ST PAUL- The nonprofit Minnesota Legal Services Coalition (MLSC) has been selected by the University of Massachusetts Boston’s Transmission Project to receive a capacity building award. The grant comes in the form of a Digital Arts Service Corps member- an individual who has dedicated a year of her life to work with MLSC to amplify the power of public media.

This year, MLSC is one of 41 organizations nationwide to receive Corps members from the Transmission Project. The Project fulfills its mission by supporting a diverse network of partner organizations that provide services to benefit communities.

“We provide support services to nonprofit providers of civil legal assistance to low-income Minnesotans, said MLSC State Support Director Maureen O’Connell. “Services include, among others, website maintenance and the development and management of technology projects. The technology projects are aimed at increasing access to justice for low-income and disadvantaged persons.”

Corps member Esther Kim has been assigned to MLSC for her service year to help the organization with technical capacity.

“[Kim] is expanding the scope of the services we provide and, ultimately, improving access to justice over the long term,’ said O’Connell. “She is developing automated interviews that result in the completion of court forms. They make the process of completing court forms more efficient, less intimidating, and more accurate.”

Corps members are given a small living stipend during the year and can choose either an education award or service completion stipend upon conclusion of their contract. Corps members run the gamut of age and professional skill levels- from recently graduated college students to retirees. One commonality between them: the desire to make a difference in their communities.

The Transmission Project began in the fall of 2000 as the recipient of a million dollar, three-year grant from the Corporation National and Community Service (CNCS) to help low-income Americans bridge the digital divide. Now entering its tenth year, the Transmission Project is the only remaining project of those selected by CNCS, leaving it as the country’s longest standing national digital opportunities program supported by CNCS.

CNCS was given a funding boost in April with the passing of the bipartisan Serve America act. The law will increase the number of volunteers CNCS places from 75,000 to 250,000. It went into effect on Oct 1.

Established in 1993, CNCS is a federal agency charged whose mission is to “improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering.” CNCS administers Americorps, Senior Corps and Learn and Serve America.