Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation

What Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation does

The Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation (WisTAF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation established by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1986 to administer the state's Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program and distribute civil legal aid funding. The organization functions as a grant administrator rather than a direct service provider, channeling funds to 25 civil legal aid organizations that deliver free legal representation to low-income Wisconsin residents in matters involving domestic violence and sexual abuse, housing instability, healthcare access, employment barriers, and immigration. WisTAF's grant portfolio spans Direct Legal Services (the longest-standing program), COVID-19 Legal Services, Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse Civil Legal Services, Afghan Immigration-Related Legal Assistance, and Legal Aid Advancement grants. In 2025 the foundation launched the Wisconsin Law Help online legal information and referral portal, its first direct public-facing product.

WisTAF aggregates six distinct funding streams: IOLTA interest remitted by participating Wisconsin financial institutions, attorney and judge assessments under the Public Interest Legal Services Fund (PILSF), state appropriations of federal TANF, ARPA, and Afghanistan Supplemental funds passed through the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, pro hac vice admission fees, cy pres residual class action awards (with the Wisconsin Supreme Court requiring at least 50% of state-court class action residuals to flow to WisTAF), and private contributions. The foundation disbursed $7.7 million in grants in 2025 across 8 grant programs, has administered more than $95 million in civil legal aid since 1986, and reached 12,000+ people across all 72 Wisconsin counties. An independently commissioned 2022-2023 economic impact study found an $8.40 measurable economic return for every $1 invested in civil legal aid in Wisconsin.

The foundation operates with a lean staff of five full-time personnel led by Executive Director Rebecca L. Murray and Assistant Executive Director Tehmina Islam, overseen by a 15-member Board of Directors appointed by the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the State Bar of Wisconsin. WisTAF is not a technology company; its core work consists of fund oversight, grant program development, application solicitation and review, grant reporting, outcomes measurement, and subrecipient risk assessment. The organization holds a 2025 Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid and a four-star Charity Navigator rating, and its revenue is geographically restricted to Wisconsin with no global footprint.

Name

Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation

Legal name

Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://wistaf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation is a nonprofit civil legal aid funding administrator established by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1986 that distributes grants to 25 legal aid organizations serving all 72 Wisconsin counties, funded primarily through IOLTA interest, PILSF assessments, and federal pass-throughs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Aid Grant Administration

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Trusts, Estates, and Agency Accounts (52592)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

Keywords

• Civil legal aid funding
• IOLTA program administration
• Nonprofit grant administration
• Access to justice grants
• Legal services funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts (IOLTA): Interest generated from pooled lawyer trust accounts is paid by financial institutions to WisTAF for administering grants for civil legal aid. Attorneys pool small or short-term deposits into IOLTA accounts, and the interest is used to fund access to justice programs.
2. Public Interest Legal Services Fund (PILSF): Established in 2005 by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Attorneys and judges contribute an annual assessment to the Fund, which provides a more stable revenue foundation augmenting erratic IOLTA funding.
3. State appropriations of federal funds: Federal Temporary Aid for Needy Families (TANF) funding passed through Wisconsin Department of Children and Families; American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for COVID-19 legal services and Wisconsin Law Help portal; Afghanistan Supplemental Appropriations Act funds for refugee legal assistance.
4. Pro hac vice fees: A portion of pro hac vice admission fees paid by out-of-state lawyers to participate in Wisconsin actions is allocated to WisTAF to support civil legal services.
5. Cy pres awards: Residual funds from class action lawsuits distributed to WisTAF. Wisconsin Supreme Court requires at least 50% of residual funds in state court class action settlements to go to WisTAF.
6. Private contributions: Donations from individuals, foundations, and others to support WisTAF's mission to increase access to justice statewide.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation (WisTAF) is a nonprofit foundation established by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1986 that administers civil legal aid funding. It pools interest from attorney IOLTA trust accounts, manages the Public Interest Legal Services Fund (PILSF), and distributes grants to 25+ civil legal aid organizations across all 72 Wisconsin counties, disbursing $7.7 million in 2025 to help more than 12,000 people.

