Overview
Our mission, our five functions, and the human stakes behind the work.
Ohio's largest funder of civil legal aid.
Founded in 1993 and based in Columbus, the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation is a 501(c)(3) grantmaking foundation. We channel interest on lawyer and title-agent trust accounts and a civil filing-fee surcharge into the organizations and programs that make justice reachable across all 88 Ohio counties.
The Foundation is not a direct legal-services provider. We are a funder — the state-level equivalent of the national Legal Services Corporation — deriving most of our income from two primary sources: interest earned on lawyer trust accounts (IOLTA) and title-agent trust accounts (IOTA), and a civil filing-fee surcharge collected by Ohio's courts, supplemented by grants and private donations.
1993
Founded in Columbus
$7.2M
approved for 2026 awards
5
grantee legal aid organizations
88
Ohio counties served
Explore
Get to know the Foundation.
Board of Trustees
Appointees from the Supreme Court of Ohio, the bar, law schools, and community leaders.
Staff
The thirteen people who run Ohio's largest civil legal-aid funder.
Advocacy
Why legal aid strengthens communities — and the 2024 impact numbers.
Awards
The Foundation's awards honoring excellence in access to justice.
Publications
Annual reports, newsletters, community economic-impact studies, and Form 990.
The Justice Ecosystem
How courts, funders, legal aids, and volunteers fit together in Ohio.
Revenue Sources
Where the money comes from — IOLTA/IOTA, filing fees, grants, and gifts.
The Legal Services Corporation
How Ohio's legal aid braids federal LSC funding with the Foundation's support.
Contact
Reach the Foundation's team in Columbus.
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.
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