Legal Aid for Indigent Immigrants
This Request for Applications (RFA) will fund legal representation or referral services for legal representation to highest need low-income people at risk of removal from the United States for matters related to their immigration status.
People served by this grant must meet the definition of indigent under RCW 10.101:
Unable to pay anticipated costs of counsel
Receive specific public benefits
Have an income below 125 percent of federal poverty level
All recipients of services must also be at risk of harm in the event of removal from the U.S.
This grant is intended to provide services not available through other legal aid programs, like the DSHS Migrant and Asylum-Seeker Support Project (MASS).
Bidders conference: August 27, 2025 at 1:00 p.m. on Zoom
Q&A period: August 20 - August 29, 2025
Answers to Q&A: Posted September 4, 2025
Applications due September 10, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. PT
Grant and funding
Commerce intends to award multiple contracts to provide regional or specialized services serving single or multiple counties. Multiple contracts may be awarded to high-need areas. Applications are limited to $300,000 each fiscal year or $600,000 total.
Bidders conference
A conference will be held on August 27, 2025 at 1:00 p.m. PT. The conference will be virtual only on Zoom.
All prospective applicants are encouraged attend. However, attendance is not mandatory. Commerce will post a recording of the conference on its website within 24 hours after the meeting.
Commerce is only bound by its written responses. All questions from the conference or follow-up communications will be documented and answered in a question and answer document posted online.
More Information: Applications open to provide legal aid for indigent immigrants – Washington State Department of Commerce