The Oakland County Bar Foundation is dedicated to ensuring access to justice and an understanding of the law in our community.
Oakland County Bar Foundation’s grantmaking is organized around access to justice, legal education, and support for local legal-service capacity. In the recent grants list, the largest awards went to Lakeshore Legal Aid, including $57,500 in both 2023 and 2025, showing a repeat relationship with a civil legal aid provider. Other substantial grants went to the Oakland County Bar Association for legal access work, including $31,630 in 2023 and $25,895 in 2025. The foundation also funds community-facing legal support through grantees such as Southwest Detroit Immigrant and Refugee Center, Care House of Oakland County Inc, Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan, and Legal Aid and Defender Assoc Inc. Its active programs include annual grants, general grants, mini grants, and named scholarship funds, which together cover service delivery, legal education, and pathways into the legal profession. The public grant programs are open to unsolicited applications and are tied to projects that increase access, affordability, and understanding of the law and legal system in Oakland County. The foundation’s work is local and centered on Michigan recipients.
A core theme is civil legal access. The foundation gave $57,500 to Lakeshore Legal Aid for legal access work in 2025, and it also supported Legal Aid and Defender Assoc Inc with $15,000 for legal access in 2023. Legal education is another recurring area: The Michigan Center for Civic Education received $8,500 in 2025, following a $7,000 grant in 2023, both tagged for legal access. Community-facing legal support appears as well. Southwest Detroit Immigrant and Refugee Center received $20,000 in 2025 for legal access, while Care House of Oakland County Inc received $25,000 in 2025. The foundation also backs the pipeline into law through scholarship-related programming, including the Diversity in the Legal Profession Scholarship Fund for Oakland County high school seniors or GED candidates interested in legal careers.
Typical grant size centers on $15,000, with a median of $15,000, a 25th percentile of $15,000, and a 75th percentile of $25,448. The recent grants list shows repeat funding across multiple years, including Lakeshore Legal Aid, the Oakland County Bar Association, Care House of Oakland County Inc, Southwest Detroit Immigrant and Refugee Center, and The Michigan Center for Civic Education. The foundation uses competitive grant programs alongside mini grants and scholarship funds. Its named grant programs accept unsolicited applications, including the OCBF Mini Grant Program and the OCBF Annual Grant Program. The annual bar-year grant program is described as awarding approximately $180,000 each bar year.
Current and upcoming funding from Oakland County Bar Foundation that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: For legal or educational projects requiring funding; priority is given to new grant applicants. The Projects Committee may award up to five mini grants per year, depending on available funding.
Deadline: Mini grants may be awarded at any time during the year.
$513K
$2.3M
$289K
$245K
Most grants fall between $15K and $25K, with a median of $15K.
25th Percentile
$15K
Median
$15K
75th Percentile
$25K
About 100% of grants go to recipients in MI.
MICHAEL R TURCO
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Giving is concentrated in Michigan, with 100% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state. Oakland County locations appear repeatedly, including Bloomfield Hills and Pontiac, alongside other Michigan cities such as Warren, Detroit, Southfield, Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Farms, Lansing, Ypsilanti, and more. The recent grants list also shows support to organizations serving broader southeastern Michigan communities, such as the Southwest Detroit Immigrant and Refugee Center and Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan.
It uses competitive grant programs, including annual and general grants, plus a mini grant program. The OCBF Mini Grant Program can award up to five mini grants per year, and the annual grant program is described as awarding approximately $180,000 each bar year to qualifying projects.
Yes. The active grant programs listed here accept unsolicited applications, including the OCBF Mini Grant Program, OCBF Annual Grant Program, OCBF General Grant Program, and OCBF Grants pages tied to the same mission-based grantmaking.
The foundation funds projects that increase access, affordability, and understanding of the law and legal system in Oakland County. Its focus areas include access to justice, legal aid, legal education, scholarships, victim support services, and mock trial or youth law education.
Typical awards cluster around $15,000. The reported median grant size is $15,000, with the 25th percentile also at $15,000 and the 75th percentile at $25,448.
