For calendar year 2020, the Lawyers Trust Fund has awarded $1,025,000 in project grants to 23 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 are 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 (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, 2020)
| 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 provision of housing-related legal services in Chicago and suburban Cook County. |
$40,000 | |
| Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (Chicago) To help victims of sexual assault pursue 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. |
$70,000 | |
| Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights (Chicago) For legal assistance to non-profit organizations serving low-income Chicago neighborhoods. |
$80,000 | |
| Chicago Lighthouse Kane Legal Clinic (Chicago) To provide legal assistance and referrals to blind and visually impaired individuals. |
$10,000 | |
| 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. |
$100,000 | |
| 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. |
$260,000 | |
| Erie Neighborhood House (Chicago) To provide immigration legal assistance to residents of Chicago. |
$20,000 | |
| Farmworker & Landscaper Advocacy 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 | |
| Ladder Up (Chicago) To support the Tax Clinic, which assists taxpayers regarding disputes with the Internal Revenue Service. |
$20,000 | |
| North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic (Highland Park) To support legal assistance to low-income individuals in matters involving domestic violence, immigration, and housing. |
$25,000 | |
| Northern Illinois Justice for Our Neighbors (Chicago) To provide immigration-related legal assistance through clinics in Aurora, Rockford, and Chicago. |
$30,000 | |
| Open Communities (Evanston) To support legal help for low-income tenants in Northern Cook County. |
$25,000 | |
| Public Interest Law Initiative (Chicago) To provide support and technical assistance to judicial circuit-based pro bono coordinating committees outside of Cook County. |
$90,000 | |
| Shriver 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 People’s Law Center (Chicago) To support the Tenants’ Rights Project, which works to ensure tenants are not unlawfully evicted |
$20,000 | |
| World Relief DuPage/Aurora (Wheaton & Aurora) To provide immigration legal assistance to individuals who have been victims of domestic violence or other violent crimes. |
$30,000 | |
| Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights (Chicago) To provide independent advocate services for unaccompanied immigrant children. |
$30,000 | |
| Total Project & New Applicant Grants | $1,025,000 |