Our Commitment
CHBA and the CHBA Foundation are committed to providing financial support to eligible students and individuals committed to serve Colorado and promote justice by advancing Hispanic interests and issues in the legal profession and seeking equal protection for the Hispanic community before the law.
CHBA Emergency Scholarship Aid
There is aid through CHBA to defray the costs arising from emergencies in the pursuit of legal studies. If you are in need of immediate financial assistance, please email mflowers@polsinelli.com with your resume and a written request that includes amount of money being requested, purpose of the funds, involvement with the Colorado Hispanic community, and why you need the money.
The Colorado Hispanic Bar Association Foundation
The Colorado Hispanic Bar Association worked to establish a separate entity as a 501(c)(3) named the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association Foundation on September 12, 2006, to address the disproportionate underrepresentation of Hispanic and Latinos in the legal profession. By way of example, in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Hispanic and Latino residents in Colorado represented 21% of the Colorado population. According to the Colorado Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel, however, only about 6.5% of attorneys in Colorado identified as Hispanic or Latino. The CHBA Foundation’s mission is to narrow this gap. The CHBA Foundation operates via its volunteer Board of Directors, which is comprised of individuals who have beaten the odds.
The CHBA Foundation raises money to fund and provide scholarships to students pursuing higher education in a legal field. Eligible students include those who are in good standing at an accredited school, have demonstrated a commitment to the Hispanic and Latino community, and have a demonstrated an unmet financial need. The CHBA Foundation scholarships include Endowed Scholarships and Direct Scholarships.
CHBA Foundation Endowed Scholarships
In 2007, as the only 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Colorado dedicated solely to promoting the Hispanic and Latino community in the legal profession, the Foundation endowed the Louis Romero Scholarship Fund at the University of Colorado School of Law and the Lawrence Manzanares Scholarship Fund at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. These endowments address the main obstacle to Hispanic and Latino students attending law school – the exorbitant cost. Since creating the Louis Romero Scholarship Fund and the Lawrence Manzanares Scholarship Fund, the Foundation has awarded over 90 scholarships to Colorado’s Hispanic and Latino law students.
Students may apply for these scholarships directly through CU and DU.
CHBA Foundation Direct Scholarships
The CHBA Foundation also has direct scholarships available to Hispanic and Latino law students in need anywhere in the nation as part of the Circle of Giving and the Ellen Alires-Trujillo & Lorenzo Trujillo Scholarship. Students may apply for CHBA Foundation Direct Scholarships here.