Donor Impact
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should I donate to the Foundation instead of directly to a legal aid group?
Donating to the Wyoming Foundation for Civil Justice expands your impact as a donor. Instead of donating to one organization, your donation assists multiple grantees who are helping hundreds of people access civil legal representation each year.
This may include low-income people facing a contract or property dispute, victims of domestic or sexual abuse, immigrants who need legal representation, and other injured parties who can’t afford a lawyer.
How much of my donation goes to legal aid and how much to administrative costs?
Approximately 95% of your donation goes directly to fund annual grants to eligible legal aid organizations. The Foundation is overseen by volunteer board members. Daily operations and communications are handled by an outsourced association management agency. We do not have overhead costs such as leases or utilities.
Who actually benefits from your grants?
The Foundation’s focus is on civil justice. This encompasses the private rights of individual citizens, not criminal violations. Legal aid organizations take on these cases to expand access to civil justice for people who have been wronged by an individual or institution or who need representation for a lawsuit, public claim or court order.
For example, victims of domestic violence are not required by law to be provided with free legal representation. However, the accused offender, if charged with domestic violence or sexual offenses, has a right to legal representation under criminal law. Grants to legal aid organizations can balance the scales of civil justice for injured parties.