(The pdf for the issue in which this article appears is available for download: Bifocal, Vol. 37, Issue 2.)
Operating Budget
The Commission’s operating budget is made up of core funding from ABA general revenues that provide nearly half of the funds needed to run the Commission. The remainder comes from grants, contracts, and donations. The Commission’s expenses totaled approximately $1.12 million during FY 2015, although revenues can vary considerably from year to year depending on the number and size of grants in any given year.
Private Donations
Growth of annual funding is a high priority for the Commission. Because of the uncertainty of the grant world, private donations have become an increasingly important leg of the Commission’s financial stool. As a program of the ABA Fund for Justice and Education, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, the Commission is able to receive tax deductible donations and bequests via check, planned giving, or at https://donate.americanbar.org/cola.
The chart below shows the sources of the Commission’s funding for FY 2015.