Exciting News About Our Latest IOLA Award!

Dear friends,

I am delighted to share an exciting announcement to kick off the new year: Brooklyn A has been awarded our highest allocation ever from the Interest on Lawyers Account (IOLA) Fund of the State of New York! Our next contract is for $6.3 million over five years.* This is a significant increase of our past award by IOLA, dramatically broadening the horizons for our work and helping to ensure our strength and stability for the next half-decade.

The IOLA fund is a pool of money accumulated through interest earned on certain attorney escrow accounts which are impacted by the real estate market—it’s independent of tax revenue and a unique resource for civil legal service providers.

This award represents an incredible affirmation of the organization that we are today. When we were awarded our first IOLA grant after we disassociated from LSNYC, it was amidst the fallout of the real estate market crash of 2008 and we were tremendously happy to become a new grantee in that difficult real estate and fiscal environment. I am so deeply proud of Brooklyn A’s tremendous growth in the ensuing years. We have met challenges and also had amazing victories. For example, we helped to launch and develop the City’s Right to Counsel program, which guarantees representation for low-income and senior tenants in housing court—we now represent tenants in both Brooklyn and Queens. We also launched and have been the lead legal service provider for the City’s Department of Small Business Services Commercial Lease Assistance Program for almost 10 years—providing game changing transactional legal assistance to small businesses across the city, helping them to survive and grow and continue to be a vital piece of the fabric of our neighborhoods. Our team weathered the pandemic and we have only blossomed in the years since—further expanding our staff, adding new programs (such as our Domestic Violence program), and opening new offices. This IOLA funding will allow Brooklyn A to continue setting our sights on new goals, reach new heights, and ensure that our staff are well supported and can sustain careers at Brooklyn A.

It’s important to note that the grant funding is still subject to IOLA’s budget appropriation, which Brooklyn A has been vocal in defending along with our peers. Last year, Gov. Kathy Hochul initiated a “sweep” of $55 million from the IOLA fund despite objections from countless service provider organizations and the private bar. We applaud the $77,500,000 in appropriation authority to IOLA, including clarification of IOLA as a Fiduciary Fund, in the executive budget for SFY 2026 released by Governor Hochul this week. Brooklyn A together with its peer providers across the state will continue to be a voice to ensure that the fund, which enables vitally important services across the city and state, is protected.

While there is much work to be done, today we celebrate. With tremendous gratitude to the IOLA Fund and its Board of Trustees, to our staff, Board, and the broader Brooklyn A community.

Jessica Rose, Esq.

Executive Director

Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A

* Awards are subject to available IOLA funding, the State of New York Contract for Grants, and the IOLA Fund’s appropriation under the NYS Budget.