Oklahoma Bar Journal
Bar Foundation News | 2026 OBF IOLTA Grants
Your IOLTA Dollars Bringing $2.9 Million in Legal Services and Education to Oklahoma Communities
By Renee DeMoss
Safe Center Inc.: Legal services for survivors of domestic violence in Stephens County- Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma: Refugee and immigration legal services in Texas County
- San Bois CASA: Advocacy support for justice-involved children in LeFlore County
- Oklahoma High School Mock Trial Program: Mock trial program education and training for students on our legal system, available for all 77 Oklahoma counties
These organizations are among the 64 nonprofits across the state that will receive a combined $2.9 million in funding for legal services and education from the Oklahoma Bar Foundation in 2026. Through IOLTA accounts established by Oklahoma lawyers and partnerships with these grantees, the OBF strives to bring justice home to our neighbors in all Oklahoma communities.
Last year, Oklahoma lawyers and judges identified areas of primary legal needs facing Oklahomans and areas of the state hardest hit by those needs. By partnering with its grantee organizations, the OBF seeks to respond to and address the wide spectrum of issues affecting Oklahoma individuals and families. These include protecting the elderly and those in danger of losing their homes, providing services to victims of domestic violence by ensuring they have the necessary resources to escape abusive environments and find safety, supporting refugees and immigrants who face legal uncertainties and need resources to navigate our complex legal system and funding pretrial diversion programs that aim to provide alternatives to incarceration for individuals involved in the criminal justice system. Grants for organizations providing these services help eliminate barriers to justice and offer lifelines to individuals and families who would otherwise face overwhelming challenges without proper legal representation or guidance.
The following 2026 IOLTA grants will impact more than 100,000 lives across the state of Oklahoma.
| Grantee Organization | Program/Service | Service Area | Lives Impacted | Grant Amount |
| 1st Step Male Diversion Program | Wrapped in Hope: diversion program | Tulsa County | 25 | $18,084 |
| 22nd Judicial District CASA | Court appointed special advocates program | Hughes, Pontotoc and Seminole counties | 70 | $20,000 |
| American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma Foundation | Know Your Rights: education sessions | Statewide | 250 | $15,000 |
| American Dream Center Institute | Low-cost legal services for immigrants and refugees | Statewide | 100 | $30,000 |
| Bill of Rights Institute | Teaching rights and responsibilities under the law to Oklahoma students | Statewide | 12,903 | $25,000 |
| Canadian County CASA | Court appointed special advocates program | Canadian County | 106 | $20,000 |
| CASA for Kids | Court appointed special advocates program | Kay, Logan and Payne counties | 120 | $15,000 |
| CASA of Northeast Oklahoma | Court appointed special advocates program | Delaware, Mayes, Ottawa, Rogers and Washington counties | 175 | $25,000 |
| CASA of Oklahoma County | Court appointed special advocates program | Oklahoma County | 630 | $25,000 |
| CASA of Southern Oklahoma | Court appointed special advocates program | Carter, Johnston, Love, Marshall and Murray counties | 111 | $15,000 |
| CASA of Western Oklahoma | Court appointed special advocates program | Beckham, Custer, Dewey, Roger Mills and Washita counties | 185 | $20,000 |
| Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma | Immigration legal services | Statewide | 400 | $35,000 |
| Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City | Citizenship initiative and support for survivors of crime | Canadian, Cleveland and Oklahoma counties | 600 | $75,000 |
| Center for Children and Families | Divorce and co-parenting services | Cleveland and Oklahoma counties | 660 | $30,000 |
| Child Advocacy Network | Multidisciplinary child abuse team | Okmulgee, Tulsa and Wagoner counties | 1,774 | $20,000 |
| Community Action Agency of Oklahoma City | Community legal counsel center | Canadian and Oklahoma counties | 545 | $47,500 |
| Community Court Advocacy Network | CCAN case management | Oklahoma County | 127 | $30,000 |
| Community Crisis Center | Community Crisis Center court advocacy | Craig, Delaware and Ottawa counties | 150 | $14,000 |
| Domestic Violence Intervention Services | DVIS legal program | Creek and Tulsa counties | 3,630 | $25,000 |
| Grand Lake Mental Health Center | Mental health and addiction services for justice-involved individuals and families | Kay County | 92 | $20,000 |
| Historical Society of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma | Civics education | Statewide | 1,000 | $10,000 |
| Latitude Legal Alliance | Latitude Legal Alliance representation for underserved immigrants | Statewide | 4,461 | $100,000 |
| Lawyers Helping Lawyers Foundation | Lawyers Helping Lawyers Foundation | Statewide | 16,288 | $200,000 |
| Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma | Access to civil legal services | Statewide | 32,500 | $250,000 |
| Marie Detty Youth and Family Services | New directions, domestic and sexual violence and stalking legal services | Caddo, Comanche and Cotton counties | 1,625 | $20,000 |
| Mary Abbott Children's House | Forensic interview program | Cleveland, Garvin and McClain counties | 1,200 | $15,000 |
