publication: The Indiana Lawyer

June 25, 2008

When the Heartland Pro Bono Council put out the call about grants in January to organizations planning new or hoping to improve existing pro bono services, it received proposals from eight organizations, and all eight were asked to submit full grant applications. After a review process that ended in early June with a vote by Heartland's board of directors, four projects were selected to receive a part of Heartland's pot, totaling $ 105,000 for the groups based in Indianapolis and serving clients in central Indiana: Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic ($ 45,000); The Julian Center ($ 42,500); Business Ownership Initiative of Indiana, formerly Neighborhood Self-Employment Initiative Inc. ($ 7,500); and Kids' Voice of Indiana ($ 10,000). In fact, Heartland was so impressed with the grantees' applications; they decided to distribute more than the $ 90,000 they initially planned to give away. And applicants who didn't receive funds may still get other assistance from Heartland, according to Laurie Boyd, executive director.