Cumberland Trace Legal Services Inc.

Cumberland Trace Legal Services Inc., doing business as Kentucky Legal Aid, is a regional nonprofit public interest law firm based in Bowling Green, Kentucky that has served vulnerable populations since 1977. The organization is registered as a tax-exempt corporate entity and operates across 35 counties in southcentral and western Kentucky. Through federal grant awards, Cumberland Trace Legal Services Inc. provides comprehensive civil legal services to underserved, rurally isolated, and impoverished populations, with a particular emphasis on victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and other vulnerable groups including veterans at risk of homelessness. The organization partners strategically with domestic violence service providers and other legal entities to deliver holistic legal assistance addressing barriers to self-sufficiency.

Cumberland Trace Legal Services Inc. has demonstrated substantial federal grant funding through multiple prime grants and sub-award arrangements. The organization currently holds a $750,000 Legal Assistance for Victims (LAV) Grant (CFDA 16.524) from the Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women, awarded in October 2025 and running through September 2028, which supports the delivery of free civil legal services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, and sexual assault across 35 rural counties. The grant enables partnerships with four local domestic violence service providers—Barren River Area Safe Space Inc., Merryman House Domestic Violence Crisis Center, Oasis Inc., and Sanctuary Inc.—to address legal matters including family law, immigration, housing, employment, and criminal justice proceedings. Additionally, the organization received a $297,672 Project Grant from the Department of Veterans Affairs' Legal Services for Veterans Grants program (CFDA 64.056) beginning August 2024, providing legal representation, advice, education, and advocacy to eligible veterans and participants experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Cumberland Trace Legal Services Inc. has also served as a subgrantee under the Justice & Public Safety Cabinet across multiple funding cycles (2021-2024), implementing civil legal services projects that address needs arising from crime victimization and support community recovery initiatives, including the K-CARE Project focused on pathways to recovery for individuals affected by substance abuse. The organization has additionally received sub-award funding from West Tennessee Legal Services Inc. for healthcare-related services, demonstrating its role within a broader network of legal service providers serving vulnerable populations.