Colorado Legal Services Receives $318,000 in Technology Grants from Legal Services Corporation
November 16, 2023
WASHINGTON—The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) announced today that it is awarding Colorado Legal Services (CLS) two Technology Initiative Grants (TIG). CLS will use its $283,631 grant to develop a comprehensive self-help website, and its $35,000 grant to support an assessment of its administrative processes to identify opportunities for increasing efficiency.
Established in 2000, the TIG program distributes grants annually to legal services providers across the United States. This year, LSC is awarding 33 grants totaling $5.1 million to 29 different organizations.
“Utilizing technology to create innovative tools empowers legal aid organizations to increase their capacity to provide crucial resources to low-income Americans,” said LSC President Ron Flagg. “The Technology Initiative Grants support projects that improve the delivery of legal services and information to people who need help navigating civil legal problems like housing, consumer and family issues.”
LSC has awarded 892 grants since the program’s inception—totaling more than $86 million to fund legal aid 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.
CLS’ first grant project is developing the Colorado Equal Justice Helper in collaboration with the Colorado Access to Justice Commission. The Colorado Equal Justice Helper will be a comprehensive self-help website to guide users to the most current and appropriate legal information in common legal issue areas. This online resource will provide simplified legal information and guided tools to help users address their urgent civil legal needs. The site will leverage plain language, document assembly and potentially artificial intelligence to create an intuitive, interactive user experience. The project is a statewide collaboration and combines extensive expertise in serving low-income groups with relationships across the justice community.
The second grant will allow CLS to analyze its current administrative processes and identify opportunities for improved efficiency. CLS will also examine its related cybersecurity practices. The result will be a report with a roadmap for optimizing CLS's workflows through digitization, automation and integration of its IT systems. This will allow CLS to modernize administrative tasks, reducing resources required while maintaining rigorous compliance. The project lays the groundwork for CLS to implement identified improvements.
Senator Michael Bennet and Representative Brittany Pettersen (CO-7) congratulated CLS on receiving TIG funding.
"Accurate legal information should be available to every American regardless of background, wealth, status, or education,” said Sen. Bennet. “These grants will help Colorado Legal Services continue to provide support and comprehensive legal assistance to Coloradans involved with our legal system."
“Congratulations to Colorado Legal Services for receiving two Technology Initiative Grants, which recognize creative and innovative uses of technology to expand access to high-quality legal services and information about the judicial system,” said Rep. Pettersen. “Colorado Legal Services has stepped up to the plate to ensure all Coloradans, regardless of income level, can access exceptional legal help when they need it most.”
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 131 independent nonprofit legal aid programs in every state, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.
