December 27, 2023 - Stanardsville, VA

The Pro Bono and Grants Committee of the American College of Bankruptcy Foundation expanded its role in 2023 to fund grants supporting initiatives to promote diversity in the insolvency industry. The DEI Committee of the American College of Bankruptcy is committed to achieving tangible results that meaningfully advance the College’s mission and promote systemic change in the College and the insolvency community generally.

 In 2023, the Foundation and the DEI Committee awarded $66,675 in grants to six grantees in five states.

 “In this first year of the Foundation’s broadened focus on DEI-related initiatives, we are delighted to have identified multiple worthy projects and grantees. The recipients are keenly focused on advancing diversity and inclusion in our profession, and we look forward to seeing the results of their various efforts,” said Judge Deborah Thorne (N.D. Ill.), a Fellow of the College and Chair of the working group that reviews applications and selected the recipients of these grants.

The College and the Foundation awarded DEI grants to the following organizations this year:

CENTS

Seattle, WA

City Bar Justice Center

New York, NY

Federal Bar Association Eastern District of Michigan

Southfield, MI

Legal Services of Eastern Michigan

Flint, MI

Southeast Louisiana Legal Services

New Orleans, LA

Volunteer Lawyers Project of the Boston Bar Association

Boston, MA

The American College of Bankruptcy was founded in 1989 and is an honorary public service association of United States and international insolvency professionals who are invited to join as Fellows based on a proven record of the highest standards of expertise, leadership, integrity, professionalism, scholarship, and service to the bankruptcy and insolvency practice and to their communities. The College facilitates the effective domestic and cross-border application of bankruptcy and insolvency laws and the administration of justice in the courts through, among other activities, conducting professional educational programs, sponsoring the publication of scholarly reports, and maintaining the National Bankruptcy Archives. The College also funds projects that improve the quality of bankruptcy law and practice, as well as access to justice, in particular through grants by its affiliated Foundation to fund pro bono legal service programs and other activities consistent with the College’s goals. Underlying all of its work, the College is dedicated to enhancing professionalism, scholarship and service in bankruptcy and insolvency law and practice, and to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion within the organization and across the insolvency profession.

American College of Bankruptcy Foundation

P.O. Box 249

Stanardsville, VA 22973

434-939-6005 tel