WisTAF makes first distributions of 2024

The Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation distributed $1,782,140 to civil legal aid organizations last month. 

The payments, WisTAF's first of 2024, form the bulk of awards under the Direct Legal Services (DLS) grant program. An additional $67,900 in DLS funding is scheduled to be distributed to a subset of the program's grantees in April.

The WisTAF Board of Directors determined award amounts for 2024 in October 2023. At that time, the Board also authorized $621,132 in Afghan Immigration Related Legal Assistance, $66,446 in Ukrainian Immigration-related Legal Services, and $2 million in one-time Legal Aid Advancement Grants.

Both types of immigration related legal assistance will be distributed on a reimbursement basis, per requirements of the underlying federal funding source.

The Legal Aid Advancement Grants, distributed in late 2023, strengthen work of Direct Legal Services grant recipients. These grants are funded by WisTAF’s Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts program, using revenue resulting from the current high-interest environment.