WASHINGTON—The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) announced Dec. 19 that Michigan Advocacy Program (MAP) will receive two Technology Initiative Grants (TIG) in the amounts of $102,950 and $598,970. MAP will use this funding to strengthen its use of technology in providing services to low-income citizens of Michigan with civil legal needs.
Established in 2000, the TIG program distributes grants annually to legal services providers. This year, LSC is awarding 33 Technology Initiative Grants totaling $4,679,135 to 29 legal services organizations across the country.
LSC has awarded 859 grants since the program’s inception—totaling more than $81 million to fund legal technology projects. Grant recipients have used this funding to enhance cybersecurity, build educational platforms, strengthen program capacity and support the work of pro bono attorneys.
MAP will use the $102,950 grant to upgrade and implement the next iteration of document assembly tools for Michigan’s self-represented litigants and those working with limited counsel in partnership with the Michigan Legal Help Program (MLHP). MLHP operates the statewide self-help website MichiganLegalHelp.org and has developed a comprehensive library of do-it-yourself legal tools. These tools help Michiganians create legally accurate, complete, and legible documents to file in court or otherwise use to solve their legal issues.
The $598,970 grant will be used by MAP to manage the Legal Services National Technology Assistance Project (LSNTAP) for the next two years. LSNTAP is a national platform that ensures that LSC-funded legal services providers across the across the country can utilize technology effectively within their organizations. The project offers LSC grantees free access to an annual technology webinar series, an individualized technology assistance program and a library of robust toolkits on emerging technology topics.
Legal Services Corporation (LSC) is an independent nonprofit established by Congress in 1974 to provide financial support for civil legal aid to low-income Americans. The Corporation currently provides funding to 132 independent nonprofit legal aid programs in every state, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.
