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= The Florida Bar Foundation =

The Florida Bar Foundation is a statewide 501 (c)(3) nonprofit public charity, providing funding for legal aid and improvements in the administration of justice.

Background
The Foundation was created in 1956, when The Florida Bar Board of Governors started a nonprofit corporation, chartered to foster law-related public interest programs on behalf of Florida’s legal profession.

The Florida Bar Foundation has a mission to provide greater access to justice. This is accomplished through funding of programs that expand and improve representation and advocacy for the poor in civil legal matters. It offers both leadership and funding for legal aid throughout Florida to accomplish this mission. The Florida Bar Foundation itself does not give legal aid or advice, simply funds other organizations that provide these services.

Funding
It was 1981 when financial support for The Foundation increased greatly. The Florida Supreme Court adopted the nation’s first Interest on Trust Accounts (IOTA) program. This allows client trust deposits that aren’t invested are pooled into an attorney or law firm’s interest- or dividend-bearing financial institution account that benefits IOTA.Between 2015-2016, revenue from IOTA was $5.8 million.

The Florida Supreme Court required that all nominal or short-term client trust funds must be deposited into IOTA accounts, but attorneys may invest trust funds for the benefit of individual clients whenever practical, and are precluded from depositing such funds for IOTA’s benefit. The Florida Bar Foundation is the appointed trustee of the IOTA, and has accepted the responsibility to use these funds for Supreme Court-approved purposes.

The Foundation board allocates IOTA funds annually to provide legal assistance to the poor, programs improving the administration of justice, and law student assistance programs designed to foster public interest careers and pro bono work.

Through the Kids Deserve Justice specialty license plate offered through Florida's Department of Motor Vehicles, income from purchased plates funds Children's Legal Services (CLS). This program is also supported by optional donations from lawyers on their annual Florida Bar Fee statement.

Under the Florida Access to Civil Legal Assistance Act (FACLA), state funding generated $13.86 of economic impact for every $1 spent in 2007-2008. However, The Florida Legislature's FACLA appropriation was vetoed every year from 2011 to 2014, and hasn't been requested since.

The Foundation's Improvements in Administration of Justice (AOJ) Grant Program has provided funding in four areas: Administrative funding is currently limited to:
 * Improvement in the operation and management of the court system
 * Improvement and reform of the criminal, civil, and juvenile justice systems
 * Public education and understanding about the law, including law-related education
 * Promotion and support for public interest legal representation
 * The Florida Justice Technology Center, which is a statewide nonprofit dedicated to increasing access to justice through the innovative use of technology.
 * The Innocence Project of Florida, which has exonerated 15 wrongly-convicted people using DNA evidence.
 * Florida Law-Related Education Association, which teaches students about civics and the law.

Grantees
Across the state of Florida, The Florida Bar Foundation helps fund 32 different legal aid offices, which execute the legal legwork.