Notice to Applicants
Request for Application No. J23303
The Hawaii Justice Foundation, as Administrator for the Judiciary, State of Hawaii is now accepting applications for grants from the
Indigent Legal Assistance Fund
for the period of July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024
The Indigent Legal Assistance Fund was created by HRS Section 607-5.7, as amended, to meet the critical, civil legal needs of Hawaii’s low-income population to ensure equal access to justice, and to minimize the substantial burden on the courts created by unrepresented litigants.
To be eligible for a grant, an applicant must meet the criteria established by HRS Section 607-5.7, as amended, and make an application in accordance with the administrative procedures established by the Judiciary, at the time of application. The primary standards require applicants to:
1. Be either a nonprofit organization incorporated and operated exclusively in Hawaii and determined by the Internal Revenue Service to be exempt from federal income tax or a program operated exclusively in Hawaii by an accredited nonprofit law school, which organization or program provides as its primary purpose and function civil legal services to indigent persons;
2. Have a governing board whose members have no material conflict of interest and serve without compensation;
3. Have bylaws or policies that describe the manner in which business is conducted, and policies that relate to nepotism and management of potential conflict of interest situations;
4. Have at least one year’s experience in providing direct civil legal services to indigents;
5. Be licensed and accredited, as applicable, in accordance with the requirements of federal, state, and county governments;
6. Agree not to charge client fees for services that are funded in any part by a grant from the indigent legal assistance fund, except that token payments for costs and expenses shall not be considered fees;
7. Agree to use any grant received from this fund exclusively to provide direct civil legal services to indigent persons;
8. Have in place sound financial management systems, professional liability insurance, a client grievance procedure, a method of ensuring the qualify of service provided, and a policy that provides that no person may interfere with any attorneys funded in whole or in part by this fund in carrying out their professional responsibilities to their clients, as established by the Hawaii rules of professional conduct.
Applicants must have provided direct civil legal services to indigent persons for at least one year prior to the application due date of March 31, 2023 in order to be eligible for grants from this fund.
Grants from the Indigent Legal Assistance Fund are distributed among all eligible organizations according to a pro-rata formula specified by HRS Section 607-5.7, as amended, and in accordance with procedures established by the Judiciary.
Application forms are available from:
Robert J. LeClair
Hawaii Justice Foundation
P.O. Box 4750
Honolulu, Hawaii 96812-4750
Telephone: (808) 537-3886
Facsimile: (808) 528-1974
E-mail: hjf@hawaii.rr.com
Application Deadline: THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF GRANT APPLICATIONS IS FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2023. TO BE CONSIDERED,
ALL APPLICATIONS MUST SEND AS A .PDF TO hjf@hawaii.rr.com
Hawaii Justice Foundation
ILAF Administrator for
The JUDICIARY, STATE OF HAWAII
Hawaii Justice Foundation, ILAF Administrator
P.O. Box 4750
Honolulu, Hawaii 96812-4750
Telephone: (808) 537-3886
Facsimile: (808) 528-1974
E-mail: hjf@hawaii.rr.com
(SA1402725 1/27/23)
