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Colorado Lawyer Trust Account Foundation at a glanceAlso receives grants: funding profile →

· Public charity

Colorado Lawyer Trust Account Foundation

Funding of legal services, pro-bono, and legal education projects.

$9.7M
Granted FY2025still arriving
17
Grants FY2025still arriving
1
States reached
$8.0M
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

Crime & Legal$39MCivil Rights$375kEducation$190kHuman Services$76k
02FY2025 · 17 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k1 grant · $10k
  • $10k–50k3 grants · $69k
  • $50k–250k10 grants · $1.0M
  • $250k+3 grants · $8.6M
$100,000
Median grant
1
States reached
$32M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Colorado Legal Services$7,961,125
Colorado Access to Justice Commission$350,000
Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network$330,208
Colorado Center on Law and Policy$150,000
Spero Justice Center$140,000
Justice and Mercy Legal Aid Center$120,000
Colorado Poverty Law Project$110,000
Metro Volunteer Lawyers$110,000
Pikes Peak Justice and Pro Bono Center$100,000
Alpine Legal Services$90,000
TESSA of Colorado Springs$76,167
Transformative Justice Project of Colorado$55,000
Uncompahgre Volunteer Legal Aid$50,000
Pro Bono Project of Mesa County$30,000
Weld County Legal Services$21,000
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Its human-services grants (FY24–25, $262k) land where the poverty rate runs at 10%, against an area that typically sits at 9%. 42% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants spread fairly evenly across need levels.

area typical 9%TESSA of Colorado Springs: $76k → 9%TESSA of Colorado Springs: $76k → 9%Transformative Justice Project of Colorado: $55k → 12%Transformative Justice Project of Colorado: $55k → 12%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

100%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$40M · 20 repeat orgs$0 to everyone else

20 repeat relationships: 17 still active in FY2025, 3 since wound down.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

20
0

Total granted

$40M
$0

Still filing today

95%
0%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Crime & LegalEducationHuman ServicesCivil RightsRecreation & SportsOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • CL
    COLORADO LEGAL SERVICES
    9× · 2017–2025 · $34M · revenue +112% · 31% of their budget
  • CC
    COLORADO CENTER ON LAW AND POLICY
    9× · 2017–2025 · $1.5M · revenue +78%
  • CA
    COLORADO ACCESS TO JUSTICE COMMISSION
    3× · 2023–2025 · $865k · revenue +491% · 51% of their budget

Funded once

    How this is measured

    Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

    04Its field

    Closest unfunded matches

    The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

    1
    Colorado Lawyers Committee

    To provide legal assistance and increase opportunities for children and other disadvantaged communities through advocacy, negotiation and litigation. Volunteer attorneys dedicate time to improve the quality of life for these causes while…

    Crime & Legal
    2
    Medical Legal Partnership Colorado

    To provide direct pro-bono legal services for eligible patients at salud family health centers throughout central and northern front range communities.

    —
    3
    Colorado Bar Association

    To advance the science of jurisprudence, secure the more efficient administration of justice, encourage the adoption of proper legislation, advocate thorough and continuing legal education, uphold the honor and integrity of the bar,…

    —
    4
    Colorado Campaign for Inclusive Excellence

    The mission of the center for legal inclusiveness (cli) is to advance diversity in the legal profession by actively educating and supporting private and public sector legal organizations in their individual campaigns to create cultures of…

    Civil Rights
    5
    Legal Aid Foundation of Colorado

    Solicits, receives, and distributes funds in cooperation with the Colorado Legal Services program, which provides civil legal aid to low-income persons.

    Crime & Legal
    6
    Colorado Lawyer Trust Account Foundation

    Funding of legal services, pro-bono, and legal education projects.

    Crime & Legal
    7
    Justice for the People Legal Center

    Justice for the People Legal Centers mission shall include but not be limited to the provision of legal services, grassroots organizing, and education to people and communities who have historically endured harm and trauma caused by our…

    —
    8
    Colorado Civil Justice League

    Colorado Civil Justice League is an advocacy organization established to foster a balanced and efficient civil justice system for the benefit of all.

    Community Improvement
    9
    Legal Assistance of Dakota County Ltd

    Legal representation of dakota county residents with financial need.

    Crime & Legal
    10
    Colorado Cross Disability Coalition

    To advocate for social justice for people with all types of disabilities.

    —
    11
    Environmental and Animal Defense

    At Environmental and Animal Defense, our mission is to provide Colorado with access to affordable legal services for environmental and animal issues, in addition to protecting wildlife and their habitats through enforcement of the law. No…

    Crime & Legal
    12
    Rocky Mountain Victim Law Center

    Legal advocacy and representation to victims of violent crimes.

    Crime & Legal
    How this is measured
    The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Denver Bar Association; the most unlike its peers is Colorado Juvenile Defender Center Dba Transformative Justice Proj of Colo. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
    04the grantee network

    19 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2026.

    Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

    How this is measured

    Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2026, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 19 of the 20 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

    Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

    6
    Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
    7
    Early backer (in before they grew)
    19/19
    Grantees still filing
    16/19
    Grew since first funded

    Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

    COLORADO LEGAL SERVICES: $33,639,074 · Crime & LegalCOLORADO LEGAL SERVICESCOLORADO CENTER ON LAW AND POLICY: $1,493,655 · Crime & Legal+9 more: $2,816,850 · Crime & Legal+9 moreROCKY MOUNTAIN IMMIGRANT ADVOCACY NETWORK: $504,068 · Civil RightsTHE HADANOU COLLECTIVE: $280,000 · EducationUNIVERSITY OF DENVER: $150,000 · EducationWELD COUNTY LEGAL SERVICES INC: $159,000 · OtherDENVER BAR ASSOCIATION: $125,500 · OtherSAN LUIS VALLEY BAR ASSOCIATION PRO BONO PROJECT INC: $86,350 · OtherTESSA: $152,334 · Human ServicesColorado Juvenile Defender Center DBA Transformative Justice Proj of Colo: $110,000 · Human ServicesJUSTICE AND MERCY LEGAL AID CENTER: $240,000 · Recreation & Sports
    Crime & Legal$37,949,579Civil Rights$504,068Education$430,000Other$370,850Human Services$262,334Recreation & Sports$240,000

    Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

    25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetCOLORADO LEGAL SERVICES: $33,639,074 over 9y, 31% of budgetCOLORADO CENTER ON LAW AND POLICY: $1,493,655 over 9y, 14% of budgetCOLORADO ACCESS TO JUSTICE COMMISSION: $865,000 over 3y, 51% of budgetROCKY MOUNTAIN IMMIGRANT ADVOCACY NETWORK: $504,068 over 2y, 3.1% of budgetDENVER BAR FOUNDATION: $399,700 over 4y, 84% of budgetPIKES PEAK JUSTICE & PRO BONO CENTER: $358,650 over 9y, 39% of budgetUNCOMPAHGRE VOLUNTEER LEGAL AID INC: $296,000 over 9y, 55% of budgetALPINE LEGAL SERVICES INC: $282,000 over 9y, 7.6% of budgetTHE HADANOU COLLECTIVE: $280,000 over 2y, 2.6% of budgetJUSTICE AND MERCY LEGAL AID CENTER: $240,000 over 2y, 5.6% of budgetCOLORADO POVERTY LAW PROJECT: $220,000 over 2y, 4.9% of budgetWELD COUNTY LEGAL SERVICES INC: $159,000 over 9y, 78% of budgetTESSA: $152,334 over 2y, 2.6% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF DENVER: $150,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetCOLORADO BAR FOUNDATION: $150,000 over 2y, 23% of budgetLARIMER COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION: $126,000 over 9y, 23% of budgetDENVER BAR ASSOCIATION: $125,500 over 5y, 2.5% of budgetPRO BONO PROJECT OF MESA COUNTY INC: $119,500 over 8y, 21% of budgetColorado Juvenile Defender Center DBA Transformative Justice Proj of Colo: $110,000 over 2y, 7.9% of budget
    Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

    A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

    • Who funds COLORADO LEGAL SERVICES ↗
    • Who funds COLORADO CENTER ON LAW AND POLICY ↗
    • Who funds COLORADO ACCESS TO JUSTICE COMMISSION ↗
    • Who funds ROCKY MOUNTAIN IMMIGRANT ADVOCACY NETWORK ↗
    • Who funds DENVER BAR FOUNDATION ↗
    • Who funds PIKES PEAK JUSTICE & PRO BONO CENTER ↗
    • Who funds UNCOMPAHGRE VOLUNTEER LEGAL AID INC ↗
    • Who funds ALPINE LEGAL SERVICES INC ↗
    • Who funds THE HADANOU COLLECTIVE ↗
    • Who funds JUSTICE AND MERCY LEGAL AID CENTER ↗
    • Who funds COLORADO POVERTY LAW PROJECT ↗
    • Who funds WELD COUNTY LEGAL SERVICES INC ↗
    • Who funds TESSA ↗
    • Who funds UNIVERSITY OF DENVER ↗
    • Who funds COLORADO BAR FOUNDATION ↗
    • Who funds LARIMER COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION ↗
    • Who funds DENVER BAR ASSOCIATION ↗
    • Who funds PRO BONO PROJECT OF MESA COUNTY INC ↗
    • Who funds Colorado Juvenile Defender Center DBA Transformative Justice Proj of Colo ↗

    Co-funders

    Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

    The Denver FoundationColorado Gives Founda…The Colorado Health F…Mile High United Way …Rose Community Founda…The Colorado TrustAnschutz Family Found…Amazonsmile Foundation
    The Denver FoundationCO20.4× affinity8 shared granteesties to 7 of 7Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

    Open a dossier: The Denver Foundation · Colorado Gives Foundation · The Colorado Health Foundation · Mile High United Way Inc · Rose Community Foundation · The Colorado Trust · Anschutz Family Foundation · Amazonsmile Foundation

    How this is measured
    Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

    How much its grantees rely on government

    Each dot is one organization Colorado Lawyer Trust Account Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Colorado Lawyer Trust Account Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

    2024
    ’20’21’22’23’24’25
    no gov · 00%6%23%51%90%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →
      no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
      0get no government money at all
      10report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
      0rely on government for over half their income
      typical government reliance, FY20–25
      How this is measured
      Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.

      On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 20 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

      How this is measured
      Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

      Generated from the IRS Form 990 e-file return for fiscal year 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

      Source object · view filing

      Play a game based on Colorado Lawyer Trust Account’s filings →

      More from the funding graph

      The unnamed billions
      grants reported with no recipient in the public record
      The regranting layer
      51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
      The DAF merry-go-round
      $9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
      The endowment market
      who holds foundation money, and what just moved
      The camps
      funders cluster by geography, not ideology
      By state
      where grant money is based, and what stays home