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State Bar Foundation seeks proposals for new grant
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: February 2, 2018
Over the past 25 years the Ohio State Bar Foundation (OSBF), the charitable arm of the Ohio State Bar Association, has awarded more than $12 million in grants to nonprofit organizations like the Law and Leadership Institute and Ronald McDonald House of Cleveland.
Now the OSBF has unveiled a new grant program aimed at improving the civics knowledge of adults living in Ohio.
“In the past we have been what’s called a reactive grantmaker,” said Carol Seubert Marx, a Lancaster, Ohio attorney and president of the Ohio State Bar Foundation Board of Trustees. “But about a year and a half ago, the board started looking at ways to be more proactive in our grantmaking.
“We decided to focus our efforts on adult education aimed at enhancing knowledge and participation in government,” said Marx. “Many of our citizens don’t know enough about how the government or the justice system works or how to access resources that are available to them.”
On Jan. 9, Marx announced that the foundation was seeking proposals from nonprofit entities around the country, which contain concepts designed to provide Ohioans with a better understanding of U.S. Democracy and the policies that affect their communities.
“If citizens don’t understand how their government works, they’re less likely to be engaged,” she said. “There’s been a lot of focus on the school-aged population, but there’s a dire need for adults to be better informed.”
The organization whose proposal is chosen will receive up to $100,000 a year for a total of $300,000 over a 36-month period.
“We realize the funding is only a drop in the bucket, but we’re hoping the potential of getting some startup funds will inspire organizations to come up with some innovative ideas,” said Marx.
Rob Ware, president-elect of the OSBF Board of Trustees and chair of the grants committee, said the strategic committee came up with the idea for the new grant program.
“We are not limiting the nature of the proposed project,” said Ware, a partner at Thompson Hine in Cleveland. “One idea that has been suggested is an app that would enhance the public’s understanding of government, but we are open to anything that meets the criteria we have established.
“We would consider locally-based programs, especially if they could be replicated in other parts of the state at the end of the three-year period.
“We would like to see the proposals address ways to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the government as well as enhance access to justice by strengthening the ability of low income people to obtain counsel and be treated equally,” Ware said.
Angie Lloyd, executive director at the Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation (OLAF) said the nonprofit would be applying for the grant.
“We are very pleased and excited about the opportunity and we want to commend the bar foundation for this new endeavor and for their process that identified adult civics education as an area in which they can have a positive impact,” said Lloyd.
“We are currently collaborating with the Ohio Supreme Court, the Ohio State Bar Association and the public libraries, among others, to develop an interactive website that will not only help identify and answer legal questions, but also improve adult Ohioans’ knowledge about the roles and functions of the legal system,” she said.
“We’re hoping that the OSBF will provide a grant so that they can collaborate with us on this important work,” said Lloyd. “We do know that in places where comparable websites have been launched it has increased the public’s knowledge of and respect for the legal system and the legal profession.”
There is a two-phase selection process. Stage one applications are due no later than 5 p.m. on Feb. 15.
“Once we receive all the applications, we will go through them and narrow down the field of applicants,” said Marx. “Our finalists will be notified by Feb. 28 and asked to submit more detailed information for our stage two application, which is due by March 30.”
The organization that is selected will get the news on Law Day, May 1, and the funding will be made available shortly thereafter.
For more information on the submission process, go to osbf.org or contact Julia Wyche at jwyche@osbf.net.