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The Austin Bar Foundation funded the following nonprofit projects using funds raised from the 2026 Austin Bar Foundation Gala.
The Center for Child Protection
Project Title: Case Management to Help Child Abuse Victims Navigate the Legal System
Statement: Received grant funds from the Austin Bar Foundation will go toward securing a case manager who will ensure a supportive experience for families who have experienced child abuse, helping them as they move through the legal system. The case manager will focus on collaboration and coordination with the multidisciplinary team partners and referral to vital court-focused services.
Court Appointed Special Advocates of Travis County (CASA)
Project Title: Improving Child Advocacy – Professional Development Training for CASA Staff
Statement: Funds from the Austin Bar Foundation will contribute to professional development training for CASA’s front-line staff, volunteer supervisors, who ensure quality advocacy for every child they serve. With the help of the foundation, CASA seeks to improve child advocacy by bringing in outside trainers to help child advocacy specialists improve courtroom presentation skills, learn to better use time-management tools, and develop other skills that will ensure quality advocacy for children who have been abused or neglected and have open cases in the Travis County child welfare courts.
Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas (VLS)
Project Title: Pro Bono Housing Stability Services for Low-Income Individuals and Families
Statement: The VLS Housing Stability program provides pro bono legal services to individuals and families facing eviction or other landlord-tenant issues that may result in a loss of housing for vulnerable, low-income residents of Travis, Hays, Bastrop, and Williamson counties. Grant funds will support the promotion of stable and secure housing environments, the prevention of homelessness, and addressing related legal issues, thus positively impacting the social, emotional, and mental well-being of both adults and children in affected families.
VinCare Services of Austin Foundation d/b/a Saint Louise House)
Project Title: Increasing Access to Legal Services to Single Mothers Experiencing Homelessness
Statement: In partnership with the Saint Louise House Supportive Housing Program, VinCare seeks to provide equal access to justice for mothers who have experienced homelessness, most of whom have also experienced domestic violence. The grant funds from the Austin Bar Foundation will contribute to ensuring access to legal services for families by strengthening community partnerships, training staff, and providing financial support.
Seedling Foundation (d/b/a Seedling)
Project Title: Mentoring for Children Impacted by Parental Incarceration
Statement: This Seedling mentorship program empowers Central Texas students impacted by parental incarceration by matching each with a trained, committed mentor. The Austin Bar Foundation grant will fund volunteer mentor recruitment, interviews, background checks, ongoing training, and mentee-mentor match support, thus contributing to a healthy, productive life trajectory for a significantly underserved, high-risk population of youth in our community.
Texas Advocacy Project
Project Title: Law Center Initiatives
Statement: The Texas Advocacy Project’s Law Center Initiative improves system coordination and increases access to protective orders and other critical legal remedies for survivors of abuse. Funds received from the Austin Bar Foundation will help support projects expanding the availability of free legal services, providing critical protection for families escaping abuse, as well as promoting public understanding of the law and growing the legal workforce through professional development and training opportunities.
Gift of Adoption Fund, Inc.
Project Title: Texas Adoption Assistance – Legal Fees
Statement: In alignment with the Austin Bar Foundation’s priority of expanding and facilitating the availability of legal services, Gift of Adoption grants ensure the delivery of those services for at-risk children who are being adopted. The Austin Bar Foundation’s support will be distributed by the Gift of Adoption Fund, whose grants are paid directly to the agency or attorney working on behalf of the child, as well as covering final fees, ensuring the adoption is completed successfully.
