IR-2012-50, May 2, 2012 WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today announced the opening of the 2013 Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) grant application process. Applications for grants, which will be awarded for the 2013 calendar year, must be electronically filed, postmarked, sent by private delivery service, or hand-delivered to the LITC Program Office in Washington, D.C. by June 15, 2012. The LITC grant program is a federal program administered by the Office of the Taxpayer Advocate at the IRS, led by National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson. The LITC program awards matching grants of up to $100,000 per year to qualifying organizations to develop, expand, or maintain a low income taxpayer clinic. The LITC program funds organizations that serve low income individuals who have a tax controversy with the IRS and organizations that provide outreach and education to taxpayers who speak English as a second language (ESL). Applicants may apply as either type of organization, or both. Although LITCs receive partial funding from the IRS, LITCs, their employees, and their volunteers operate independently from the IRS. Examples of qualifying organizations include: Clinical programs at accredited law, business or accounting schools whose students represent low income taxpayers in tax disputes with the IRS; and Organizations exempt from tax under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(a) that represent low income taxpayers in tax disputes with the IRS or refer those taxpayers to qualified representatives, or that provide outreach and education for ESL taxpayers. All applications are welcomed and will receive full consideration. The LITC program is particularly interested in receiving applications from organizations in areas that are currently underserved. In the areas that are underserved, the IRS encourages applications from new clinics or from existing clinics wishing to expand their coverage to underserved areas. Currently underserved areas are as follows: Underserved States for Applications to Provide ESL Services (New or Existing Clinics) Connecticut, Colorado, Kentucky, Louisiana, Montana, New Mexico, South Dakota Underserved Metropolitan Areas for Applications to Provide ESL or Controversy Services (New or Existing Clinics) Los Angeles, Calif., including the following counties: Los Angeles, Kern, Riverside, Ventura Sacramento, Calif., including the following counties: El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus Philadelphia, Pa., including the following counties: Berks, Delaware, Philadelphia St. Louis, Mo., including the following counties: Cape Girardeau, Jefferson, St. Francois, St. Louis Underserved States for Applications to Provide ESL or Controversy Services (New Clinics Only) Alabama, Georgia, Montana, Nebraska Copies of the 2013 Grant Application Package and Guidelines, IRS Publication 3319 PDF, can be downloaded from this website or ordered by calling 1-800-TAX-FORM (1-800-829-3676). Applicants may file electronically at www.grants.gov. Those applying electronically should use the Funding Number TREAS-GRANTS-052013-001. Questions about the LITC Program or grant application process can be addressed to the LITC Program Office at (202) 622-4711 (not a toll-free call) or by e-mail at LITCProgramOffice@irs.gov. For more information about the organizations receiving funding in 2012, see Publication 4134 PDF, Low Income Taxpayer Clinic List. This publication is also available by calling 1-800-TAX-FORM (1-800-829-3676), or can be found at your local IRS office.