Its grantmaking is local and entirely in Michigan. The recipient country distribution shows 23 grants, or 100%, to U.S. recipients, and the recent grants list includes organizations in Bloomfield Hills, Pontiac, Detroit, Southfield, Warren, Grosse Pointe, Lansing, and Ypsilanti.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAKESHORE LEGAL AID | WARREN, MI | $57,500 | 2025 | LEGAL ACCESS |
| OAKLAND COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION | BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI | $25,895 | 2025 | LEGAL ACCESS |
| CARE HOUSE OF OAKLAND COUNTY INC | PONTIAC, MI | $25,000 | 2025 | LEGAL ACCESS |
| SOUTHWEST DETROIT IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE CENTER | GROSSE POINTE, MI | $20,000 | 2025 | LEGAL ACCESS |
| THE JOSEPH PROJECT INC | GROSS POINTE FARMS, MI | $15,000 | 2025 | LEGAL ACCESS |
| UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT MERCY | DETROIT, MI | $15,000 | 2025 | LEGAL ACCESS |
| THE MICHIGAN CENTER FOR CIVIC EDUCATION | LANSING, MI | $8,500 | 2025 | LEGAL ACCESS |
| LAKESHORE LEGAL AID | WARREN, MI | $57,500 | 2023 | LEGAL ACCESS |
| LAKESHORE LEGAL AID | WARREN, MI | $57,500 | 2023 | LEGAL ACCESS |
| OAKLAND COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION | BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI | $31,630 | 2023 | LEGAL ACCESS |
| SOUTHWEST DETROIT IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE CENTER | GROSSE POINTE, MI | $30,000 | 2023 | LEGAL ACCESS |
| CARE HOUSE OF OAKLAND COUNTY INC | PONTIAC, MI | $25,000 | 2023 | LEGAL ACCESS |
| OAKLAND COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION | BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI | $20,150 | 2023 | LEGAL ACCESS |
| SOUTHWEST DETROIT IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE CENTER | GROSSE POINTE, MI | $20,000 | 2023 | LEGAL ACCESS |
| LEGAL AID AND DEFENDER ASSOC INC | DETROIT, MI | $15,000 | 2023 | LEGAL ACCESS |
| CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN | SOUTHFIELD, MI | $15,000 | 2023 | LEGAL ACCESS |
| CARE HOUSE OF OAKLAND COUNTY INC | PONTIAC, MI | $15,000 | 2023 | LEGAL ACCESS |
| BEAUMONT HEALTH FOUNDATION | SOUTHFIELD, MI | $15,000 | 2023 | LEGAL ACCESS |
| CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN | SOUTHFIELD, MI | $15,000 | 2023 | LEGAL ACCESS |
| THE MICHIGAN CENTER FOR CIVIC EDUCATION | LANSING, MI | $8,500 | 2023 | LEGAL ACCESS |
| MAURICE & JANE SUGAR LAW CENTER FOR ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL JUSTICE | DETROIT, MI | $7,500 | 2023 | LEGAL ACCESS |
| THE MICHIGAN CENTER FOR CIVIC EDUCATION | LANSING, MI | $7,000 | 2023 | LEGAL ACCESS |
| STUDENT ADVOCACY CENTER OF MICHIGAN | YPSILANTI, MI | $6,204 | 2023 | LEGAL ACCESS |
LAKESHORE LEGAL AID
$57,500LEGAL ACCESS
OAKLAND COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION
$25,895LEGAL ACCESS
CARE HOUSE OF OAKLAND COUNTY INC
$25,000LEGAL ACCESS
SOUTHWEST DETROIT IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE CENTER
$20,000LEGAL ACCESS
THE JOSEPH PROJECT INC
$15,000LEGAL ACCESS
UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT MERCY
$15,000LEGAL ACCESS
THE MICHIGAN CENTER FOR CIVIC EDUCATION
$8,500LEGAL ACCESS
LAKESHORE LEGAL AID
$57,500LEGAL ACCESS
LAKESHORE LEGAL AID
$57,500LEGAL ACCESS
OAKLAND COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION
$31,630LEGAL ACCESS
SOUTHWEST DETROIT IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE CENTER
$30,000LEGAL ACCESS
CARE HOUSE OF OAKLAND COUNTY INC
$25,000LEGAL ACCESS
OAKLAND COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION
$20,150LEGAL ACCESS
SOUTHWEST DETROIT IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE CENTER
$20,000LEGAL ACCESS
LEGAL AID AND DEFENDER ASSOC INC
$15,000LEGAL ACCESS
CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN
$15,000LEGAL ACCESS
CARE HOUSE OF OAKLAND COUNTY INC
$15,000LEGAL ACCESS
BEAUMONT HEALTH FOUNDATION
$15,000LEGAL ACCESS
CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN
$15,000LEGAL ACCESS
THE MICHIGAN CENTER FOR CIVIC EDUCATION
$8,500LEGAL ACCESS
MAURICE & JANE SUGAR LAW CENTER FOR ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
$7,500LEGAL ACCESS
THE MICHIGAN CENTER FOR CIVIC EDUCATION
$7,000LEGAL ACCESS
STUDENT ADVOCACY CENTER OF MICHIGAN
$6,204LEGAL ACCESS