Justice Grants

The New Hampshire Bar Foundation Justice Grant program broadens the Foundation’s mission of strengthening the system of justice in New Hampshire by funding efforts to encourage innovation in the administration of justice, provide community education about the law, and improve access to the legal system.Justice Grant applications are accepted biennially (even-numbered years) from New Hampshire nonprofit organizations and/or programs that:
  1. Envision new ways to create equal justice for all people.
  2. Develop concrete innovations in the delivery of legal services, court operations, legal education, or in other justice related areas.
  3. Address legal needs or projects which are important in a democratic society but that may go against public or political sentiment.
  4. Bring together diverse resources and people to find solutions to justice-related problems.
  5. Build public confidence in the justice system.

Justice Grants are available for start-up costs, planning and research, or for funding needs to help stabilize new programs, but not for ongoing operational support. The grants are funded by donor-supported Justice Funds with restricted and unrestricted funding purposes. For detailed information for each fund’s purposes, please see NHBF Justice Funds. For a detailed history of Justice Fund Grant history, please see History of Justice Grants 2001-2024.

2022-2024 Justice Grant Recipients

603 Legal Aid (603LA): $7,971
Frontline Justice Advocacy Initiative
For the development of a statewide Frontline Justice Advocacy Initiative to identify individuals who are embedded within communities that can play a crucial role in recognizing, addressing, and advocating for legal issues at the ground level.

Bridges: Domestic Violence Support Services: $4,500
Court Advocacy Program/Assistance
Program support for court advocates who are trained to work with clients to assist with navigating the courts and legal system. Many of the clients are indigent , do not have access to legal assistance, and are facing court proceedings for the first time.

Children’s Law Center of New Hampshire: $4,450
Know Your Rights in Foster Care
Funds will be used to research, write, design, and print a “Know Your Rights in Foster Care” booklet approximately 44 pages long to be distributed to children in foster care.

Guardian Support Services of New Hampshire: $5,000
Guardianship Services of NH Inc.
This program started with a 2022-2024 Justice Grant from the Bar Foundation to address the absence of formal training, education, resources, and support for family guardians in New Hampshire. Grant funds will be used to create a 2-hour interactive training course, publish a support guide, create training and education videos, and create a website that provides a platform for additional resources and ongoing support for guardians. The 2024-2026 award helped continue this program

New Hampshire Historical Society: $10,000
The Democracy Project/Middle School Expansion
The Democracy Project‘s curriculum, Moose on the Loose, addresses the precipitous decline in the knowledge of history, civics, and social studies among the population at large and school age children in particular. The “Moose” is now in wide and growing use in New Hampshire in grades K-6, and the educational community has asked for the modification and expansion of the curriculum to serve middle school grade levels. The 2022-2024 grant will fund this expansion.

New Hampshire Judicial Branch: $2,500
Sequential Intercept Model Mapping Workshops
Funding provided to improve the court and community response to individuals experiencing mental illness.

New Hampshire Legal Assistance (NHLA) – Housing: $15,000
Housing Justice Project- Manchester Eviction Clinic
Funding is to support the provision of eviction defense clinics at the Manchester Circuit Court. NHLA will provide advice and representation to tenants appearing for eviction hearings who are facing imminent homelessness and who would otherwise be left without legal help.

New Hampshire Legal Assistance – Internship: $6,200
Summer Internship Program
Funding will be used to support the summer internship program. This program promotes the connection of law students to the field of civil legal services and the development of public interest lawyers, thereby helping to bridge the legal services justice gap over the long-term.

New Hampshire Public Radio: $10,000
Civics 101
Grant funding will support production of the Civics 101 podcast and audience engagement to help assist with the need for civics education.

NHBA Law Related Education Program: $9,026
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution
Funds will be used for training teachers on the We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution curriculum to assist with implementing the program into the classroom.

Veterans Legal Justice: $5,000
Volunteer Development Project
Grant funds will be used to hire a dedicated person to do intake, outreach/training for intake volunteers, and expand the network of pro bono lawyers to veterans regardless of income for issues in areas such as family law, housing, and employment.

Warren B. Rudman Center – UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law: $9,600
Rudman Summer Fellowships
Grant funds will be used for a stipend for 2 students over the next 2 years. Stipends cover living expenses so students can work full time over the summer at non-profits and government agencies that serve underserved populations. The Rudman Summer Fellows program increases the resources available to these programs and helps more NH residents gain access to justice. By tackling growing caseloads, summer fellows help reduce the stress on legal service providers and overcrowded courts. The program also instills in students the acute need for attorneys to perform pro bono work as a professional obligation.

For questions or more information, please call 603-715-3210 or email.

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