WSBA Powerful Communities Grant
The WSBA Powerful Communities Grant aims to amplify communities who are denied justice due to systemic oppression, advance the WSBA’s mission and purposes outlined in General Rule 12.2, encourage public service by WSBA members, and implement the State Plan for the Coordinated Delivery of Legal Aid to Low-Income People. With funding from the Washington State Bar Foundation, organizations can apply for small grants to help them jumpstart new community-based projects and/or expand existing programs that benefit and provide services to people who are denied justice due to systemic oppression.
Vision for success
Our vision of success for the Powerful Communities Grant is that grantee organizations will be able to work with more people who experience systemic oppression, develop or expand meaningful partnerships with community-based organizations serving communities who are harmed by systemic oppression, and increase pro bono opportunities for WSBA members.
2025 Grantees
Benton Franklin Legal Aid*. Benton-Franklin Legal Aid (BFLA) provides legal assistance to qualified low-income individuals who would otherwise be denied access to the Justice system because of the inability to pay for the cost of counsel. Through this grant, BFLA aims to enhance its immigration programs to support the migrant population in Benton and Franklin Counties.
Entre Hermanos*. Entre Hermanos’ Immigration Department aims to achieve the rights of immigrants through direct legal services. Without appropriate legal assistance, members of the LGBTQ Latino community find it difficult to obtain legal immigration status.
Families Shoulder to Shoulder. Families Shoulder to Shoulder is a volunteer-driven organization dedicated to empowering individuals and their families throughout various stages of the legal process. Utilizing the Participatory Defense model, they engage families in their loved ones' defense during arraignments, bail hearings, trials, resentencing, and efforts toward early release through court proceedings, the Indeterminate Sentence Review Board (ISRB), and Clemency and Pardon hearings.
Kitsap Immigrant Assistance Center*. As a trusted provider of direct services to immigrant families in Kitsap, Mason, Jefferson, and Clallam counties, Kitsap Immigrant Assistance Center works to build power within communities through education, advocacy, and social justice. We serve over 2,000 community members each year through our immigration legal, tax & business, family services programs, and offering opportunities to build powerful community connections.
Manzanita House*. Manzanita House's mission is to welcome and equip immigrants with tools, resources, and connections to achieve equity in the Inland Northwest. They provide immigration legal services, community power building, resource navigation, and trainings. Established in 2022 Manzanita House has served immigrants from over 100 countries and consistently serves over 1,000 people a year. In 2024 they served over 1,300 people with immigration support. This grant funding will support their Bilingual Intake Specialist to provide free intakes to the immigrant community.
Sage Indigenous Law Center*. Sage Indigenous Law Center (SILC) is a newly formed non-profit serving low-income Native Americans in dependency proceedings pending in the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Court in Spokane County. As a community organization, SILC also plans to co-host a CLE and provide other training for attorneys and pro se litigants for civil cases in area Tribal Courts.
Sandy Williams Justice Center of the Carl Maxey Center of Spokane*. The Sandy Williams Justice Center (SWJC) is a program of The Carl Maxey Center located in East Central Spokane, focusing on providing access to limited civil legal aid services to marginalized and disproportionately impacted community members, primarily people of color and those living in poverty. SWJC provides limited civil legal aid services to assist unrepresented individuals in representing themselves. In addition to one-on-one appointments through their AOC Pilot Self Help Center program, SWJC, a Qualified Legal Service Provider, hosts regular free legal information and advice clinics where community members can talk with legal professionals regarding their matters, providing pro bono service opportunities for volunteer attorneys.
Tenants Union of Washington State*. The Tenants Union of Washington State (TU) works for housing justice—stable, healthy, affordable housing for all—through empowerment-based tenant education, organizing, leadership development, and advocacy. We view stable, healthy, affordable housing as a basic human right and we center our work on tenants who are at greatest risk of housing loss.
Unidos Nueva Alianza*. Unidos Nueva Alianza- Unidos Nueva Alianza (UNA) in partnership with Central Washington Legal Aid (CWLA) will provide legal immigration and family law services to Adams County. UNA and CWLA will provide quarterly clinics and follow-ups to help increase access to immigration and family law services for marginalized communities who often face significant barriers to legal assistance in rural and extremely underserved Adams County.
Contact Us
For general questions about the Powerful Communities Project, please email publicservice@wsba.org. For donation inquiries, please email Laura Sanford at the Washington State Bar Foundation.
*All of these organizations offer pro bono volunteer opportunities. For more information, please click on their respective hyperlinks.
Previous Grantees
More information regarding previous grantees.
