Current Grant Recipients

IOLTA and The Hon. John A. Dooley Competitive Grants Program

The Vermont Bar Foundation administers two core grant programs funded through the Vermont IOLTA (Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts) Program: the invite-only IOLTA Grants Program and the Hon. John A. Dooley Competitive Grants Program. Both programs are supported by interest earned on pooled client trust accounts and are designed to expand access to civil legal services and justice-related education across Vermont. The IOLTA Grants Program provides targeted, strategic funding to key legal service partners through an invitation-only process, ensuring stable support for essential, high-impact legal services. The Hon. John A. Dooley Competitive Grants Program is the Foundation’s open, competitive funding program, awarding annual grants to nonprofit organizations that deliver direct legal services to low-income Vermonters and provide law-related public education. Together, these programs represent the Foundation’s primary investment in Vermont’s civil justice infrastructure, supporting innovation, accountability, and statewide access to justice. 

2025 Grantees Include:

• Association of Africans Living in Vermont
• Atria Collective
• Center for Justice Reform Clinic at Vermont Law and Graduate School
• Community Restorative Justice Center
• Have Justice Will Travel
• Hope Works
• Migrant Justice
• Vermont Asylum Assistance Project
• Community Asylum Seekers Project
• NewStory Center
• Steps to End Domestic Violence
• Vermont Bar Association
• Vermont Legal Aid
• Legal Services Vermont

The Richard Cassidy Special Grant Program

The Richard Cassidy Special Grant Program is a $100,000 statewide funding initiative created by the Vermont Bar Foundation to honor the life and legacy of attorney Richard Cassidy, whose career was defined by justice, public service, and removing barriers for Vermonters. Through this program, the VBF awarded special grants to 21 organizations working across Vermont to address critical needs including housing stability, disability rights, youth services, economic opportunity, immigration support, LGBTQ+ advocacy, and community reentry. The program reflects Richard Cassidy’s enduring values and the Foundation’s belief that access to justice extends beyond the courtroom—strengthening communities, expanding opportunity, and supporting Vermonters in meaningful and transformative ways.

2025 Richard Cassidy Special Grant Awardees:

• ARC-Rutland Area
• Bridge to Rutland, Inc.
• BROC Community Action
• Central Vermont Refugee Action Network
• Disability Rights Vermont
• Dismas of Vermont
• KidSafe Collaborative
• Let’s Build Homes
• OUR House of Central VT, Inc.
• Pride Center of Vermont
• Rutland County Pride
• Spectrum Youth and Family Services
• SPEAK Inc.
• Therapeutic Works
• The Vermont Professionals of Color Network (VT PoC)
• Vermont Immigration Legal Defense Fund
• Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
• Vermont Nonprofit Legal Hub
• Vermont Parent Representation Center, Inc.
• Vermont Works for Women
• Voices for Vermont’s Children