Oregon Law Center

Oregon Law Center, a tax-exempt nonprofit legal services organization based in Portland, Oregon, operates as a federal grant recipient providing direct legal representation, education, and advocacy to low-income and vulnerable populations across multiple practice domains. The organization does not hold federal contracts and competes exclusively in federal grant programs, with 100% of awards structured as prime grants rather than subrecipient arrangements.

Oregon Law Center's federal footprint centers on two principal grant programs anchored by the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) program (CFDA 21.008) represents the bulk of Oregon Law Center's federal activity. Recent LITC grants include a $110,984 project grant effective January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2028, which funds comprehensive tax services to low-income individuals and English-as-a-Second-Language speakers with household incomes not exceeding 250 percent of federal poverty guidelines. The grant scope includes direct representation of low-income taxpayers in federal tax controversies before the IRS and other tribunals, consultations on specific tax issues, educational activities addressing taxpayer rights and responsibilities, and advocacy initiatives to improve IRS processes and administration. Oregon Law Center received prior LITC funding from the IRS spanning January 2023 through December 2025, demonstrating continuity in that program line since at least 2022. The organization also holds a $500,000 project grant from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) effective October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2027, under the Legal Services for Homeless Veterans and Veterans At-Risk for Homelessness Grant Program (CFDA 64.056). This award funds comprehensive direct legal services to eligible veterans experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness in Oregon, covering housing law, family law, income support, criminal defense, healthcare access, military discharge upgrades, consumer law, and employment law; Oregon Law Center must commit at least 10 percent of grant funds to serve women veterans and provide a minimum of four types of legal services.

Customer concentration is heavily skewed toward the IRS: seven of twelve total awards originate from the Department of the Treasury's IRS, representing roughly 58 percent of awards tracked in the source. Secondary funding comes from the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women (two awards), with single awards from the Veterans Health Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health. Combined dollars obligated across all awards total $6.3 million. Only one award faces ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, creating minimal near-term recompete exposure. Oregon Law Center delivers all services at no more than nominal cost to eligible beneficiaries and is required to provide dollar-for-dollar matching contributions as a condition of LITC participation and maintain comprehensive record-keeping for federal compliance.