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Grant Process
MLAC is not currently taking applications for funding. MLAC periodically receives additional grant funds for specific projects from private foundations and government grants. Opportunities to apply for these specific project funds are generally by invitation only. In these instances, the entities which provide the funds to MLAC will often determine how they can be distributed and used. MLAC does not currently accept unsolicited proposals.
On select occasions MLAC may have funds available for special projects and will put out a call for applications, as well as post the funding opportunity on this website.
Funding Distribution
MLAC provides funding and support to civil legal aid organizations that provide legal assistance at no cost to low-income residents of Massachusetts. It does not provide funds for legal assistance in criminal matters or in any civil matter in which the state is legally required to provide representation to indigent people. MLAC is the largest funding source for civil legal aid organizations in Massachusetts. Read more about our mission, history, and civil legal aid.
MLAC distributes funding in the following categories, listed below:
General Support Funding
- Regional Legal Aid Funding – At least 80 percent of unrestricted MLAC funding goes to regional legal aid organizations that deliver a full range of civil legal services in different regions of Massachusetts. Regional Legal Aid Funding is allocated based on the number of low-income people in each organization’s geographic area, as determined by census data.
- Statewide Legal Aid Funding – Up to 20 percent of unrestricted MLAC funding is dispersed to organizations that provide services statewide.
- Special Project Funding – MLAC provides the following restricted, additional funding to organizations that receive statewide or regional funding:
- The Disability Benefits Project provides additional funding to organizations that deliver civil legal aid to people seeking disability benefits.
- The Medicare Advocacy Project provides additional funding to organizations that deliver civil legal aid to people in need of Medicare advocacy.
- The Domestic Violence Legal Assistance Project provides additional funding to organizations that deliver civil legal aid to survivors of domestic violence.
Immigrants’ Rights Funding
Through specific grants, MLAC also provides legal aid and community organizations with support for the following projects:
Funding for Victims of Crime
- The Civil Legal Aid for Victims of Crime Initiative (CLAVC) helps victims of crime throughout Massachusetts with their related civil legal problems.
Fellowships
MLAC proudly sponsors two fellowships for law students, offering them the invaluable opportunity to work under the mentorship of seasoned attorneys within legal aid organizations across the Commonwealth. Our fellowship recipients play an essential role in delivering vital support to clients with low incomes as they navigate the complexities of the civil justice system, ensuring access to justice for those who need it most.
Statewide Access to Counsel Program
The FY27 Massachusetts State Budget includes $3.0 million for a statewide Access to Council Program (line item 0321-1800). Administered by MLAC, the program seeks to increase access to full legal representation for low-income tenants and low-income owner occupants in eviction proceedings.
Revenue Sources
MLAC receives the majority of its revenue from three sources: the state budget, the Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program, and grants from government and private sources.
State Budget
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts appropriates money in its state budget to MLAC, which MLAC distributes to qualified civil legal aid organizations. In Fiscal Year 2027, the state appropriation is $51 million.
IOLTA
MLAC receives 67 percent of the revenue generated by the Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program.
Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts, or “IOLTA”, is a program mandated by the Supreme Judicial Court. It requires lawyers and law firms to establish interest-bearing accounts for client deposits which are nominal in amount or large amounts held for a short period of time.
The Massachusetts IOLTA Committee, appointed by the Supreme Judicial Court, distributes IOLTA funds to three charitable entities: MLAC, the Massachusetts Bar Foundation, and the Boston Bar Foundation.
Government and Private Sources
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.