Setting Grant Priorities and
Managing Community Relations
Joint Meeting of the
National Conference of Bar Presidents, National
Association of Bar Executives and National
Conference of Bar Foundations
Joint Concurrent Workshop
February 5, 2010
Orlando, Florida
OVERVIEW OF WORKSHOP
The “What,” “Why” and “How” of structuring
and operating bar foundation grant
programs
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Charitable purposes as set out in Articles of
Incorporation
Approval by IRS of exempt (charitable)
purposes
Mission Statement
OVERVIEW OF WORKSHOP
The “What,” “Why” and “How” of structuring
and operating bar foundation grant
programs
 Grant applications for individual grant
programs
 Review and approval of grant applications
 Evaluation of grant results
 Strategic review of grant program
achievements
BAR FOUNDATION CHARITABLE
PURPOSES
Set out in Articles of Incorporation.
For example, to fund:
 Legal
assistance to the poor
 Improvements in the Administration of
justice
 Law related education
APPROVAL BY IRS OF EXEMPT
PURPOSES
Bar foundation funds may only be used for
“charitable” purposes. According to the
IRS, charitable organizations conduct
activities that promote:
-relief of the poor, the distressed, or the
underprivileged
-advancement of religion
-advancement of education or science
APPROVAL BY IRS OF EXEMPT
PURPOSES
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- erection or maintenance of public buildings,
monuments, or works
- lessening the burdens of government
- lessening neighborhood tensions
- eliminating prejudice and discrimination
- defending human and civil rights secured
by law
- combating community deterioration and
juvenile delinquency
APPROVAL BY IRS OF EXEMPT
PURPOSES
 A public
charity is prohibited from allowing
more than an insubstantial accrual of
private benefit to individuals or
organizations This restriction is to ensure
that a tax-exempt organization serves a
public interest, not a private one. If a
private benefit is more than incidental, it
could jeopardize the organization’s taxexempt status
BAR FOUNDATION CHARITABLE
PURPOSES
Bar foundation charitable purposes
generally define individual grant programs.
Available grant funds can be allocated
annually among individual grant programs.
INDIVIDUAL GRANT PROGRAMS
Bar foundations can simply announce
availability of grants in its individual grant
programs and wait to receive applications,
or
Bar foundations can pro-actively solicit grant
applications from eligible applicants to
achieve specific outcomes in its individual
grant programs.
MISSION STATEMENT
 General
statement of the charitable
purposes of the bar foundation
 Describes
the individual grant programs
and activities emphasized by the bar
foundation
 May
change over time
MISSION STATEMENT
 Why
should a bar foundation have a
mission statement?
 How
should a mission statement be
developed?
GRANT APPLICATIONS FOR
INDIVIDUAL GRANT PROGRAMS
A common bar foundation grant program is
improving the administration of justice. A
grant application for such a grant program
defines:
 The
specific purposes for which grants will
be awarded. For example, to improve the
operation of the civil justice system.
GRANT APPLICATIONS FOR
INDIVIDUAL GRANT PROGRAMS
 Who/what
types of organizations are
eligible for grants. For example, taxexempt organizations and/or government.
 Funding
criteria. For example, priority
given to demonstration projects with
replication potential or matching grants.
GRANT APPLICATIONS FOR
INDIVIDUAL GRANT PROGRAMS
 Types
of funding. For example, start-up or
seed money over one or two years,
general program support for limited time
period or ongoing, or project funding.
 What
activities will be funded. For
example, direct service activities,
conferences, research and studies.
GRANT APPLICATIONS FOR
INDIVIDUAL GRANT PROGRAMS
 What
activities will not be funded. For
example, activities for which there is a
governmental responsibility (e.g. court
operations), ongoing general support,
grants to individuals (excluding
scholarships).
GRANT APPLICATIONS FOR
INDIVIDUAL GRANT PROGRAM
 Why
should bar foundations have grant
applications for individual grant programs?
 How
should grant applications be
developed?
REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF GRANT
APPLICATIONS
Bar foundations should have written policies
that set out clearly who will:
 Screen
grant applications to determine if
application meets eligibility criteria and
communicate with applicant (usually bar
foundation staff)
REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF GRANT
APPLICATIONS
 Review
and recommend approval or
denial of grant applications (usually bar
foundation staff recommends to volunteer
grant committee which reviews
applications and staff recommendation).
 Action to approve/deny grant applications
should be by the full bar foundation board.
EVALUATION OF GRANT RESULTS
 Bar
foundation staff and/or volunteer grant
committee should review end-of-grant
narrative and fiscal reports.
 If applicants receives ongoing general
support (even though applied for/approved
yearly), additional evaluation should be
undertaken periodically to determine
progress of grantee in achieving funding
purposes of the bar foundation.
STRATEGIC REVIEW OF GRANT
PROGRAM ACHIEVEMENTS
Bar foundations should undertake periodic
strategic review to determine if:
 Achievements
of individual grant programs
are fulfilling mission the bar foundation’s
mission.
 Individual grant programs are funded
adequately to achieve desired results.
 Individual grant program is still needed
STRATEGIC REVIEW OF GRANT
PROGRAM ACHIEVEMENTS
 Why
should bar foundations conduct
periodic strategic review of individual grant
program achievements?
 How
should such strategic reviews be
conducted?