NLADA Receives Grant from W.K. Kellogg Foundation to Support Civil Legal Aid During Pandemic Crisis

Contact: Sharon Singh, [email protected] or twitter@NLADA

For Immediate Release

NLADA Receives Grant from W.K. Kellogg Foundation to Support Civil Legal Aid During Pandemic Crisis

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The W.K. Kellogg Foundation has awarded the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) $275,000 to build capacity, and coordinate strategies, leadership and best practices as civil legal aid programs shift their practices and develop new innovations in the face of challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"COVID-19 and efforts to curb the virus have a disparate impact on communities of color,” said Jo-Ann Wallace, president & CEO of NLADA. “This grant will enable NLADA to work with our members to address the stark inequalities faced by Black and Indigenous communities. We are grateful to WKKF for recognizing the significant role of civil legal aid in helping low-income and marginalized people secure basic human needs. WKKF’s support is especially critical in this moment: millions of families are facing evictions as moratoria expire across the country, which is coinciding with a decrease in unemployment support, even as rates continue to rise."

NLADA will work with civil legal aid providers to tailor effective strategies and elevate innovative delivery models to address the moment at hand.

"The number of civil legal needs and the number of families and communities experiencing them has grown exponentially. By providing assistance to the organizations helping the hardest-hit populations, we are supporting people when they need it most,” said Wallace.

"The pandemic has exacerbated long-existing problems in the Black and Indigenous communities. NLADA is grateful for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s generous grant. We have been continually inspired by the commitment and innovations shown by civil legal aid providers across the country, and the efforts we will undertake with this support will make a difference in addressing disparities and securing the health and stability in these most vulnerable communities,” said Wallace. 

###

About the National Legal Aid & Defender Association: The National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA), founded in 1911, is America’s oldest and largest nonprofit association devoted to excellence in the delivery of legal services to those who cannot afford counsel. NLADA has pioneered access to justice at the national, state and local levels through the creation of our public defender systems and other important institutions from The Sentencing Project to the Legal Services Corporation. A leader in the development of national standards for civil legal aid and public defense, NLADA also provides advocacy, training and technical assistance for equal justice advocates across the country.

About the W.K. Kellogg Foundation: The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), founded in 1930 as an independent, private foundation by breakfast cereal innovator and entrepreneur Will Keith Kellogg, is among the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States. Guided by the belief that all children should have an equal opportunity to thrive, WKKF works with communities to create conditions for vulnerable children so they can realize their full potential in school, work and life.  

The Kellogg Foundation is based in Battle Creek, Michigan, and works throughout the United States and internationally, as well as with sovereign tribes. Special attention is paid to priority places where there are high concentrations of poverty and where children face significant barriers to success. WKKF priority places in the U.S. are in Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico and New Orleans; and internationally, are in Mexico and Haiti. For more information, visit www.wkkf.org