North Carolina Bar Foundation

What North Carolina Bar Foundation does

The North Carolina Bar Foundation (NCBF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Tax ID 56-0767805) founded in 1987, headquartered at 8000 Weston Parkway, Cary, NC, that unites the talent and generosity of North Carolina's legal profession to deliver pro bono legal services, civic education, and professionalism/diversity programs across all 100 North Carolina counties. The Foundation operates a portfolio of more than ten core programs including Disaster Legal Services (coordinated with FEMA and ABA YLD), the Entrepreneurs Assistance Program, Lawyers in Schools (literacy, mock trial, civic education), NC Free Legal Answers (web-based pro bono portal covering 20+ legal categories), NC Lawyers on Call / 4ALL (annual statewide phone hotline), the Open Door Fellowship for diverse first-year law students, Wills for Heroes for first responders, scholarships, and multiple NCBA Section-hosted initiatives (LGBTQ+ clinics, Pro Se Custody Clinics, Veterans Life Center clinics, Naturalization + Refugee Assistance, Heir Property Project). Its underlying technology is intentionally lightweight: a basic web portal for the NC Free Legal Answers program and Telzio's internet phone service for the 4ALL hotline — there is no proprietary AI, no API surface, and no mobile app. The Patent Pro Bono Program is being discontinued effective June 30, 2026 due to funding constraints, with referrals transitioning to Georgia Patents.

NCBF's business model is entirely donation-driven. The Foundation is funded through private philanthropic gifts (Annual Fund), distributions from its Endowment (established 1985, having provided over $6 million in grants since 1987), dedicated sub-funds including the LANC Fund (over $2 million) and the Open Door Fund ($1 million campaign goal exceeded), and tiered Foundation Program Partner commitments from law firms and organizations at minimum $2,500 annually. All services to beneficiaries are free; volunteer attorneys, paralegals, and law students donate their time, with malpractice insurance coverage provided by the Foundation. The Foundation Program Partner tiers include the Cornerstone Society ($10,000-$24,999), Lawyer Leaders Society ($5,000-$9,999), and 1960 Society ($2,500-$4,999). In 2024-25, NCBF served 17,000+ individuals through pro bono and civic education programs, including 7,005 callers through 4ALL, 2,410 civil legal questions answered via NC Free Legal Answers by 151 volunteer attorneys, and 174 first responder clients receiving 650 legal documents through Wills for Heroes.

Governance is led by a Board of Directors (2026-27: President D. Beth Langley, President-Elect and Treasurer E. Brad Evans, Immediate Past President Rob Harrington) and Executive Director and Secretary Jason M. Hensley, supported by a staff of approximately 11-50 including Foundation Senior Director Kim Bart Mullikin, Director of Programs Alex Rogers, Director of Development Michael Lowery, and program managers. The Foundation coordinates with the NC Bar Association's 1,400+ volunteer leaders across Sections, Divisions, and Committees, and partners with Legal Aid of North Carolina, ABA YLD, FEMA, Pisgah Legal Services, Land Loss Prevention Project, Church World Services, Prospera, Mountain BizWorks, and the Veterans Life Center to deliver its programming statewide.

Name

North Carolina Bar Foundation

Legal name

North Carolina Bar Foundation

Website

https://ncbarfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The North Carolina Bar Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that coordinates pro bono legal services, civic education, and diversity programs serving 17,000+ North Carolinians annually across all 100 counties. It is funded entirely by private donations, endowment distributions, and tiered law firm Foundation Program Partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pro Bono Legal Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits (BPAGADAC), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Pro bono legal services
• Civic legal education
• Disaster legal aid
• Attorney volunteer programs
• Legal endowment grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Cary

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Annual Fund Donations: Private philanthropic gifts providing operational support to pro bono, civic education, professionalism and DEI programs that engage hundreds of attorney volunteers to serve thousands of North Carolinians.
2. Endowment Funds: Named endowment funds established by donors (Justice Funds $50,000+, Lawyer Impact Funds $25,000+, Liberty Funds $10,000+) providing ongoing grant funding. Over $6 million in grants has been provided since formation in 1987.
3. LANC Fund: Legal Aid of North Carolina Fund within the Endowment, grown to over $2 million, supporting LANC's civil legal services programs including MLK Summer Legal Internships, rural service fellowships, Lawyer on the Line, and Eviction Diversion program.
4. Foundation Program Partners: Law firms and organizations supporting NCBF with minimum $2,500 annual commitments at various tiers (Cornerstone Society $10,000-$24,999, Lawyer Leaders Society $5,000-$9,999, 1960 Society $2,500-$4,999).