Product overview

WisTAF is a civil legal aid funding administrator established by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1986, operating as a platform for managing multiple grant programs and funding sources. The core offering consists of IOLTA (Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts) program administration, which pools interest from attorney trust accounts to fund civil legal aid. WisTAF's grant portfolio includes: Direct Legal Services (longest-standing program), COVID-19 Legal Services, Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse Civil Legal Services, Afghan Immigration-Related Legal Assistance, and Legal Aid Advancement grants. The organization also operates the Wisconsin Law Help online portal launched in 2025. These programs collectively distributed $7.7 million in grants in 2025, supporting 25 funded organizations and assisting over 12,000 people across all 72 Wisconsin counties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IOLTA Program Administration Administration of the Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program for the Wisconsin Supreme Court, overseeing pooled attorney trust funds held by participating financial institutions and directing the interest to civil legal aid grants.
• Direct Legal Services Grants Longest-standing grant program funding a range of civil legal aid services for clients with limited incomes, helping them resolve major civil legal problems. Distributed through 25+ civil legal aid organizations statewide.
• COVID-19 Legal Services Grants Grant program providing civil legal services to help Wisconsinites recover from COVID-19 pandemic-related legal issues including housing, employment, and debt problems.
• Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse Civil Legal Services Grant program providing civil legal services to eligible individuals who are victims of domestic violence or sexual abuse, funded through federal Temporary Aid for Needy Families (TANF) dollars.
• Afghan Immigration-Related Legal Assistance Grant program supporting immigration-related legal services to eligible Afghan refugees in Wisconsin resettled following the 2021 evacuation.
• Wisconsin Law Help Portal Online legal information and referral web portal launched in early 2025 to guide Wisconsin residents to appropriate legal help based on their circumstances and provide plain language legal information. Managed by Legal Action of Wisconsin.
• IOLTA Prime Partner Program Recognition program for financial institutions that voluntarily pay interest rates on IOLTA accounts at least 50 basis points higher than required, strengthening access to justice in Wisconsin communities.
• Legal Aid Advancement Grants One-time grants made possible by temporarily higher trust account revenue from elevated interest rates, helping Direct Legal Services grantees meet growing civil legal assistance needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• $8.40 economic return for each $1 invested in civil legal aid
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• West Pointe BankcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2021IOLTA Prime Partner since 2021. West Pointe Bank goes above and beyond IOLTA participation requirements by paying additional interest on client IOLTA accounts, helping expand access to civil legal services in Wisconsin.
• Wisconsin Department of Children and FamiliescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPass-through agency for federal TANF funding for domestic violence legal services, ARPA funds for COVID-19 legal assistance, and Afghanistan Supplemental funding for refugee legal services.
• Office of Lawyer RegulationcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerOversees attorney trust account compliance and receives overdraft notification agreements from attorneys participating in IOLTA program.
• FotoPlant llcminorOthersProvides web services for WisTAF website.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Illinois Equal Justice Foundation: Illinois's statewide civil legal aid grantmaking foundation, funded by IOLTA revenue, the Supreme Court of Illinois, and other sources. Directly comparable to WisTAF as a state-level, court-affiliated grantmaking entity focused on expanding access to civil legal services.
• The Florida Bar Foundation: Florida's statewide IOLTA-administration and legal aid grantmaking foundation, similarly established under state Supreme Court authority to fund civil legal aid for low-income residents. Mirrors WisTAF's structure, funding sources, and grantee distribution model at a larger scale.
• Texas Access to Justice Foundation: Texas's state IOLTA-equivalent foundation that administers pooled attorney trust account interest and other funding streams to distribute civil legal aid grants statewide. Operates an identical grantmaking-for-access-to-justice model under Texas Supreme Court authority, making it the closest structural and functional peer to WisTAF.
• Massachusetts IOLTA Committee: Massachusetts's IOLTA program administrator, distributing interest on pooled attorney trust accounts to civil legal aid programs across the state. Closely matches WisTAF's core IOLTA administration and civil legal aid grantmaking function, with a comparable state-court-established governance model.
• Pennsylvania IOLTA Board: Pennsylvania's IOLTA administration body that channels interest on attorney trust accounts to legal aid organizations statewide. Operates the same IOLTA-to-civil-legal-aid model as WisTAF and serves as a strong comparability benchmark for grantmaking scale and structure.

Broad incumbents

• Legal Services Corporation: Federally established independent corporation that distributes federal funding to civil legal aid programs across all U.S. states, including many of the same types of organizations WisTAF funds in Wisconsin. Acts as a broader, national-level incumbent in the same civil legal aid funding ecosystem.

Others

• National Center for State Courts: Organization supporting state court systems and access-to-justice initiatives nationally. Comparable as a court-affiliated entity working on access-to-justice policy and programs, though it does not directly administer IOLTA or grant funds like WisTAF.
• National Legal Aid & Defender Association: National membership and advocacy organization supporting civil legal aid and public defender organizations across the U.S. While not a direct grantmaker, it is closely related as an ecosystem umbrella body for the same network of grantees and funders WisTAF operates within.
• State Bar of Wisconsin: Wisconsin's mandatory statewide bar association that co-governs WisTAF through board appointments and partners on legal community programming (e.g., Wisconsin Lawyer magazine advertising, New Lawyer Orientation). Acts as a co-regulator and ecosystem partner rather than a direct peer in grantmaking.
• American Bar Endowment: Charitable arm of the American Bar Association that funds legal aid and access-to-justice programs nationally. Relevant as a parallel legal-community-funded grantmaking entity that supports many of the same end beneficiaries as WisTAF's grantees.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WisTAForg
• Facebookfacebook.com/wistaforg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wisconsin-trust-account-foundation

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation