Foundation to award record amount of grants in 2015-16

Officials from the Oakland County Bar Foundation have announced that this year the OCBF projects committee has budgeted nearly $230,000 to award in grants from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016. This is the largest amount the committee has ever been able to budget for grants and it is all due to the continuing success of the Signature Event, according to Eric Pelton, president of the OCBF. Last year the committee awarded 13 different grants to eight worthy organizations totaling more than $193,000. Some of the organizations included Oakland County Bar Association, Lakeshore Legal Aid, RESTORE Foundation, and Michigan Center for Civic Education to name a few. "If you know of any 501(c)(3) organizations providing legal aid and/or education that would benefit from a grant from the Oakland County Bar Foundation, please feel free to pass the word along," Pelton said. "We encourage any interested parties to apply." The grant guidelines, application and deadlines are on the OCBA website at http://www.ocba.org/Grant-Application.id.21.htm. Additional questions can be directed towards Katie Tillinger at (248) 334-3400 or ktillinger@ocba.org. The16th Annual Signature Event in May raised $310,000 for law-related programs across Oakland County. The net proceeds from this event will fund grants to organizations that provide legal aid and education throughout Oakland County. "We are so amazed and thankful every year for the unwavering support of our members and sponsors," OCBF President Pelton said. "Their generous donations and sponsorships ensure we continue to have the means to help fund even more local legal aid and education nonprofits." Of the $310,000 raised, $242,000 was generated from sponsorships and $67,720 was raised from ticket sales and donations. Since 2002, the OCBF has contributed more than $1.7 million to legal assistance and legal education programs. Proceeds from the Signature Event have funded grants to programs and organizations such as the Family Law Assistance Project (FLAP), The RESTORE Foundation, several programs through University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, Legal Aid Mini Clinics, and Beaumont Hospital Legal Aid for Children and Families. Published: Fri, Jul 03, 2015