Kentucky Equal Justice Center to close after nearly 50 years

Organization cites loss of private grant funding and growing national challenges

LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) – A nonprofit legal advocacy group that has served low-income Kentuckians since the 1970s is closing its doors this month.

The Kentucky Equal Justice Center (KEJC) announced it will officially shut down at the end of July, after  decades of legal support across the Commonwealth, particularly in areas such as immigration and public policy.

“It’s tough and I’m heartbroken about it,” said Jackson Cooper, KEJC’s Director of Legal Programs. “I’m heartbroken for our clients who are going to have one fewer option when it comes to getting help and we get way more calls than we can answer. So even in our best of times there’s still more need than one organization is able to meet,” said Cooper.

Founded in 1976, the nonpartisan nonprofit says it has been a voice for low-income residents and addressed policies, including House Bill 5 the Safer Kentucky Act.

Cooper said the decision to close is tied to a drop in private grant funding.

“If there were specific grants we were for, we don’t have a good answer other than we were not selected,” he said. “In multiple instances there were grants that we had relied on for years, that had been reliable sources of funding for us. But we don’t have answers from those entities about exactly why they made the decision they made. Anything else would just be speculation,” said Cooper.

Cooper added that KEJC’s struggles are not isolated, but what he says is part of a larger national trend among legal advocacy nonprofits.

“Of the things I’ve heard informally, is that the current administration federally is certainly making it more difficult to do the kind of work we do,” Cooper said. “They’re in some cases openly threatening non-profits who do certain types of work. I can’t speak for the funders but I can only imagine that that is playing into those decisions,” said Cooper.

The KEJC says any legal teams or organizations interested in taking on their clients are encouraged to reach out before the end of the month.