| NASMHPD Research Institute | Falls Church, VA | $30,000 | 2023 | Subgrant |
| Board of Child Care | Baltimore, MD | $25,000 | 2023 | Subgrant |
| Office of Public Defense | Olympia, WA | $25,000 | 2023 | Subgrant |
| Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia | Charlottesville, VA | $22,500 | 2023 | Subgrant |
Westat Inc
$237,587Subgrant
Wayne State University
$136,500Awards/Fellowships
Awards/Fellowships
New Mexico Legal Aid Inc
$7,500Awards/Fellowships
Westat Inc
$350,944Subgrant
Center for Taxpayer Rights
$70,320Awards/Fellowships
Arizona Capital Representation Project
$10,000Awards
Westat Inc
$532,288Subgrant
Center for Taxpayer Rights
$77,406Awards/Fellowships
Appellate Judges Ed Institute
$52,180Awards/Fellowships
New Mexico Legal Aid Inc
$32,686Awards/Fellowships
La Posada Tax Clinic
$24,239Awards/Fellowships
Westat Inc
$306,775Subgrant
Public Knowledge LLC
$97,500Subgrant
International Legal Foundation Ltd
$91,863Grant support
The Community Tax Law Project
$79,786Awards/Fellowships
Appellate Judges Ed Institute
$55,774Awards/Fellowships
Moss Adams LLP
$33,000Subgrant
NASMHPD Research Institute
$30,000Subgrant
Board of Child Care
$25,000Subgrant
Office of Public Defense
$25,000Subgrant
Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia
$22,500Subgrant