Tennessee Bar Foundation Awards $4 Million in IOLTA Grants to Legal Aid and Organizations Improving the Administration of Justice

NASHVILLE, TN – The Tennessee Bar Foundation is proud to announce its 2026 grant awards, totaling more than $4 million. These funds, distributed through the IOLTA (Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts) program, provide critical resources for organizations that offer direct civil legal services to the poor and for programs that improve the administration of justice.

This year's awards mark the largest grant cycle in the 38-year history of the Tennessee IOLTA program. Established by the Tennessee Supreme Court, the program remains a vital lifeline for essential civil legal aid organizations and programs working to improve the administration of justice. With this latest round of funding, the Foundation has now awarded more than $34 million in grants since its inception.

"Across Tennessee, families, veterans, and those in need face life-altering legal challenges, often without the resources to navigate them” said Sam Elliott, Chair of the Tennessee Bar Foundation Board of Trustees. "The IOLTA program is there to provide resources to hardworking organizations who are meeting their missions, supporting their clients, and impacting their communities."

The Foundation awarded grants to 41 programs this year, reaching residents in all 95 Tennessee counties. Supported organizations range from providers like West Tennessee Legal Services—which offers no-cost civil legal aid to West Tennesseans focusing on issues affecting family safety, cohesiveness, and stability—to programs such as the

Victim Offender Reconciliation Program (VORP), which provides victim mediation services to the community and General Sessions and Juvenile Courts in Clay, Cumberland, Overton, Putnam, White, and surrounding counties.

"For decades, IOLTA has been a cornerstone of support for those working to close the justice gap," said John Murphy, Executive Director of the Foundation. "From Tennessee’s rural towns to our urban centers, we know that legal support changes lives. IOLTA resources strengthen the capacity of our partners to meet community needs, ensuring that thousands of people who would otherwise face legal challenges alone receive support they need.”

The 2026 grants will fund a wide array of services, including individual legal representation, legal clinics and navigation, dispute mediation, housing advocacy, and specialized assistance for survivors of domestic violence.