Since launching our grantmaking activities in 2014, we have awarded over $21 million in support of our research priorities: access, affordability, and the value of legal education.
Awarded Grants
Grant Program
Grant Status
St. John's University School of Law
The Weekend Prep Program will support college graduates of diverse and/or disadvantaged backgrounds in their pursuit of a law degree. Participants will receive resources on the law school admissions process, including a comprehensively designed LSAT Prep course, motivational and informational workshops, and individualized advisement. The program will last 24 weekends specifically targeting college graduates who work full-time and/or have family obligations, plus college seniors.
Syracuse University College of Law
The Summer Jump-Start Program (SJSP) is a 3+3 program that will target undergraduate students from Spelman College, Morehouse College, and Clark Atlanta University to connect them to the Syracuse University College of Law, offering them a direct path to and through law school. Program participants will have early access to, and information from, law students, alumni, professors, administrators, and staff, all while introducing and strengthening key analytical and logical reasoning skills through LSAT prep, first-year law school basics (briefing cases, writing skills), and education on law admissions requirements.
Read more about The Summer Jump-Start Program.
University of Texas at El Paso
The Law School Preparation Institute College Summer Program offers undergraduate students an introduction to legal thought, legal research and writing, oral advocacy, and basic legal analysis. It is intended to prepare students for the LSAT, cultivates mentoring opportunities, and assists students with becoming more well-rounded, attractive law school candidates.
The Florida International University Board of Trustees on Behalf of Its College of Law
The Path to the Profession Initiative is a nine-week summer program that targets undergraduate students in their sophomore year through their enrollment into law school. The purpose of the program is to both facilitate the increased enrollment of minority and other traditionally underrepresented groups into an ABA approved law school, and to further the development of skills necessary for a successful law school experience once enrolled.
To read more, please visit FIU Law Receives $124,850 Grant to Increase Diversity in the Legal Profession.
University of Tennessee
A $50,000 research grant was awarded to Louis Rocconi, Assistant Professor at University of Tennessee’s College of Education, Health & Human Sciences, to examine the relationship between law school rank and student engagement.
To read more, please visit AccessLex Institute Announces Grant Winners
University at Buffalo
A $49,925 research grant was awarded to Jaekyung Lee, Professor at University at Buffalo’s Graduate School of Education, to study academic and sociocultural readiness for postgraduate education among immigrant and international students to promote equal access and success in graduate/professional schools.
To read more, please visit AccessLex Institute Announces Grant Winners
Boston College
A $49,978 research grant was awarded to Andrés Castro Samayoa, Assistant Professor at Boston College’s Lynch School of Education and Human Development, to explore how Latinx students and university officials at differently-ranked law schools articulate the value of legal education.
To read more, please visit AccessLex Institute Announces Grant Winners
Indiana University Maurer School of Law
A $24,600 research grant was awarded to Elizabeth Bodamer, Ph.D. candidate in Sociology at Indiana University, to study the law school experience of minority students.
To read more, please visit AccessLex Institute Announces Grant Winners
Northern Illinois University
The Legal Education, Access, and Recognition (LEARN) Program provides students from underrepresented minority groups and economically disadvantaged backgrounds with tools to support law school matriculation including rigorous LSAT preparation, tutoring and access to materials to improve admission rates, review of personal statements and resumes, application preparation support, and practice interviewing, and mentorship.
To read more, please visit NIU Law creates innovative program to decrease barriers to law school