The Board of Directors of FFLA, the statewide administrator of Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOTA) funds, has approved distribution of $119,621,651 to 35 Florida legal aid organizations for use in 2026. Individual qualified grantee organizations received, on average, a 39% increase in funding over last year.
“We are immensely proud of the work that IOTA grantees are doing with increased funding,” FFLA President Ashley N. Sybesma said. “The additional resources have transformed their capacity to meet community needs, serve more clients and provide comprehensive legal services that ensure thousands more families who would otherwise face legal challenges alone receive representation.”
In addition, FFLA used $3,675,000 in IOTA funds for 11 Pro Bono Support and Enhancement grants in October.
Legal aid organizations provide legal services to Floridians who cannot afford a lawyer to help them with issues such as eviction, domestic violence, divorce, immigration, and natural disaster relief.
Under the Florida Supreme Court’s IOTA rule, interest accumulated on lawyers’ short-term trust accounts is donated to the IOTA program to fund legal assistance for the poor. With approval from the Florida Supreme Court in October, FFLA also placed an additional $96 million of IOTA collections in a reserve for future distribution to qualified grantee organizations. The goal of FFLA’s reserve is to hold a balance that can be used to fund grantees at consistent levels even when interest rates fluctuate, affecting the amount of collections year to year. Steady levels of funding allow grantees to plan more effectively for the future.
| Qualified Grantee Organization | 2025 IOTA Distribution Grant (for use in 2026) |
|---|---|
| Bay Area Legal Services | $ 9,871,389.92 |
| Brevard County Legal Aid | $ 3,094,593.07 |
| Catholic Legal Services, Archdiocese of Miami | $ 5,910,393.76 |
| Coast to Coast Legal Aid | $ 2,938,174.89 |
| Community Justice Project | $ 1,035,368.54 |
| Community Law Program | $ 1,077,622.46 |
| Community Legal Services | $ 11,915,119.67 |
| Crossroads for Florida Kids | $ 175,000.00 |
| Cuban American Bar Association Pro Bono Legal Services | $ 2,060,179.81 |
| Dade Legal Aid | $ 4,023,789.32 |
| Florida Health Justice Project | $ 1,616,963.59 |
| Florida Legal Services | $ 8,666,751.50 |
| Florida Rural Legal Services | $ 2,449,712.91 |
| Florida's Children First | $ 585,430.39 |
| Gifford Legal Services/Indian River Legal Aid | $ 450,000.00 |
| Gulfcoast Legal Services | $ 3,691,083.88 |
| Heart of Florida Legal Aid Society | $ 1,031,907.03 |
| IDignity | $ 803,464.86 |
| Innocence Project of Florida | $ 1,509,475.18 |
| Jacksonville Area Legal Aid | $ 6,854,587.80 |
| Lawyers for Children America | $ 1,397,662.00 |
| Lee County Legal Aid Society | $ 1,360,754.99 |
| Legal Aid Foundation of Tallahassee | $ 338,447.59 |
| Legal Aid of Manasota | $ 1,724,790.71 |
| Legal Aid Service of Broward County | $ 6,659,606.50 |
| Legal Aid Service of Collier County | $ 2,237,184.31 |
| Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County | $ 8,791,902.91 |
| Legal Aid Society of the Orange County Bar Association | $ 7,790,368.12 |
| Legal Services of Greater Miami | $ 3,600,943.80 |
| Legal Services of North Florida | $ 5,337,032.02 |
| Northwest Florida Legal Services | $ 1,321,645.25 |
| Seminole County Bar Association Legal Aid Society | $ 2,507,896.55 |
| Southern Legal Counsel | $ 1,614,093.55 |
| St. Michael’s Legal Center | $ 1,379,832.26 |
| Three Rivers Legal Services | $ 3,798,482.07 |
| Total | $119,621,651 |