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The North Carolina Bar Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that unites the talent and generosity of the legal profession to serve North Carolinians statewide through pro bono legal services, civic education, and professionalism programs. It operates volunteer attorney-led programs including NC Free Legal Answers, NC Lawyers on Call, Disaster Legal Services, Wills for Heroes, Entrepreneurs Assistance Program, Lawyers in Schools, Open Door Fellowship, and scholarships, funded through an endowment that has provided over $6 million in grants since 1987.

Product overview

The North Carolina Bar Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates a portfolio of pro bono, civic education, and professionalism programs serving North Carolinians statewide. The Foundation's programs include: Disaster Legal Services for disaster victims; the Entrepreneurs Assistance Program for small business owners; Lawyers in Schools with literacy, civic education, and mock trial components; NC Free Legal Answers web-based pro bono legal advice; NC Lawyers on Call (4ALL) annual phone hotline; NCBA Pro Bono Initiatives including LGBTQ+ clinics, custody clinics, veterans services, and more; the Open Door Fellowship for diverse law students; the Patent Pro Bono Program (closing 2026); Scholarships and Law Student Grant Assistance; and Wills for Heroes for first responders. The Foundation is supported by its Endowment which provides grant funding to legal aid organizations and public service programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NC Free Legal Answers: A time-limited, limited-service representation pro bono program where volunteer attorneys answer civil legal questions.
• NC Lawyers on Call (4ALL)
• Disaster Legal Services
• Entrepreneurs Assistance Program
• Lawyers in Schools
• Open Door Fellowship
• Wills for Heroes

