Allegheny County Bar Foundation

The mission of the Allegheny County Bar Foundation is to be a driving force in promoting justice for all and to improve the community through public service law-related programs. To fulfill this mission, the ACBF raises, manages, and distributes funds; encourages and assists lawyers to provide pro bono legal services; and develops and supports public information initiatives.

Established in 1980, the Allegheny County Bar Foundation, a public non-profit organization, provides educational programming, promotes public awareness of the legal and judicial systems, provides legal services to low-income clients, and provides financial assistance and grants to legal-aid organizations and law school students.

- Pro Bono Center. The Pro Bono Center recruits, trains, and supports volunteer attorneys to provide free legal assistance to low-income residents in Allegheny County. The Pro Bono Center connects volunteer attorneys and 34 civil legal service organizations with low-income clients in need of legal help. The Center's Divorce Law Project is the only program in Allegheny County that provides no-fault divorces to low-income clients. In 2015, Pro Bono Center staff directly assisted 764 individuals in need of legal assistance.

- Attorneys Against Hunger. Since 1993, the Attorneys Against Hunger Campaign has distributed over $1.5 million to local hunger services agencies. Thanks to generous underwriting, every dollar donated to this annual campaign goes directly to organizations fighting hunger throughout Allegheny County.

- Legal-Aid Grants Program. The ACBF provides annual grants to local legal service organizations that provide legal representation to low-income clients. Since 2000, the ACBF has distributed over $400,000 in legal-aid funding.

- Military Veterans & Elderly Grants. The ACBF awards grants to local organizations that provide legal and fiduciary services to military veterans and/or the elderly.

- Backpack Project. For the past nine years, the ACBF has partnered with the ACBA/ACBF Public Service Committee to provide backpacks and essential school supplies to area school-children in need. The program has grown immensely, most recently partnering with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank to distribute 1,500 backpacks filled with supplies.

- Loans and Scholarships. The ACBF provides annual loans and scholarships to law school students who demonstrate financial need, academic excellence, and public service. In 2015-16, the ACBF awarded $58,000 in educational assistance.

- Law Student Summer Fellowship Program. For the past three years, the ACBF has provided paid summer fellowships to local law students. The fellowships provide students the opportunity to work at public interest organizations that offer free legal services to no and low-income residents in Allegheny County.