WisTAF announces 2023-2024 grants for civil legal assistance related to domestic violence and sexual abuse

Hundreds of survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse will achieve safety and independence through legal assistance grants awarded by the Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation, Inc. (WisTAF).

WisTAF will distribute $450,000 to help the organizations below address related civil legal needs for people unable to pay for the services of an attorney. Abusers frequently prevent victims from accessing their own funds.

Grant recipients will help survivors accomplish critical legal tasks for themselves and their families, such as securing restraining orders, carrying out divorces, and negotiating child placement and guardianship.

After an open application process, WisTAF's Board of Directors determined the grant amounts for 2023-2024, below.

The State of Wisconsin created the Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse (DVSA) Civil Legal Services program in 2015. The program taps funds from the federal Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF) program. Clients in the DSVA program are parents, caretakers of children, or pregnant, with limited incomes or limited access to their own money. WisTAF administers the DVSA program, reporting to the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families.

The table below shows details of this year's grants. Funds are distributed on a reimbursement basis.

Grant Recipient	Area Served	Grant Amount
Center Against Sexual & Domestic Abuse (CASDA) provides free services to individuals hurt by domestic, sexual, or child abuse, as they advocate for a community effort to end violence.	Ashland, Bayfield, and Douglas counties	$42,091
Centro Legal is a nonprofit corporation whose primary purpose is to provide legal representation to the poor and those with limited resources for a reasonable and accessible price in the Milwaukee area.	Milwaukee and Waukesha counties	$57,513
End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin (RISE Law Center) provides quality, affordable direct legal representation to low income survivors of Domestic Violence & Sexual Abuse, primarily immigrants and refugees with limited English proficiency, in an effort to prevent and eliminate violence in intimate partner relationships.	Statewide	$20,687
Golden House, Inc. is a private, nonprofit agency that provides safety and support for victims of domestic abuse, while leading community efforts to end domestic violence in Brown County.	Brown and Kewaunee counties	$36,596
Household Abuse Victims Emergency Network (HAVEN, Inc.) is a free community service providing a safe and confidential environment to empower all survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault through sheltering, advocacy, and education.	Lincoln County	$19,427
Indianhead Community Action Agency is a private, nonprofit agency that assists individuals in achieving self-sufficiency by providing the resources, education, and services necessary to develop healthy families, sustainable communities, and strong local businesses.	Barron, Burnett, Clark, Polk, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, Taylor, and Washburn counties	$48,795
Judicare Legal Aid provides civil legal assistance, information and education to low-income people, Native Americans, and others who might otherwise be denied access to justice.	33 counties in northern Wisconsin, and Native American clients statewide	$63,234
Kids Matter Inc. provides legal services and other advocacy for children in foster and kinship care in the greater Milwaukee area.	Milwaukee and Waukesha counties, limited services statewide	$39,036
Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc. serves low-income clients in the areas of family law and domestic violence, housing, public benefits, special education, and economic development.	39 counties in southern Wisconsin	$66,093
LOTUS Legal Clinic, Inc. serves victims of gender-based violence and human trafficking through trauma-informed legal advocacy, policy initiatives, education, and survivor empowerment.	Statewide	$20,000
Rainbow House Domestic Abuse Services, Inc. provides prevention, education, and information to communities, families, and schools with the goal of obtaining safety and empowerment for all victims of domestic abuse.	Marinette and Oconto counties	$21,958
The Women's Center provides safety, shelter, and support to all affected by domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and child abuse in Waukesha County.	Southeastern Wisconsin	$14,569