The Law Foundation of BC has designated funds of up to $600,000 for the creation of a Children’s Lawyer’s Office for British Columbia. This fund has been made possible by grants from:
- the Law Foundation Strategic Initiatives Fund,
- the Law Foundation Child Welfare Fund (from a cy-près award),
- the Representative for Children and Youth
- the Law Society of BC Access to Justice Fund, and
- the Notary Foundation of BC.
Purpose of the Initiative: The purpose of the initiative is to support a two-year pilot project to establish a Children’s Lawyer’s Office for British Columbia. The Children’s Lawyer will provide direct legal services to children and youth in British Columbia in the areas of family law and child protection law, with possible other areas including mental health law, housing, youth criminal justice, employment law, school law, bullying, policing, and other areas of need.
There should be a specific focus on addressing the needs of Aboriginal children and youth as well as immigrant and refugee, street involved, and LGBTQ youth.
The successful applicant will also be responsible for evaluating the outcomes and outputs of the project.
Who can apply? A non-profit organization in British Columbia that can demonstrate that they have the background, interests, and capacity to carry out the project in a manner that will meet the stated purpose of this initiative.
Length of project: The Children’s Lawyer Initiative is a one-time, two-year pilot project. There is currently no provision for renewal funding at the end of the project; however, depending on a number of factors, the Foundation may consider funding the Children’s Lawyer as a continuing program. The decision to continue funding will be depend on:
- the availability of funding,
- the successful completion of the project, and
- an assessment of the outcomes and outputs of the project satisfactory to the
Grant size: The maximum amount available for the Initiative is $600,000.
Application process: Please submit your application for the Children’s Lawyer Initiative by courier, email or fax no later than September 15, 2016 at 5 pm.
Copies of the application guidelines and form can be obtained here:
Alternatively, contact us:
- by emailing us at [email protected]
- by calling us at 604-688-2337
- by faxing us at 604-688-4586
- by writing us at the Law Foundation of BC, 1340 – 605 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 5J3
The application will be adjudicated at the November 2016 Board of Governors’ meeting.
Please contact Law Foundation staff Wayne Robertson, QC, Executive Director or Veenu Saini, Program Director at 604-688-2337 to discuss your project prior to submitting an application.
Please note that the Foundation will require an organization’s audited financial statements or an audit of the project for any grant in excess of $30,000.
Submitting an application is not a guarantee of funding.