Ohio's largest funder of civil legal aid · Columbus · Since 1993 Need legal help? Visit Ohio Legal Help ↗
Ohio Access to Justice Foundation

Funding justice for every Ohioan.

The Ohio Access to Justice Foundation is Ohio's largest funder of civil legal aid. In 2026, we approved $7.2 million in funding so that Ohioans who are low-income or who lack access can fully and fairly participate in the civil systems that shape their lives.

Our mission·To ensure that Ohioans who are low-income or who lack access can fully and fairly participate in civil systems that produce just outcomes.

$7.2M
2026 funding awards
Collage of Ohioans served by civil legal aid, from the Foundation's 2025 annual report

Artwork from Justice Works, the Foundation's 2025 Annual Report.

Start here

What brings you to the Foundation?

Lawyers, financial institutions, courts, and grantees each play a distinct role in funding and delivering civil legal aid in Ohio. Go straight to what you need.

Also here: Ohioans seeking legal help ↗ Donors & partners — Give Now →

How justice gets funded

From trust accounts to just outcomes.

Most of the Foundation's income comes from two sources: interest earned on lawyer trust accounts (IOLTA) and title agent trust accounts (IOTA), and a civil filing fee surcharge — supplemented by grants and private donations.

01

Interest & fees

Interest on IOLTA and IOTA trust accounts held at Ohio financial institutions, plus a civil filing fee surcharge collected by the courts, flows to the Foundation.

02

Grants & oversight

The Foundation turns those dollars into $7.2 million in 2026 funding awards — and, as a funder, provides oversight to ensure the highest quality of civil legal aid work statewide.

03

Justice on the ground

Five legal aid organizations and initiatives like Ohio Legal Help and the Ohio Justice Bus serve low-income Ohioans — in eviction, family, consumer, and benefits cases.

$7.2M
in 2026 funding awards for Ohio's civil legal service providers
5
grantee legal aid organizations serving all of Ohio
3,719
pro bono hours reported in 2025 by one firm alone — BakerHostetler
1993
founded in Columbus — three decades of funding justice

Sources: Foundation 2025 Year-in-Review and Recent News, ohiojusticefoundation.org.

Corey with his mother Shakira and siblings, smiling together
Why this work matters

"Corey and his family are now stable in their home — and can focus on improving Corey's health."

Corey, three years old, was struggling with severe asthma. While treating him, his pediatrician learned the family was facing eviction — and, trained to identify patients with legal problems, referred Corey's mother, Shakira, to the medical-legal partnership between the hospital and legal aid.

Legal aid represented the family against a landlord who repeatedly threatened eviction over fees he claimed were unpaid. With legal aid's help, Shakira showed that every fee had been paid and nothing was owed.

More about the Foundation's work

Beyond grants

Programs that expand justice.

The Foundation develops and funds innovative programming to narrow the civil justice gap and support the next generation of public service attorneys.

Statewide resource

Ohio Legal Help

Plain-language legal information, forms, and self-help tools for every Ohioan — the front door to civil justice.

ohiolegalhelp.org
Mobile clinic

Ohio Justice Bus

A mobile legal aid office and technology hotspot bringing volunteer lawyers to underserved communities.

About the bus
Volunteer platform

Pro Bono Ohio

An online platform connecting volunteer lawyers with pro bono opportunities around the state — pro bono made easy.

probonoohio.org
Next generation

Fellows & Summer Clerks

Justice for All Fellowships and the Summer Clerk Program support law students and new attorneys entering public interest law.

Fellowships
Retention

Loan Repayment Assistance

Helping legal aid attorneys manage law school debt so they can build careers in public service.

About LRAP
Older Ohioans

Pro Seniors

Legal help and long-term care advocacy for Ohio's seniors, supported by the Foundation.

Pro Seniors
Our grantees

We fund Ohio's legal aids.

Five legal aid organizations deliver civil legal services across all 88 Ohio counties — in housing, family safety, consumer protection, and public benefits. The Foundation funds their work and ensures its quality.

Recent news

Justice, in motion.

See all news →

Join us

Justice works — when it's funded.

Every gift helps low-income Ohioans keep their homes, their families, and their footing. Invest in the systems that make justice real.

Looking for help with a legal problem? Ohio Legal Help ↗

Storyboard · Home — draft for review