Maryland nonprofit offering legal aid to LGBTQ+ community loses more than $300,000 in grant funding 

Organization loses primary source of funding for legal services

By Victoria Mejicanos 
AFRO Intern

Free State Justice, a Black-led Maryland nonprofit that provides free legal services to LGBTQ+ individuals across the state, has lost a $317,000 grant which is the primary funding  source for their legal services. 

The organization’s services range from family law to criminal record expungement and estate planning. They also help transgender individuals with their name change paperwork and handle discrimination claims. Loss of these funds can mean the loss of staff, which means fewer cases that the organization can take on. 

The grant was issued as part of Maryland’s Victims of Crime Act, and is administered through the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy (GOCCP). Arinze Ifekauche, the deputy director of communications and legislation for the office, said that cuts from the federal government did not impact the funding availability. 

“GOCPP received more than $79 million in requests from applicants for approximately $60 million in available funding. As was previously reported, Free State Justice did not receive a grant this year because their application did not score high enough in our competitive award process,”  Ifekauche said. “Funding this fiscal year was awarded to applicants that demonstrated that their program services were directly focused on mitigating the impacts of direct crime victimization.” 

According to Phillip Westry, the executive director of the organization, the loss of funding was “surprising” especially after the funding had increased in the past and the organization has been a recipient of the grant since 2018. 

About 50 percent of Free State Justice’s clients are Black. Westry said that often the community views LGBTQ+ issues as unrelated to their lives, but wants people to understand there is an intersectionality in identities.  

Speaking about himself and the team that leads the organization he said, “We’re all of the community. We all have a background in direct services, so we know when a nonprofit is running really well how the impact can be really positive for the community. We understand where the community is coming from.” 

This year, they are expected to handle 1,000 to 1,100 cases which is more than the previous year. “We’re here not just for the LGBTQ community, but we ultimately have an impact across the community as folks reach out to us,” said Westry.  

Although the organization has other forms of funding, Westry said community donations can truly make a difference in closing the gap left by the loss of the grant. 

“Those types of donations really add up, and they allow for us to be able to plan and not have to worry about satisfying the desires of each funder or have to worry about the changing of administrations. The community can really help keep us afloat even if they have less money to give,” said Westry. 

The organization is one of the few of its kind in the country according to Westry. 

“The issues that LGBTQ people face are oftentimes still very unique,” said Westry. “The LGBTQ community is so unique that they often don’t approach other organizations. People will often go by word of mouth. Our community will go without a resource if we don’t feel like it’s a place that we could go to that is safe and affirming.” 

At the same time that they have lost funding,  there are also seeing an increase in cases because of actions of the current administration that lead members of the LGBTQ+  community to want to protect themselves. An example Westry shared are LGBTQ+ couples with children rushing to plan out their estate or get a marriage certificate so that the custody of their children aren’t called into question. 

According to Westry, the typical client is an LGBTQ+ individual that has aged out of the foster care system and has been struggling their entire life, leading to criminal activity. This organization gives them structure they likely have never had, which is when the work of Free State Justice  becomes “life changing and life saving.” 

“Those are our clients. When they get the services and they get that expungement and they get that first good job and they have a place to stay…. We see them out at Pride Festivals. They come up to us and they let us know that what we’re doing is important,” said Westry.  

Westry said that organizations like the one he leads gives the most marginalized communities a place to go that they would not have otherwise, and would be hard to restart if they are lost. 

“I don’t think people understand all those societal pressures, like being rejected from your family, maybe not being able to get a good job because of your sexual orientation or your gender identity. The clients that we serve sometimes already assume that the system just isn’t going to work for them,” said Westry. 

Despite this loss, and the increased need for their services in recent years, Westry is hopeful that Free State Justice will be able to overcome this obstacle.  

“I don’t have all the answers at the moment. But I do believe between the good work that we’ve done in the past and the need that is so clear right now, that the right combination of funds will come in so that we can continue.”