EIN: 33-4580620
I HEARD FOUNDATION is a registered New Jersey nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding access to legal knowledge, workforce development, and technology-driven learning opportunities for underserved communities.
We focus on empowering individuals facing criminal and immigration challenges by providing modern legal-tech tools, educational resources, and community-based support systems. Our work bridges the gap between complex legal systems and the people most affected by them.
Our mission is to build accessible, technology-driven platforms and learning environments that put knowledge, tools, and opportunity directly into the hands of the people who need them most.
We believe access to justice, education, and career pathways should not depend on background, income, or life circumstances. Through legal-tech tools, STEM education, and workforce development programs, we aim to create practical pathways that empower individuals, students, and communities to build long-term stability and opportunity.
1) Legal Empowerment Platform
A modern legal-tech system designed to help individuals better understand their rights and legal pathways, featuring:
• Case Comparison Tools – search real case outcomes to understand how similar charges were handled
• Document Builder – create motions and filings step-by-step without legal jargon
• Plain-Language Statute Library – laws explained clearly for everyday readers
• Community & Volunteer Network – real people offering guidance and support
2) STEM & Workforce Development Programs
We are building community-based STEM labs and training programs that provide students and young adults with hands-on experience in:
• Technology & coding
• Robotics & digital fabrication
• Data systems & platform development
• Legal-tech research and operations
Our goal is to create a pipeline from education to paid internships, mentorship, and long-term career opportunities.
3) Offline Access & Community Infrastructure
We are developing solutions that extend access beyond traditional internet-based platforms, including:
• Mini-PC kiosks for jails, community centers, and legal aid spaces
• Offline access systems for limited-connectivity environments
• Scalable integration with existing correctional kiosk technology
I HEARD FOUNDATION is actively building partnerships with educational institutions and community organizations to strengthen our programs and expand student involvement.
We are currently working with student volunteers from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) who are contributing to research, platform development, data organization, and community outreach. These students play a key role in helping us test tools, refine our systems, and bring fresh technical insight into our work.
Our long-term goal is to formalize partnerships with universities like NJIT to create structured internship pipelines, service-learning programs, and paid fellowship opportunities for students pursuing careers in technology, law, engineering, and public service.
This movement goes beyond a website.
We are building a scalable, community-rooted legal-tech and workforce ecosystem designed to operate both online and offline. Our long-term vision includes:
• Community computer labs for families and legal research
• On-site STEM labs for student training
• Integrated legal education tools for incarcerated populations
• Workforce pipelines into technology, research, and public service
I HEARD FOUNDATION is in its early growth phase, actively building the foundation for long-term impact.
Key milestones achieved:
• Held a successful strategy meeting with CourtListener and secured access to their comprehensive state and federal case database
• Began importing real case data and connecting it to plain-language statutes
• Initiated development of an offline kiosk proof-of-concept
• Established a working relationship with NJIT student volunteers
• Registered with federal and state funding systems and began grant applications
What’s happening now:
• Building the first full version of the legal-tech platform
• Expanding the case database and research tools
• Testing offline access solutions
• Establishing partnerships for hardware, labs, and student programs
• Formalizing academic partnerships and internship pipelines
A core part of our mission is student involvement and workforce development.
We invite students and young adults to learn every layer of this work by:
• Exploring case law and legal research
• Gaining hands-on experience in technology and coding
• Supporting platform development and data systems
• Participating in paid internships and mentorship programs
• Contributing fresh ideas to build a fairer legal future
Our goal is to develop the next generation of legal-tech professionals, researchers, and civic technologists.
I HEARD FOUNDATION is led by a New Jersey community leader who currently serves as a City of Newark employee and brings firsthand insight into the legal, workforce, and educational barriers many young people face.
While our roots are grounded in lived experience, our mission today is forward-looking: to turn lessons from the past into scalable systems that empower the next generation.
We are still a young organization and are intentionally learning as we build. We do not claim to have everything figured out — but we are deeply committed to responsible growth, continuous improvement, and learning from partners, advisors, and the communities we serve.
A core part of our strategy is aligning ourselves with well-established organizations, institutions, and community leaders that we can learn from. We actively seek partnerships that bring experience, accountability, and long-term perspective into our work, so that what we build is not just visionary, but sustainable and grounded in best practices.
In under a year, we have already achieved meaningful milestones, built early partnerships, and laid the institutional groundwork for long-term success.
Volunteers – writers, developers, legal researchers, outreach coordinators
Funding Partners & Donors – infrastructure, hardware, and pilot programs
Advisors – legal professionals, technologists, and community leaders
For questions, collaboration, or to get involved:
📧 Email: info@iheardfoundation.org