For calendar year 2019, the Lawyers Trust Fund has awarded $960,000 in project and new applicant grants to 24 organizations providing civil legal aid. LTF also has awarded $9,998,730 in Legal Services Support grants to 16 legal aid organizations through the end of the current fiscal year (June 30, 2020).
Approximately 48% of LTF grants support programs based in Cook County and 44% support downstate programs. Statewide initiatives are supported by the remaining 8%. The recipient, amount, and purpose of each current-year grant is listed below.
Legal Services Support Grants (July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020)
| Ascend Justice (formerly Domestic Violence Legal Clinic) (Chicago) To help victims of domestic violence secure civil orders of protection through a court-based clinic. |
$205,200 |
| Cabrini Green Legal Aid (Chicago) For legal representation of low-income Chicago residents in matters related to housing, family law, employment, and the sealing of criminal records. |
$161,200 |
| CARPLS Legal Aid (Chicago) To support the legal aid hotline program serving Cook County, which provides brief legal assistance and referrals to thousands of callers and self-represented litigants at the Daley Center each year. |
$768,650 |
| Chicago Legal Clinic (Chicago) To support legal services to low-income Chicagoans through offices in South Chicago, Pilsen, Austin, and the Loop. |
$286,000 |
| Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (Chicago) To support the work of Illinois’ oldest and largest pro bono program. |
$837,600 |
| DuPage Legal Aid (Wheaton) To support the pro bono efforts of attorneys in DuPage County, with services focused on family law matters. |
$ 96,720 |
| Illinois Legal Aid Online (Chicago) To provide comprehensive Internet-based information and resources to legal aid advocates, pro bono attorneys, and members of the public seeking legal assistance. |
$806,920 |
| Immigration Project (Bloomington) For immigration-related legal assistance to residents of Central and Southern Illinois. |
$184,600 |
| Land of Lincoln Legal Aid (East St. Louis) For legal services to low-income residents of 65 counties in Southern and Central Illinois. |
$1,979,900 |
| Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing (Chicago) To provide advice and representation to tenants facing housing–related legal problems |
$204,800 |
| Legal Aid Chicago (Chicago) To provide legal services to low-income residents of Chicago and suburban Cook County. |
$673,040 |
| Legal Aid Society (Chicago) To support the oldest legal aid program in Illinois, which has been in continuous operation since 1886. |
$354,600 |
| Legal Council for Health Justice (formerly the AIDS Legal Council of Chicago) To provide legal assistance to help secure health care and stability for people with HIV, individuals facing homelessness, and children with chronic illnesses. |
$285,800 |
| Life Span Center for Legal Services & Advocacy (Chicago) To provide legal assistance and representation to victims of domestic violence. |
$375,700 |
| National Immigrant Justice Center (Chicago) To support comprehensive legal services for immigrants |
$726,000 |
| Prairie State Legal Services (Rockford) For legal services to low-income residents of 36 counties in Northern Illinois through a network of ten branch offices. |
$2,052,000 |
| Total Legal Services Support Grants | $9,998,730 |
Project & New Applicant Grants (January 1 – December 31, 2019)
| Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago (Chicago) To provide legal assistance to individuals with disabilities facing illegal housing discrimination or seeking reasonable accommodations to housing. |
$15,000 | |
| Catholic Charities Legal Assistance (Chicago) To provide legal assistance in family, consumer, immigration, public benefits, and employment law matters to those living in poverty in the Chicago area. |
$20,000 | |
| Center for Disability & Elder Law (Chicago) To support the operation of CDEL’s Senior Legal Assistance Clinics and Senior Tax Opportunity Program in Chicago and suburban Cook County. |
$32,500 | |
| Center for Economic Progress (Chicago) To support the Midwest Tax Clinic, which assists low-income taxpayers involved in disputes with the Internal Revenue Service. |
$20,000 | |
| Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (Chicago) To help victims of sexual assault take advantage of civil legal protections related to safety in rental housing, educational settings, and the workplace. |
$15,000 | |
| Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (Chicago) To support the Law Project, which helps homeless and at-risk youth obtain access to educational, medical care and other services. |
$65,000 | |
| Chicago Lighthouse (Chicago) To provide legal assistance and referrals to blind and visually impaired individuals. |
$10,000 | |
| Community Law Project (Chicago) For pro bono legal assistance to non-profit organizations serving low-income Chicago neighborhoods. |
$75,000 | |
| DePaul University Asylum & Immigration Clinic (Chicago) To support the Legal Resource Project for Immigration Service Providers, which offers technical and back-up assistance to community based organizations providing legal assistance to immigrants and refugees. |
$102,500 | |
| Eldercare Options (Decatur) To provide evaluations and legal assistance to people who may need a guardian to help manage their affairs. |
$10,000 | |
| Equip for Equality (Carbondale & Springfield) Support for staff attorneys based in Springfield and Carbondale who serve people with disabilities in Central and Southern Illinois. |
$220,000 | |
| Erie Neighborhood House (Chicago) To provide immigration legal assistance to residents of Chicago. |
$15,000 | |
| Family Defense Center (Chicago) To provide legal help to families facing wrongful allegations of child abuse or neglect. |
$35,000 | |
| Farmworkers Legal Assistance Project (Chicago) To provide low-income migrant and seasonal workers with legal information regarding issues including wages and working conditions. |
$10,000 | |
| Illinois Equal Justice Foundation (Chicago) To support the not-for-profit entity that advocates for and distributes legal aid funding appropriated by the state legislature. |
$45,000 | |
| North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic (Highland Park) To support legal assistance to low-income individuals in matters involving domestic violence, immigration, and housing. |
$15,000 | |
| Northern Illinois Justice for Our Neighbors (Chicago) To provide immigration-related legal assistance through clinics in Aurora, Rockford, and Chicago. |
$25,000 | |
| Open Communities (Evanston) To support legal help for low-income tenants in Northern Cook County. |
$40,000 | |
| Public Interest Law Initiative (Chicago) To provide support and technical assistance to six judicial circuit-based pro bono coordinating committees in downstate Illinois. |
$62,500 | |
| Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law (Chicago) To provide legal counsel to tenants of public and subsidized housing complexes statewide. |
$20,000 | |
| Southern Illinois University Legal Clinic (Carbondale) To support the work of law students and faculty serving clients age 60 and older in 13 counties in Southern Illinois. |
$40,000 | |
| Uptown Peoples’ Law Center (Chicago) To support the Tenants’ Rights Project, which works to ensure tenants are not unlawfully evicted. |
$17,500 | |
| World Relief DuPage/Aurora (Wheaton & Aurora) To provide immigration legal assistance to individuals who have been victims of domestic violence or other violent crimes. |
$25,000 | |
| Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights (Chicago) To provide independent advocate services for unaccompanied immigrant children. |
$25,000 | |
| Total Project & New Applicant Grants | $980,000 |