NFP Legal Service Receives $825,000 from NSW Government

Not for Profit clearing house Justice Connect has received a funding injection from the NSW government worth $825,000 over three years for their Not-for-profit Law program.

The program provides free online information, a telephone enquiry service and legal advice, and training to community groups and charities around Australia.

CEO of Justice Connect Fiona McLeay told Pro Bono Australia News that the funding from the state government was a first for the organisation which has typically relied on philanthropy to set-up and develop programs like Not-for-profit Law.

She said NSW Minister for Family and Community Services Brad Hazzard recognised the community sector in the state needs support with legal issues, which can be bolstered by supporting access to good quality information, training and legal assistance.

“[The state government] would be much better able to direct their resources towards helping vulnerable people in NSW. It makes good sense from a government policy perspective to build the capacity of Not for Profits in NSW by supporting our work,” McLeay said.

“We have already been doing some of our work in NSW and so this will allow us to expand and to plan for the future with confidence. It’s three years of funding which means that we can build programs and build support for our community organisations confidently. Without this government funding we would have been severely restricted in what we could do in NSW.”

McLeay said the money will consolidate and expand the full fleet of Not-for-profit Law services such as providing training and telephone advice while brokering more pro bono relationships so that community organisations can be referred to law firms for assistance with conflict and other issues.