In This Issue:

September 1999—Vol. 28, No. 1

Get Funding for Your Public Service Project

Interested in starting a public service or diversity awareness project at your law school? The ABA Law Student Division has two programs you should know about.

The Outreach Assistance Initiative (OAI) promotes public service programs and public interest projects with the goals of enhancing the image of the legal profession, reaching out to local communities, and providing opportunities for law students to make a difference in others’ lives. OAI achieves this in two ways: by providing up to $500 in funding to law schools for implementing public service programs, and by serving as a resource center of information about projects. The OAI Manual, available by request from the LSD’s Chicago office (312-988-5624) or at the LSD’s web site at www.abanet.org/lsd/manuals. html, provides step-by-step instructions for instituting public service projects that have been successful at other law schools.

The Professionalism, Ethics and Diversity (PED) Fund, established two years ago in response to hate speech incidents at several law schools across the country, encourages professionalism and diversity programming through grants of up to $500. Last year, nine schools used PED funds to sponsor panels on professionalism and ethics, diversity, and minority student outreach, as well as a disability awareness workshop and a Native American Law Day. The LSD Board of Governors voted at its spring meeting to make the PED Fund a permanent program and allocated $8,000 to this year’s fund, $1,000 of which can be used for immediate responses to hate speech, hate crime, and related action. Contact the LSD’s Chicago office for an application, or download one at www.abanet.org/ lsd/ped.html.

Both OAI and PED funding are to be used only for start-up, not ongoing, projects. Funding through OAI and PED goes quickly, so get your applications in as soon as possible.