The Legal Services Corp. said Thursday it is handing out more than $4.3 million in “pro bono innovation grants” for projects supporting low-income clients, including more than $500,000 to Washington, D.C., and Virginia.

Congress created the LSC in 1974 through the Legal Services Corporation Act, whose board members are appointed by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. LSC president Jim Sandman thanked Congress in a statement Thursday for establishing and increasing support for its pro bono innovation fund.