Connecticut Appleseed Center for Law and Justice is a state affiliate of the Appleseed Foundation, which operates in 16 states; Washington, D.C.; and Mexico. It organizes pro bono legal services for left-of-center causes, as well as publishing studies and legal guides advocating for services for illegal immigrants. Connecticut Appleseed has also published policy recommendations concerning education and healthcare. The center has received funding from the Ford Foundation.
Founding and History
Connecticut Appleseed Center for Law and Justice was founded in 1998 as the Connecticut affiliate of the Appleseed Foundation network, which was itself founded by Harvard Law School alumni in 1994. 1 The Appleseed Network was founded to connect clients to pro bono legal services through local centers, and it is also active in research and publishing legal guides. 1
The executive director of Connecticut Appleseed, Bob Kettle, joined the group in 2004. 2
Activities Connecticut Appleseed has published a wide range of studies and legal guides focusing on education, immigration, and healthcare. From 2009 through 2014, Connecticut Appleseed directed an initiative to provide legal services to the homeless population of Hartford, Connecticut. 3 In 2010, it collaborated with JUNTA for Progressive Action and multiple local banks to promote banking access to unbanked groups such as the homeless and illegal immigrants. The same year, it worked in collaboration with four other state Appleseed centers to create a report on school policies to provide affirmative action to poorer students, and in 2012 it released a report on bullying.
In 2015, Connecticut Appleseed partnered with the Appleseed Foundation, with funding from the Ford Foundation, to publish a study on the use of financial services by illegal immigrants, particularly focusing on money sent back to the immigrants’ home countries, which resulted in a decrease of the standard processing fee for such transactions from 10% to 3%. 4 Similarly, in 2018, Connecticut Appleseed published and distributed two legal guides for illegal immigrants, teaching them how to access financial and legal services and to prevent loss of assets or child custody when facing deportation. 3
Funding and Affiliation Connecticut Appleseed has multiple connections to government, multinational corporations, and left-of-center nonprofit organizations. Executive director Bob Kettle previously worked for former Colorado Gov. Richard Lamm before spending 23 years doing lobbying and government relations for Texaco, a subsidiary of Chevron. 2 The Connecticut Appleseed board includes a state Superior Court judge, Mary E. Sommer, and the board of advisors includes an employee of the state’s Office of the Lieutenant Governor. 5 The national Appleseed Foundation board of directors includes representatives from Pfizer, Microsoft, Lockheed Martin, and JPMorgan Chase. 6
In addition to funding from the Appleseed Foundation, Connecticut Appleseed has received grants from the Ford Foundation. 4
References
- “Our History.” Appleseed Network. Accessed December 23, 2022. https://www.appleseednetwork.org/our-history1.html
- “Staff.” Connecticut Appleseed. Accessed December 23, 2022. http://www.ctappleseed.org/about/staff/
- “What’s New 2019.” Connecticut Appleseed. Accessed December 23, 2022. http://www.ctappleseed.org/projects/currentnew-documents/
- “Accomplishments.” Connecticut Appleseed. Accessed December 23, 2022. http://www.ctappleseed.org/projects/accomplishments/
- “Board of Directors.” Connecticut Appleseed. Accessed December 23, 2022. http://www.ctappleseed.org/about/board-of-directors/
- “Board of Directors.” Appleseed Network. Accessed December 23, 2022. https://www.appleseednetwork.org/board-of-directors.html