Revenue Sources
MLAC receives revenue from several sources:
- The Commonwealth of Massachusetts appropriates money in its state budget to MLAC, which MLAC distributes to qualified civil legal aid organizations. In Fiscal Year 2023, the state appropriation is $41 million.
- MLAC receives 67% of the revenue generated by the Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program. Revenue is generated through the interest of modest or short term bank accounts that attorneys use to manage their clients’ money temporarily.
- MLAC receives grants from government agencies and private foundations seeking to fund special initiatives in response to emerging crises. For example, MLAC received grants for initiatives to provide legal defense to homeowners in the midst of the foreclosure crisis, legal services to immigrants facing deportation, and to address the civil legal needs of victims of crime.
About Civil Legal Aid
Unlike criminal defendants, people facing serious civil legal problems—such as domestic violence, housing, health care, employment, government benefits, bankruptcy, and elder issues—do not have the right to an attorney in most cases. Legal aid organizations provide essential representation and advice to help people who cannot afford an attorney protect their basic human needs for health, safety, and housing.
People with incomes at or below 125% of the federal poverty level are eligible for civil legal aid. According to the 2023 federal poverty guidelines, that means an annual income at or below $37,500 for a family of four.
Fact Sheets
This year, MLAC is asking the Massachusetts legislature to provide $49 million for civil legal aid in the FY24 Budget of the Commonwealth through line item 0321-1600.
View our FY24 Budget Fact Sheet and issue-based fact sheets here.

My legal aid attorney was heaven-sent.