Government Funding
We receive core funding from the Commonwealth government and the Victorian state government through their joint Community Legal Service Program (CLSP).
In addition both the Federal & state governments have provided one-off grants . In 2020 this includes COVID 19 funding assistance , and since 2016 yearly grants from the Victorian Department of Justice & Community Safety contributing to our family violence program ( duty lawyer service and youth family violence practitioner , and to our legal clinics at Frontyard Youth Services.
Non-gov’t funding :
Youthlaw derives over half of its annual income from philanthropic and private sector sources as well as fundraising , donations & self generated income.
Over the past years our funders include :
- Legal Service Board of Victoria
- Victoria Law Foundation
- Helen McPherson Smith Trust
- Kimberley Foundation
- Lord Mayor’s Charitable Trust
- Telematics Trust
- Phyllis Connor Memorial Trust
- RE Ross Trust
- Streetmart
- Ashurst ( hosting an annual trivia night & donations)
Law Partnerships :
Youthlaw has strong partnerships with a number of law firms including our longstanding partnership with Ashurst . They provide pro bono legal assistance to Youthlaw & our clients & assist in many other ways . From 2017 our law partnerships has increased markedly as they joined our Legal Pod Program. Current firms are:
- Ashurst
- Colins Biggers Paisley
- K&L Gates
- Baker McKenzie
- DLA Piper
- Gilbert & Tobin
- Holding & Redlich
- Price Waterhouse Cooper ( PwC) in house lawyers
- Russell Kennedy
- Wisewould Mahony
In Kind support :
Youthlaw has many in-kind supporters . The range and extent of their support has been crucial to maintaining a core office infratructure & to delivery of our services across Victoria .
Over the past years this includes :
- Melbourne City Mission Frontyard Youth Services ( hosting Youthlaw clinics & providing desks & the integrated platform to work together with other youth services. Previous to 2019 this also involved supporting & subsidising our co-location with Frontyard for over 17 years )
- Ballarat Community Community Health & Federaton University of Australia ( In partnership with Youthlaw deliver a health justice legal service for young people in Ballarat. Both provide extensive in kind support including evaluation & office facilities )
- 6 Headspace centres & 3 youth centres in outer urban & regional Victoria hosting & referring young people to our outreach at these centres.
- Youth Support Advocacy Service ( facilitates outreach to young people in a CBD drug detox centre
- Konica Minolta – providing a high quality secondhand multiplex printer
- Ashurst – A full-time secondee , pro bono assistance to Youthlaw & clients , facilities, stationary, archive storage & printing of annual report.
- K & L Gates – Updating of Youthlaw online legal information.
- CBP lawyers – Meeting facilities, substantial legal assistance with victims of crimes cases & facilitating assistance to find an office, legal advice on our leases and liaising with Konica Minolta to provide a printer.
- RMIT University – Office space & management contribution to delivering on campus legal service for students . Since December 2019 the University has provided Youthlaw a rent free office & many facilities at the RMIT Innovation Hub at Pelham St Carlton.
- KPMG- Donation of headsets ( very handy during COVID )
We also thank the many individuals who have donated their time and skills & expertise at reduced price including private lawyers, barristers, design experts & our many volunteers.