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Whereas annual contributions to the Campaign for Equal Justice provide the vital operating support giving our state’s more than 20 civil legal aid programs the ability to serve low-income families in need each and every day, contributions to the Endowment for Equal Justice ensures civil legal aid will be available for vulnerable Washingtonians in perpetuity.

The Campaign and the Endowment for Equal Justice complement one another. The Campaign supports legal aid programs today; the Endowment secures those program services for tomorrow.

Why is the Endowment for Equal Justice Needed?
Historically, civil legal aid has survived in Washington and throughout the United States on insufficient and wildly varying funding. The uncertainties of the economy, including interest rates, shifting political winds and the steadily increasing number of poor people require additional financial stability.

Recognizing this, Mark Hutcheson, J. David Andrews and other civic leaders from the private bar formed the Endowment for Equal Justice to address the intractable problem of the formidable gap between the need for civil legal aid services and the resources available to fund those services.

In 2001, the Endowment for Equal Justice became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission is to create a permanent source of funding by seeking major gifts, bequests or other planned gifts from lawyers and others in our community who champion the long term viability of programs that ensure that access to justice remain a basic civil right and not just a perquisite for the privileged few.

The support the Endowment for Equal Justice raises is invested over time. Support for the Endowment for Equal Justice will give stability to Washington’s legal aid programs and give the power to legal aid programs to serve every client population with every available legal tool—in perpetuity.

The “Justice Society” is the Endowment for Equal Justice’s giving society to recognize those who have notified us in writing that they have included the Endowment for Equal Justice in their Will or other estate planning document. Justice Society members enjoy benefits including priority seating at Endowment for Equal Justice and LAW Fund events, access to special community news and invitations to exclusive events.

For more information about making a planned gift to the Endowment for Equal Justice.

Endowment for Equal Justice Goals
The Endowment’s short term goal is to raise $10 million by the end of 2015, after which point at least $500,000 will be distributed annually. No funds will be disbursed until the threshold goal is reached. To ensure a stable financial base for legal aid providers, the Endowment has set an intermediate goal of $200 million and an eventual goal of $500 million. As of Spring 2013, the Endowment stands at more than $6.8 million.

The Endowment for Equal Justice announces The Ken MacDonald Legacy Fund
The Ken MacDonald Legacy Fund is a special named fund within the Endowment for Equal Justice, honoring the long and illustrious career of civil rights champion, Ken MacDonald. The Ken MacDonald Legacy Fund also extends far beyond one lawyer’s life as a monument to the aspirations to serve justice that are held by members of the bar and non-lawyers alike who care about the legal profession’s most fundamental role in society.

Learn more about The Ken MacDonald Legacy Fund.

The Board of Directors for the Endowment
J. David Andrews, Bruce Brooks, Carolyn Cairns, Gregory R. Dallaire, Kay FrankMark Hutcheson, President; J. Richard Manning, Jimmy Rogers, Rev. Robert Taylor and Gordon Wilcox.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Endowment for Equal Justice

To learn more about making a contribution to the Endowment for Equal Justice, please contact the director of development, at (206) 623-5261.