Products and services

• NC Free Legal Answers A web-based time-limited, limited-service representation pro bono program that enables volunteer attorneys to answer civil legal questions from income-eligible North Carolinians across 20+ legal categories including Family, Housing, Debts, Employment, and Benefits. Questions typically take 15-30 minutes to respond to.
• NC Lawyers on Call (4ALL) An annual statewide volunteer program where lawyers provide free legal answers, information, and resources to callers about North Carolina-related legal matters through a phone hotline with regional call lines staffed by attorney, paralegal, and law student volunteers.
• Disaster Legal Services Pro bono program coordinated with NCBA Young Lawyers Division, ABA YLD, FEMA, and Legal Aid of North Carolina providing disaster-related legal resources and services to affected residents including FEMA claims assistance, document replacement, and consumer fraud support.
• Wills for Heroes Program partnering with fire, police, and EMS stations to host clinics where volunteer attorneys draft free simple wills, health care power of attorney, financial power of attorney, and advance directive documents for first responders and their families.
• Entrepreneurs Assistance Program Program coordinating attorney volunteers to provide pro bono business law advice and counsel to small business owners through webinars and clinics held in partnership with non-profit organizations throughout the state, covering entity formation, contract review, insurance basics, and IP protection.
• Lawyers in Schools Civic education program engaging legal professionals in volunteer service including Lawyers for Literacy, guest speaker and career fair opportunities, McIntyre Youth Leadership Challenge, and Middle School Mock Trial.
• Open Door Fellowship A competitive 10-week summer fellowship for first-year North Carolina law students from historically excluded or under-resourced backgrounds to gain legal experience and professional networks, with a $10,000 stipend and professional development programming.
• NCBA Pro Bono Initiatives Pro bono and civic education initiatives supporting NCBA Sections, Divisions, and Committees including LGBTQ+ Legal Clinics, Pro Se Custody Clinics, Equity Preservation Project, Student-Athlete Pro Bono Project, Veterans Life Center Pro Bono Clinic, Naturalization + Refugee Assistance Project, Opt-Inspire Pro Bono Project, and Heir Property Pro Bono Project.
• Scholarships and Law Student Grant Assistance Endowment-funded scholarships and grant assistance including the Jane B. Weathers Lawyers Helping Lawyers Fund, NCBF Bar Exam Prep Course Grant, Hubert B. Humphrey Fund Scholarship, and D. Staton Inscoe and Maude B. Inscoe Scholarship.
• NCBF Endowment Endowment established in 1985 making grants available to North Carolina organizations engaged in programming advancing access to justice, service through the profession, civic education, professionalism, and diversity. Has provided over $6 million in grant funding since formation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 17,000+ individuals served through pro bono and civic education programs in 2024-25
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLANC partners with NCBA Young Lawyers Division and NCBF in Disaster Legal Services for intake processing, client referrals, and coordination of pro bono volunteers. LANC Fund within NCBF Endowment has grown to over $2 million supporting LANC's civil legal services programs including MLK Summer Legal Internships, rural service fellowships, Lawyer on the Line, and Eviction Diversion program.
• American Bar Association Young Lawyers DivisioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerABA YLD partners with NCBA YLD and NCBF to coordinate the national Disaster Legal Services effort, providing support, training resources, and national disaster attorney handbook. ABA YLD has coordinated DLS since 2012 in partnership with FEMA.
• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFEMA partners with NCBA YLD and NCBF in the Disaster Legal Services program to coordinate federal disaster response and provide resources for disaster survivors seeking legal assistance with FEMA claims and appeals.
• Prospera (Charlotte)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProspera partners with the Entrepreneurs Assistance Program to host legal services clinics for small business owners in Charlotte, providing venue and client outreach for pro bono business law advice sessions.
• Mountain BizWorks (Asheville)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMountain BizWorks partners with the Entrepreneurs Assistance Program to deliver legal services clinics for small business owners in Asheville, connecting entrepreneurs with pro bono business law advice and counsel.
• Pisgah Legal ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPisgah Legal Services partners with NCBF DLS program in serving Western North Carolina residents affected by Tropical Storm Helene, providing direct legal services and coordination with DLS pro bono volunteers.
• NCBA Paralegal DivisioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCBA Paralegal Division partners with NCBF on multiple programs including Disaster Legal Services, Pro Se Custody Clinics, and Naturalization + Refugee Assistance Project, providing volunteer paralegals for pre-screening, intake, and clinic support.
• NCBA Family Law SectioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFamily Law Section hosts Pro Se Custody Clinics providing legal assistance to low-income parents completing self-serve custody packets, with attorney-paralegal teams at in-person clinics.
• NCBA Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSOGI Committee hosts LGBTQ+ Legal Clinics supporting transgender North Carolinians in drafting name change documents and filings, engaging attorneys, paralegals and law students through scheduled clinics.
• NCBA Elder and Special Needs Law SectioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerElder and Special Needs Law Section hosts Equity Preservation Project providing pro bono legal services to low-income families addressing Medicaid estate recovery issues affecting home ownership.
