The Ohio State Bar Foundation (OSBF) Board of Trustees approved $862,490 in grants to 21 Ohio nonprofit organizations between its 2025 Fall Grant Cycle and the Racial Justice Initiative Grant Cycle.
This latest round of funding marks a historic milestone for the OSBF in its 75th anniversary year: 2025 was the Foundation’s largest fund allocation year to date at $1,421,490.
“It seems only fitting that we celebrate our 75th anniversary with an increased level of support for organizations furthering justice across Ohio,” said Laurie Beth Sweeney, OSBF Executive Director. “Our grant recipients continue to do exceptional work: creating pathways for students to practice law, helping close gaps in legal access, preserving history so that others may learn from it, and so much more.”
Fall Grant Recipients include…
$175,000 to the Law & Leadership Institute to build pathways for underserved Ohio students who are interested in attending law school or becoming leaders in their communities. This project will include a modernized curriculum and an immersive training program for teaching fellows.
$75,000 to the Frederick Douglass Prison Visitation Project to facilitate structured meetings and respectful conversations between members of free society and incarcerated people, so that they can learn from each other, form powerful human connections, and transform both their own lives and society at large.
$50,037 to Community Refugee & Immigration Services to protect the rights and well-being of our region's New Americans. This project will prevent and resolve harms caused by misunderstandings and knowledge gaps about immigration law, which will help ensure that New Americans can fairly participate in civic and economic life.
$50,000 to Legal Aid of Southeast & Central Ohio to expand access to legal services in underserved rural communities while strengthening Ohio's statewide pro bono legal network. Programming will include Wills Wednesdays for estate planning and Fresh Start Fridays for expungement and license reinstatement.
$45,505 to Summit County Domestic Relations Court to implement a multi-pronged, trauma informed initiative to better serve families with children who are navigating legal proceedings. This project seeks to promote family reunification, reduce conflict, and improve outcomes by fostering legal understanding, encouraging co-parenting, and supporting the best interests of children impacted by the court.
$32,468 to Ohio Domestic Violence Network to advance racial justice in Ohio's civil legal system by increasing equitable representation for BIPOC survivors of domestic violence. This project will equip attorneys with trauma-informed, culturally responsive strategies to reduce bias and re-traumatization, ultimately improving survivor-centered legal representation statewide.
$30,000 to Equality Ohio Education Fund to build long-term sustainable structures to support pop-up clinics as a major part of legal outreach to the LGBTQ+ community.
$25,000 to LAMP Ohio (Logistic Assistance for Migrant People) to deliver critical legal support to underserved immigrant families, ensuring they have access to the resources and guidance needed to navigate complex legal systems. Through this work, individuals will be empowered to uphold their rights, secure their futures, and integrate more fully into society.
$25,000 to LegalWorks to assist judges to enact a mass vacating of outstanding warrants for minor offenses in a single action. This project will create a model that can be replicated in municipal courts throughout the state.
$18,180 to Children's Advocacy Center of Portage County to develop an evidence-based multi-disciplinary response for children with problematic sexual behaviors. Additionally, outreach will be expanded to include rural communities throughout Portage County. This project will close service gaps, reduce re-offense rates, and create a more just community.
$15,000 to Adopt A Class to recruit and support mentor teams representing law and legal service careers. This project will engage students with case, studies, vignettes, role play, and field trips to gain greater insight into a wide variety of law and legal service career paths.
$15,000 to Prospera Reentry to fund the transportation of clients from prisons to job sites as part of a pre-release, work-release program. Through this project, inmates will learn transferable skills, gain real work experience, and be fairly compensated for their labor, thereby reducing the rate of recidivism.
Racial Justice Initiative grants include…
$50,000 to Make A Day Foundation for a mobile expungement and record-sealing program designed to break down barriers to housing, employment, and stability. This project will expand access to justice for Central Ohioans disproportionally impacted by the criminal legal system.
$50,000 to Ohio Center for Strategic Immigration Litigation & Outreach to implement a statewide community education initiative to address systemic racism in Ohio's immigration enforcement system. This project will strengthen emergency response capacity, develop policy recommendations, and empower BIPOC immigrant communities with knowledge of their rights and legal protections.
$50,000 to Summer Work Experience in Law to address the lack of diversity within the legal profession by empowering minority high school and college students who are interested in pursuing careers in law.
$46,500 to Ohio Institute of Communities of Color to gather and preserve the voices of people of color affected by deportation and white supremacy in the United States. Stories will be compiled into a comprehensive book as an historical record and a tool for education and advocacy.
$30,000 to Ohio Humanities for the production of an audio documentary that explores the original ratification of Ohio's Constitution, specifically the fight over whether slavery would be legal in the new state of Ohio. This history reveals Ohio's complex political, racial, and religious past and the implications that still impact life in our state today.
$30,000 to Enlightened Solutions to transform research into practical solutions by empowering a Community Engagement Committee to address anti-Blackness and hair-based discrimination through community storytelling, intergenerational dialogues, public art campaigns, and the creation of a Black Women's Resource Guide.
$23,000 to Children's Law Center for a public education and public advocacy initiative that uplifts the voices of people who, as children, were transferred from juvenile court, sentenced as adults, and incarcerated in Ohio's adult system. This project will address the disproportionate impact of bindover on Ohioans of color.
$20,000 to Mahoning Valley Sojourn to the Past to promote racial justice education in the Mahoning Valley. Through key programs like Nonviolence Week and Freedom Summer, students and community members will be introduced to civil rights history and legal advocacy.
$6,800 to Cornerstone Renter Equity to develop a series of free legal information workshops and webinars to benefit low-income families in the Over-the-Rhine community in downtown Cincinnati.
If you’d like to learn more about any of the grantees, connect with one of the organizations directly, or know more about the OSBF’s grantmaking process, contact OSBF’s Grants Manager Michelle Hendricks at MHendricks@OSBF.org. The deadline for the Racial Justice Initiative Grant Cycle is May 15, 2026. Learn more.
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