Racial Justice Initiative

Communities in Schools of Ohio received $50,000 for the Legal Pathways and Civic Leadership
Initiative, which will connect high school students with legal professionals through structured
career exposure, mentorship, guest speakers, and learning activities. These experiences will
help students better understand the legal system, civic responsibility, their rights, and the laws
and policies impacting their communities. By embedding these experiences within schools,
students build confidence, strengthen leadership skills, and become advocates, changemakers,
and future professionals committed to advancing equity, justice, and public service.

Case Western Reserve University received $45,000 for its Statewide Quantitative Analysis of
Racial Disparities in Ohio Juvenile Bind Over Decisions project, which examines how Ohio’s
bind over process, transferring youth to adult court, produces racial disparities and long‑term
harm for Black youth and other historically marginalized communities of color. They will analyze
statewide data, document decision‑making patterns, and create clear, public‑facing materials
that explain how bind over works and why it matters for youth, families, and communities.
Working with legal practitioners and community partners, CWRU will identify opportunities to
eliminate legal barriers and support more equitable outcomes. Funding will support data
analysis, stakeholder engagement, and dissemination of findings to inform policy discussions
and strengthen justice for Ohio’s young people.

Central Ohio Worker Center received $40,000 to support the project From Workers to
Advocates: Building a Community Pipeline into Law and Justice. This project will build pathways
for low-wage immigrant workers and BIPOC communities, particularly Spanish-speaking Latino
community members, to pursue careers as attorneys, paralegals, and legal advocates. This
work addresses the shortage of Spanish-speaking legal professionals and culturally responsive
legal support in Ohio. Through workplace rights education, leadership development, mentorship,
and career exploration activities, we expose directly impacted communities to legal systems and
advocacy careers. By creating access to the legal profession for those most affected by workplace exploitation, this initiative advances racial justice, representation, and long-term
systems change.

JustChoice received $40,000 to support the project Birthing Justice in Ohio: A Pilot to Identify
Legal Barriers and Surveillance Impacts on Black Maternal Health, which is a pilot project in
partnership with Ohio Women's Alliance and Case Western Reserve University to identify legal
and systemic barriers contributing to racial disparities in maternal health outcomes. The project
will collect insights from people navigating pregnancy, analyze barriers through a legal lens, and
produce a “Know Your Rights in Pregnancy” guide and policy brief. The project examines how
legal systems shape access to care, information, and decision-making, including regulatory
gaps, public benefits policy, and surveillance of Black pregnant and birthing people. Findings
will identify where protections fail and where policy change may be needed.

Re:Source Cleveland received $34,000 for Operation Green Card, which is a legal access
initiative led by Re:Source Cleveland to ensure refugees in Cuyahoga County complete
mandatory green card applications before federal benefit eligibility deadlines. Under the
Immigration and Nationality Act, refugees must file Form I-485 within one year of arrival. Those
who haven't secured lawful permanent resident status will lose SNAP eligibility and face
Medicaid disenrollment on 10/1/26. Re:Source Cleveland conducted 800+ outreach calls to
identify eligible families, then mobilized a coordinated partnership to complete required civil
surgeon examinations and I-485 filings. The program will serve over 400 clients.

Asian Services in Action received $30,000 for the Empowerment through Education project.
This project focuses on educating refugee and immigrant communities on matters pertaining to
court, law, and intersecting life factors like trauma and addiction that their clients generally have
limited knowledge of prior to relocation to the US. Limited English proficient refugees, mostly
who hail from Asia or Africa, are vulnerable to systemic failures of the law and court. The goal is
to give community members, especially those who are most often racially profiled, the tools to
navigate the American court and legal system and to seek holistic care to address issues that
can lead to arrest or present other legal barriers.

Legal Aid Society of Cleveland received $25,000 for Addressing Racial Disparities in Evictions
and Safe Housing. Cleveland’s Right to Counsel (RTC) is a nationally recognized initiative that
guarantees legal representation to eligible low-income families facing eviction. As the sole
provider for RTC, Legal Aid serves 1,000 Cleveland families annually, providing tenants with
legal representation, advice, education, and support with systemic advocacy to help them
navigate evictions and unsafe housing situations. RTC dramatically increases access to justice
in housing court for tenants who otherwise would likely not have legal representation. These
legal services are especially important for Black female led households, who are
disproportionally impacted by eviction and face serious consequences without stable housing.

Thrive Mahoning Valley received $25,000 for the Mahoning Valley Immigration Law & Legal
Access Clinic, which advances racial justice by expanding equitable access to trusted legal
support for immigrants, refugees, and multilingual families across the Mahoning Valley. The
clinic helps individuals navigate immigration processes, understand their rights, and overcome
barriers created by language, poverty, discrimination, and systemic inequities. Through
affordable legal assistance, community education, and culturally responsive advocacy, the clinic
strengthens family stability and community belonging while reducing fear and exploitation. By
empowering newcomers to fully participate in civic, economic, and social life, Thrive Mahoning
Valley is building a more inclusive, welcoming, and just region for all residents.

A Fall 2026 grant was distributed early to the Ohio State Bar Association due to the
immediacy of the need for the project Judicial Votes Count Website. As part of the Ohio Bar’s
core mission to educate the public on Ohio’s justice system and promote the independence of
the judiciary, they will relaunch the nonpartisan voter information website Judicial Votes Count
for the November 2026 General Election.

YWCA Mahoning Valley received $5,000 for the project Youth for Peace, a program facilitated
by YWCA staff for middle school students and teens that promotes peace, conflict resolution,
leadership and collaboration. The goal of the program is to increase peace in the community.
The organization plans to achieve this goal by educating middle school and high school
students on how self-esteem, restorative justice and conflict resolution are connected. They
want this program to demonstrate steps towards living peacefully with one another. Those steps
include understanding self and others, acknowledging differences, accepting the idea of
teamwork and using that collaboration to resolve conflict and contribute to the community.

Adopt A Class received $15,000 for Achieving Racial Justice through Engaged Youth Today as
Tomorrow's Engaged Citizens. Adopt A Class empowers historically marginalized students to
become advocates for a fair justice system by fostering long-term mentoring relationships from
kindergarten to 8th grade. Diverse law and legal services professional mentors provide career-
connected experiences, helping youth understand the power of achieving their goals and
becoming engaged citizens. Through these connections, students gain confidence and
knowledge to positively impact their communities. This project will impact 1,000 students from
low-income families in 3rd through 8th grades in Butler and Hamilton counties. Additionally, over
400 public officials, including Law enforcement, judges, and court staff, will be impacted as
mentors.

LegalWorks received $25,000 for their Legal Clinic Expansion in At-Risk Neighborhoods project.
LegalWorks seeks to utilize their proven mission and strategies to grow the impact of low or no-
cost full legal services to Cleveland's inner-city neighborhoods most affected by historic racism
and unequal application of justice. They will accomplish this by expanding their one-day legal
clinics into new neighborhoods where access to attorneys may be limited: Union-Miles,
Kinsman, North Ohio City, and Lee-Seville.

YWCA Columbus received $41,000 for the Anti-Racist & Restorative Professional Development
Program for Leaders of Justice to develop an Anti-Racist & Restorative Professional
Development program for future and current justice leaders. Building off their recognized
Justice, Equity & Belonging (JEB) trainings, the goal of the program is to educate legal
professionals and interns about how systemic racism has been codified into US institutions,
particularly policing and the legal system, and how to utilize restorative practices to prevent and
repair systemic harm.