• NCBA Sports and Entertainment Law SectioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSports and Entertainment Law Section hosts Student-Athlete Pro Bono Project helping student-athletes understand Name, Image, and Likeness contracts after NCAA rule changes, with law student contract review supervised by volunteer attorneys.
• NCBA Military & Veterans Law SectioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMVLS partners with Veterans Life Center in Butner to provide pro bono legal clinics and referrals to homeless veterans who reside at the Center but come from communities across the state.
• NCBA Real Property SectioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReal Property Section partners with Legal Aid of NC, Pisgah Legal Services, and Land Loss Prevention Project on Heir Property Pro Bono Project, developing a clearinghouse of pro bono volunteers for heir property issues.
• NCBA International Practice SectioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational Practice Section partners with NCBA Paralegal Division and Church World Services on Naturalization + Refugee Assistance Project, assisting naturalization filings and Afghan Humanitarian Parolees.
• NCBA Privacy and Data Security SectionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrivacy and Data Security Section hosts Opt-Inspire Pro Bono Project educating senior citizens on privacy, cybersecurity, and digital literacy to protect against online scams.
• Land Loss Prevention ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLand Loss Prevention Project partners with NCBA Real Property Section on Heir Property Pro Bono Project, providing legal services to low-income, limited English proficient, senior, and rural residents facing heir property issues.
• Church World ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch World Services partners with NCBA Paralegal Division and International Practice Section on Naturalization + Refugee Assistance Project, assisting and preparing naturalization filings and Afghan Humanitarian Parolees.
• NCBA Young Lawyers DivisioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCBA YLD serves as Open Door Advocate founding donor and coordinates Disaster Legal Services, Law Day, and McIntyre Youth Leadership Challenge, engaging young lawyers in pro bono service statewide.
• NC Pro Bono Resource CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNC Pro Bono Resource Center supports DLS program with disaster assistance manual, training resources, and referral guides for volunteer attorneys.
• Georgia PatentsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit organization accepting, assessing and processing patent application assistance for North Carolina residents as referral resource after NCBF Patent Pro Bono Program discontinued operations June 30, 2026.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• New York Bar Foundation: The New York Bar Foundation is the charitable arm of the New York State Bar Association, funding pro bono legal services, law student scholarships, and access-to-justice initiatives. It directly parallels NCBF's grantmaking and volunteer-coordination model within a state bar ecosystem.
• Pisgah Legal Services: Pisgah Legal Services provides free civil legal aid to low-income residents of Western North Carolina and is a documented NCBF Disaster Legal Services partner responding to Tropical Storm Helene. It shares NCBF's geographic base, pro bono delivery model, and beneficiary focus on low-income North Carolinians.
• Legal Aid of North Carolina: Legal Aid of North Carolina is the state's primary provider of free civil legal services to low-income residents and a core NCBF partner via the $2M+ LANC Fund within the Endowment. While a direct service provider rather than a grantmaker, it shares NCBF's pro bono mission and beneficiary base across North Carolina.
• Texas Bar Foundation: Texas Bar Foundation is the largest charitably-funded bar foundation in the U.S., supporting pro bono legal aid, law student scholarships, and civic education across Texas. Like NCBF, it is the philanthropic arm of a state bar association and operates endowment-driven grantmaking and pro bono programs through member-attorney volunteers.
• Chicago Bar Foundation: The Chicago Bar Foundation supports pro bono legal aid, justice initiatives, and law student programs across the Chicago area as the charitable affiliate of the Chicago Bar Association. Comparable to NCBF in mission, scale, and bar-affiliated funding model.
• The Florida Bar Foundation: The Florida Bar Foundation is a 501(c)(3) affiliated with The Florida Bar that funds legal aid programs, law school scholarships, and pro bono initiatives statewide. It mirrors NCBF's structure as a state-bar-affiliated grantmaking foundation supporting civil legal aid and attorney volunteer engagement.
• American Bar Association Free Legal Answers: ABA Free Legal Answers is the national platform on which NCBF's NC Free Legal Answers program is operated. It is a direct functional peer: a web portal where volunteer attorneys answer civil legal questions for income-eligible users, deployed in multiple states including North Carolina.

Emerging players

• Pro Bono Net: Pro Bono Net is a national nonprofit that builds technology platforms (including the underlying ABA Free Legal Answers system) to expand access to volunteer legal services. It is a technology-enabled peer that powers much of the infrastructure NCBF relies on for web-based pro bono delivery.

Broad incumbents

• Foundation of the American Bar Association: The American Bar Foundation is the national research arm affiliated with the ABA, while the Foundation of the ABA funds national access-to-justice and pro bono programming. It serves as a broader-incumbent counterpart to NCBF's state-level grantmaking, with overlapping missions but a much larger national footprint.

Regional players

• Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois: Lawyers' Trust Fund of Illinois distributes IOLTA and foundation funds to support civil legal aid and pro bono programs throughout Illinois. It is a regional peer with a comparable IOLTA/endowment-driven grantmaking model aimed at increasing access to justice, though operating in a different state.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ncbforg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about North Carolina Bar Foundation