Appellate Section of the State Bar of Texas

Grant and Charitable Funding Criteria

The State Bar of Texas Appellate Section considers applications for grants and charitable contributions to fund third-party projects that comply with the following funding criteria. These criteria do not apply to expenditures for projects established or run by the Appellate Section itself, or run by the Section jointly or in conjunction with one or more third parties.

The project for which funding is requested must have a clearly stated goal.
The project’s goal must be one calculated to improve the judicial system, the litigation process (with particular emphasis on the appellate process), legal education, or legal services in the State of Texas.
The Appellate Section will not fund personal projects or entrepreneurial projects.
The Appellate Section does not make charitable contributions to large, national organizations but instead attempts to focus its giving on organizations in the State of Texas.
The Appellate Section will not approve grants or contributions for (A) the election public officials, including but not limited to judges, or (B) activities that (1) carry the potential of deep philosophical or emotional division among a substantial segment of the Section’s membership, or (2) can reasonably be construed to advocate political or ideological positions. [Comment: The standard enunciated in (B) is derived from Texas Bar Policy 8.01.03(C), (G).]
The Appellate Section will not approve grants or contributions for the establishment of or addition to endowments.
The Appellate Section will not approve grants or contributions for fund-raising or for social events not held in conjunction with a program or other event that otherwise meets these criteria.
The Appellate Section will not approve grants or contributions for operating expenses (utilities, rent, administrative costs, etc.), unless such operating expenses directly support a proposed project that otherwise meets these criteria.
The Appellate Section will not approve grants or contributions to groups or organizations that are not focused on the improvement of the justice system, legal education, or the provision of legal services. In other words, requests for grants or contributions to groups focused on general community welfare, disaster relief, disease eradication, community beautification, non-legal education, and the like will be disfavored, unless the group can demonstrate a correlation between its work and the provision of legal services, legal education, or the improvement of the justice system.
The Appellate Section will not respond to mass solicitations. Requests for grants or contributions must be made by written application to the Officers and Council of the Appellate Section.
The Appellate Section will not commit, in advance, to fund a grant application, or to make contributions for the same project, on an ongoing annual basis or for a multi-year term. Applicants seeking a grant or contribution for an annual project must submit a new application each project year.
Any project receiving financial support from the Appellate Section must have a written plan of action or implementation, a budget, and a timeline that will facilitate the accomplishment of the goals of the project.
Applicants must complete a Grant Application or Contribution Application to the satisfaction of the Officers and Council of the Appellate Section of the State Bar of Texas. The Officers and Council reserve the right to request additional information in connection with any application.
All grant and contribution recipients must submit a written report and accounting to the Officers and Council of the Appellate Section within one year of receiving the funds. The report and accounting must identify the specific use of the funds; any printed, electronic (including internet), or visual materials created with the funds; and the overall results of the project.
All grant and contribution recipients must give recognition to the Appellate Section in any printed, electronic (including internet), or visual materials used in conjunction with the grant or contribution. Example: “This project was made possible in part through a grant from the State Bar of Texas Appellate Section.”
Projects approved for a grant or contribution must utilize the funds strictly in accordance with the proposal and the budget submitted to the Appellate Section. All awarded funds not expended must be returned to the Appellate Section.
Grants and contributions may be made to programs established or run by other sections of the State Bar of Texas, or by city or county bar associations within Texas, with the approval of the Officers and Council of the Appellate Section.
These criteria may be suspended for a particular project by a majority vote of the Section’s Officers and Council. These criteria may also be modified or amended by a majority vote of the Section’s Officers and Council.