IOLTA Funding is Frozen: What’s at Stake?

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The need for civil legal services in our community is great, and at the Advocacy Center, we work tirelessly to meet it. Each day, we witness our clients doing everything they can to overcome the barriers standing between them and stability. We see parents fighting to keep a roof over their heads and a safe home for their families, our neighbors striving to access health care, local veterans and seniors seeking the benefits they’ve earned, and individuals navigating a complex legal system who need access to an attorney to truly have access to justice. 

Recent funding losses resulting in staff reductions have already affected those who rely on our services, and now we face another challenge: a funding freeze on the Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOLTA).  

This year, IOLTA provided $765,000 in grants that supported our services. Since 1983, IOLTA has awarded $134 million in grants to strengthen access to justice statewide, including nearly $12 million to 35 nonprofits across North Carolina in 2025. For our clients, this funding represents access to legal services that provides stability, safety, and hope: 

  • Meet Tad: A mother wrongfully accused of fraud regained her childcare assistance and her hope thanks to the dedicated efforts of our Public Benefits Unit. 
  • Meet Renai: Facing the loss of her family home, Renai navigated complex bankruptcy proceedings with our help, securing a plan to preserve her family’s legacy with the help of our Consumer Protection Program. 
  • Meet Sarah: A single mom and hairdresser faced an unexpected $20,000 tax bill caused by her former partner. With support from our Low-Income Tax Clinic, Sarah provided the necessary records and affidavits, and we successfully proved the taxes were not hers, giving her financial stability and peace of mind. 

These stories show what’s possible when access to justice is within reach. 

How is the Advocacy Center moving forward? 

We recently added a program providing civil legal services to children when a partner organization, Council for Children’s Rights, was forced to dissolve in the face of these changes. This program is extremely important for our community, and we feel grateful to be entrusted to keep this program moving forward. 

We are working on reimagining our organization’s role in a transformed legal landscape. Through strategic planning, we will identify and prioritize new, community-based legal initiatives that respond to current needs, leverage technology, and expand access to justice. 

We are laying the groundwork for launching new, community-driven legal initiatives that respond to emerging needs in real time. Not just sustaining our organization, we want to center the survival, resilience and empowerment of our clients and community, guiding us to design innovative legal solutions rooted in their lived experiences and evolving needs. 

How You Can Help 

  • Contact Kelly Lynn to explore personalized ways to get involved and support access to justice in your community.