The Law Foundation of Ontario has a unique mandate to improve access to justice for the people of Ontario. They provide funding that enables a wide range of organizations to:

• -Help people to understand the law and the justice system.
• -Help people to use the law to improve their lives.
• -Foster excellence in the work of lawyers, paralegals and other legal professionals.

A priority for the Foundation is improving access to justice for disadvantaged groups. The Foundation achieves its objectives through a variety of grants, fellowships and awards in addition to annual payments to Legal Aid Ontario.

The Foundation also administers the Class Proceedings Fund to support the independent Class Proceedings Committee. That Fund provides financial assistance to parties involved in class action lawsuits in the public interest.

Facts and Figures

• -The Law Foundation of Ontario is a non-profit organization, created by statute in 1974.
• -A five-person volunteer board of trustees governs the Foundation, supported by a staff team.
• -The Law Society appoints three trustees. The Attorney General of Ontario appoints the other two. Trustees are independent from the bodies that appoint them.
• -The Foundation’s main source of revenue is interest from lawyers’ and paralegals’ mixed trust accounts.
• -By law, the LFO gives 75% of this revenue after operating expenses to Legal Aid Ontario.
• -The LFO uses the remaining 25% for innovative grants to improve access to justice.
• -The LFO also receives funds from the proceeds of class action lawsuits where the court has made a cy-près award in its favour. The LFO uses these funds to make grants across the country through the Access to Justice Fund.

What they do:

The LFO trustees and staff take an active and engaging approach to their work. They respond to innovative grant requests from community organizations. They provide funding to legal institutions such as law schools, law libraries and the Law Society. And they are proactive in designing and funding special programs that they believe will make a difference.

LFO grants enable the organizations they fund to carry out innovative projects, provide important services, and conduct ground-breaking research. In the case of the Access to Justice Fund, the LFO’s reach extends beyond Ontario to promote access to justice in all parts of Canada. The LFO encourages grantees to collaborate with others to make the greatest impact on access to justice.

Vision

Putting people at the heart of justice.

Mission

Through granting and collaboration they invest in knowledge and services that help people understand the law and use it to improve their lives.

Approach

The Law Foundation of Ontario strives to:

• -Act with fairness: They endeavour to act with fairness in all their dealings. They exercise integrity and good governance to ensure their actions, relationships and decisions are transparent and accountable
• -Be open and supportive: They foster relationships that are open and supportive. They encourage their grantees and partners to approach they in good times and bad. Often the best ideas come from lessons learned.
• -Build bridges: They bring their grantees, partners and other community members together around common ideas and issues. They build bridges among groups to find new partnerships and approaches.
• -Expand knowledge: They continually deepen their knowledge of access to justice, including the contribution of community organizations. They are committed to sharing their knowledge about what is happening and what works.
• -Act as a catalyst: They actively engage with others to assess needs, encourage collaboration, and identify promising long-term solutions. They initiate funding and action to address complex problems.
• -Support innovation: They encourage new and creative thinking. They strive to be flexible so they can support the development of innovative and fledgling ideas.