| Mental Health Association Oklahoma | Special Services Docket | Statewide | 250 | $30,000 |
| New Sanctuary Empowerment Center | El Centro legal program | Tulsa County | 200 | $45,000 |
| Oklahoma Access to Justice Foundation | Legal education and empowerment | Statewide | 1,500 | $50,000 |
| Oklahoma CASA | Strengthening CASA advocacy | Statewide | 19 | $25,000 |
| Oklahoma City University | HEROES (Helping to Eliminate Re-entry Obstacles to Enhance Stability) Clinic | Oklahoma, Canadian, Cleveland and Pottawatomie counties | 250 | $57,000 |
| Oklahoma City University | American Indian Wills Clinic | Statewide | 100 | $45,000 |
| Oklahoma County Juvenile Bureau | Literacy initiative program | Oklahoma County | 80 | $4,927.25 |
| Oklahoma County Juvenile Bureau | Connect to Redirect program | Oklahoma County | 1,600 | $8,525 |
| Oklahoma Disability Law Center | Educational juvenile court advocacy/liaison program | Canadian and Oklahoma counties | 35 | $52,715 |
| Oklahoma Guardian Ad Litem Institute | GAL services for children and legal training for domestic violence and court experts | Statewide | 200 | $100,000 |
| Oklahoma High School Mock Trial Program | Oklahoma High School Mock Trial Program | Statewide | 800 | $75,000 |
| Oklahoma Indian Legal Services | Native Navigator Rural Justice Connection | Statewide | 1,200 | $150,000 |
| Oklahoma Lawyers for Families and Children | Oklahoma Families Forward: redefining access to justice for families | Statewide | 500 | $235,550 |
| Okmulgee County Family Resource Center | Court appointed special advocates program | Creek and Okmulgee counties | 111 | $20,000 |
| Palomar: Oklahoma City’s Family Justice Center | Palomar Legal Network | Canadian, Cleveland, Logan and Oklahoma counties | 120 | $30,000 |
| Pawnee/Osage CASA | Court appointed special advocates program | Creek, Kay, Osage, Pawnee and Payne counties | 57 | $25,000 |
| Pittsburg County Child Abuse Response Effort | 2025-2026 MDT training initiative for child abuse investigations | Statewide | 500 | $20,000 |
| Project Commutation | Project Commutation internship program | Statewide | 1,000 | $80,000 |
| ReMerge | Diversion program for mothers | Canadian, Cleveland, McClain and Oklahoma counties | 100 | $31,060 |
| Resonance Center for Women | Diversion and reentry services | Statewide | 1,600 | $25,000 |
| Safe Center | Legal services and domestic violence protection | Jefferson and Stephens counties | 450 | $75,000 |
| Safe Center | Advocacy for child survivors | Jefferson and Stephens counties | 564 | $30,000 |
| San Bois CASA | Court appointed special advocates program | Atoka, Haskell, Latimer, LeFlore and Pittsburg counties | 200 | $25,000 |
| Teen Court | Delinquency prevention | Comanche County | 1,362 | $50,000 |
| The CARE Center | Child abuse forensic interviewing | Oklahoma County | 1,122 | $20,000 |
| The ComeBack Kid Society | Turnaround program | Statewide | 1,300 | $20,000 |
| The Parent Child Center of Tulsa | Tulsa Safe Babies program | Tulsa County | 75 | $25,000 |
| The Spero Project | Refugee legal services | Canadian, Cleveland and Oklahoma counties | 2,700 | $130,000 |
| The Spring | Legal services for survivors of domestic abuse and human trafficking | Statewide | 2,500 | $15,000 |
| Trinity Legal Clinic of Oklahoma | Community justice initiative | Canadian, Cleveland, Logan and Oklahoma counties | 400 | $75,000 |
| Tulsa CASA | Court appointed special advocates program | Tulsa County | 260 | $35,000 |
| Tulsa Lawyers for Children | Legal advocacy and representation for children | Tulsa County | 315 | $65,000 |
| Wings of Hope Family Crisis Services | Court advocacy program | Lincoln, Logan, Noble, Pawnee and Payne counties | 400 | $20,000 |
| YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City | Youth and government program | Statewide | 2,500 | $16,900 |
| Youth and Family Resource Center | Court appointed special advocates program | Lincoln and Pottawatomie counties | 35 | $15,000 |
| Youth Services of Tulsa | Youth Court | Tulsa County | 475 | $10,000 |
| YWCA Enid | Legal advocacy program for survivors of domestic violence | Garfield, Grant, Blaine, Major and Kingfisher counties | 3,000 | $20,500 |
| YWCA Tulsa | Immigration legal services | Tulsa County | 747 | $100,000 |
| 108,354 | $2,976,761.25 |
Pursuant to Article IV, Section 2 of the bylaws of the Oklahoma Bar Foundation (OBF), the following OBF members have been nominated by the 2025 Nominating Committee to serve on the OBF Board of Trustees: Jason Hartwig, Oklahoma City; Kaleb Hennigh, Enid; and Kevin Sain, Idabel. They have been nominated for three-year terms from 2026-2028.
Any group of 25 or more Partners for Justice (formerly Fellows) may submit the name of a member of the OBF as an additional nominee by submitting a petition duly signed by said Partners and submitted to the OBF Executive Committee no later than 10 days after the nomination slate is published in the Oklahoma Bar Journal. Nominating petitions can be mailed to Renee DeMoss, Executive Director, Oklahoma Bar Foundation, P.O. Box 53036, Oklahoma City, OK 73152-3034, or delivered to 1901 N. Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73105-4901.
Ms. DeMoss is the executive director of the Oklahoma Bar Foundation.
Originally published in the Oklahoma Bar Journal – OBJ 96 No. 10 (December 2025)
Statements or opinions expressed in the Oklahoma Bar Journal are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Oklahoma Bar Association, its officers, Board of Governors, Board of Editors or staff.