Public Interest Law Center
Philadelphia Bar Foundation Grant Impact
The Public Interest Law Center uses high-impact legal strategies to advance the civil, social, and economic rights of communities in the Philadelphia region facing discrimination, inequality, and poverty. Focusing on education, environmental justice, healthcare, employment, voting, and housing, the Law Center combines targeted litigation with advocacy, communications, and community education to effect system-wide changes, thus improving the lives of large nubers of low-income people. General operating support from the Philadelphia Bar Foundation supports the Law Center's staff in serving its clients, and allows it flexibility in responding to emerging needs. It also pays for the Law Center's management of pro bono partnerships and volunteers, improves the capacity for the organization's support and administrative staff, and ensures the Law Center's ability to leverage communications to bolster its litigation and advocacy work.
Summary List of Programs and Services
Healthcare: Remove systemic barriers to medical and dental care for people enrolled in Medicaid, especially children
Education: Ensure all students have access to a high-quality public education, regardless of their zip code, the color of their skin, their language or their abilities
Environmental Justice: Provide tools for communities to advocate effectively for sustainable and equitable neighborhoods
Housing: Fight housing discrimination and promote quality, affordable housing for people in the neighborhoods of their choice
Employment: Help people with criminal records and people with disabilities fight and eliminate employment discrimination
Voting: Protect every citizen’s right to vote by updating Pennsylvania’s election system and challenging discriminatory barriers to the ballot box
Summary List of Priorities for Client Intake
The Law Center accepts cases that have the potential to help large numbers of people, particularly those in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas. We only accept cases in our current project areas – education, healthcare, neighborhood and community health, housing, employment and voting rights.