The District of Columbia’s Access to Justice (ATJ) Initiative is the primary local mechanism for public funding of civil legal services to low- and moderate-income DC residents.
The DC Council’s final vote on the fiscal year (FY) 2026 District budget continues this critical work. The Council built upon funding provided by the executive in its budget request to provide a one-time enhancement of $21.3 million, resulting in FY 2026 total funding for the ATJ Initiative of $31.7 million, which matches the funding level from FY 2025.
The ATJ Initiative was established in FY 2007 with the goal of improving access to justice for low-income and underserved District residents. It is administered by the DC Bar Foundation under the oversight of the Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants, with program funds distributed through competitive grants to nonprofit legal-services providers. The ATJ Initiative’s primary objectives are to prevent the loss of housing, income, health care, and family stability by providing free civil legal representation and other forms of legal assistance, including a shared legal interpreter bank and a coordinated intake and referral system, and to offer loan-repayment assistance to attorneys employed in eligible low-pay public-interest positions.
Program outputs reported by providers for FY 2024 illustrate the ATJ Initiative’s impact. Approximately 40,000 District residents received legal help through the ATJ Initiative that year. In the area of eviction defense and housing retention, more than 3,600 tenants were served, and 87% of those who wanted to remain in their unit retained possession. One organization that served 1,000 households in consumer and debt matters secured $700,000 for their benefit. In probate and estate planning, another organization assisted 320 seniors, with a 95% completion rate and $2.5 million in asset value secured. These data, cited by the Council during markup, demonstrate a substantial return on investment and informed the decision to restore funding cuts. More information on the ATJ Initiative and its extraordinary impact are available here.
Despite these positive developments, several challenges remain. The most pressing is the reliance on one-time funding for FY 2026, which creates a structural gap of more than $21 million beginning in FY 2027. Providers are encouraged to participate both in the Council’s upcoming performance oversight hearings for FY 2026, as well as the budget hearings following the mayor’s introduction of the FY 2027 budget. As always, the DC Access to Justice Commission will be leading these efforts and informing grant recipients and other supporters of ways to get involved in ongoing education and advocacy about the ATJ Initiative.
The FY 2026 final budget vote reaffirms the District’s commitment to civil legal aid, addresses immediate funding needs, and modernizes the statutory architecture of the ATJ Initiative. Stakeholders with questions about eligibility, upcoming grant solicitations, or compliance requirements should visit the DC Bar Foundation’s grant programs page.
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