PORTLAND, Ore. — The National Crime Victim Law Institute based at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland is the latest to get hit with cuts under the Trump administration, with close to $500,000 in grant funding terminated this month.

The institute received notice from the U.S. Department of Justice that a grant and subgrant with remaining balances of $470,000 have been terminated, the organization said in a statement. Part of that money flowed to Disability Rights Oregon.

The grants helped fund two projects, one of which provided legal services for victims of crime with disabilities, the institute said. The second helped support emerging lawyers across more than 20 jurisdictions who represent victims regarding their legal rights.

The group warned that those legal services for victims of crime in Oregon, and across the country, may no longer be available. There will also be less attorneys available to serve victims.

The funding cuts are part of the Trump administration’s latest reductions to hit nonprofits nationwide. The Washington Post reported last week that the Justice Department canceled hundreds of grants, with just 75 of those totaling more than $180 million. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said she authorized the cancellation of grants “for programs that do not align with the administration’s priorities.”

Many job and funding cuts authorized by the Trump administration have run into legal challenges and it’s unclear how many will stand.

The local loss of funding would represent nearly 60% of the National Crime Victim Law Institute’s projected budget for the next 12 months, the national organization said. It “promotes comprehensive and enforceable legal rights for crime victims, through victim-centered legal advocacy,” according to its website. It also provides education and other resources for victims.

“With the disappearance of these grants, a vital part of justice disappears with them,” the organization said. “Communities will be worse off because victims will be less likely to enter a justice system that they no longer trust. Accountability will erode, as those who violate the law will face fewer consequences.”

Melissa Roy-Hart, a spokesperson for Disability Rights Oregon, said her organization was expecting to receive about $35,000 to $40,000 of the money pledged to the National Crime Victim Law Institute. Disability Rights Oregon had already received about $160,000 to $165,000 from the grant.

The organization, she said, was using the money to create resources and trainings to help attorneys across the state be able to provide “better services to crime victims with a disability” as part of its Crime Survivor Project.

The organization, she said, has halted that work as a result of the funding cut.

Roy-Hart said federal data shows “people with disabilities are twice as likely as people without disabilities to experience crime.”

“They also face major barriers to equal access to the criminal justice system and support services, as well as protection from offenders,” she said in an email. “These cuts have real consequences for our most vulnerable citizens.”

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