So far in 2010, the IBF awarded over $136,000 in grant support for IBA initiatives and to agencies with projects consistent with the IBF mission of advancing the administration of justice and understanding of law through philanthropy, education and service.

IBA projects focus on four key areas. Service to Community through pro bono efforts received $34,000, including funding for the IBA Pro Bono Coordinator. Activities include Ask A Lawyer and Constitutional books and voter registration at naturalization ceremonies. The second area funded, Service to Profession, includes diversity initiatives like the Job Fair and the IBA’s free publication Planning Ahead: A Plan for Protecting Your Clients in the Event of Your Disability or Death.

IBA Leadership Training and Scholarships received $8,000: four $1,000 grants for the Bar Leader Series Pay It Forward Project, and leadership development through attendance at the National Conference of Bar Presidents and the Bar Leader Institute. Scholarships for the Bar Review and Applied Professionalism courses and Bench Bar were funded.

IBA Educational Initiatives receive significant support. These include the Bench Bar conference and the Solo Practitioner/Small Firm Practice Online Service Center, enhancing education and services for colleagues in solo and small firms. The IBA’s Distance Learning Initiative for online education received $30,000.

This year, the IBF’s Grants Committee sponsored four deserving projects from agency applicants. The Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence provides legal services to those who seek protective orders in the Marion County Superior Courts. The Teen Court project sponsored by the Southside Youth Council (Reach for Youth) and the Kids’ Voice of Indiana, which trains and supports volunteer Guardian Ad Litems, each received $10,000 for projects in Marion County. Finally, the IBF approved sponsorship for Just The Beginning Foundation, which conducts a Summer Legal Institute serving sixty diverse Indianapolis students with an interest in law careers.

IBF ongoing grants and programs are maintained solely through the generosity and energy of its directors, fellows and donors. Thank you for your support in 2010.•