The Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois (LTF) awards annual grants to non-profit organizations that provide direct civil legal aid to low-income Illinois residents, free of charge.

LTF grantees provide a “legal safety net” for people who cannot afford to hire a lawyer, but face serious problems related to issues such as domestic violence, child custody, eviction, foreclosure, elder abuse, access to medical care, immigration, and other critical needs.

LTF is among the largest single sources of funding for the legal aid system in Illinois. LTF grants currently support 57 legal aid organizations across the state. Last year, these organizations utilized hundreds of staff attorneys, paralegals, and pro bono volunteers to close more than 131,000 legal cases on behalf of low-income Illinoisans.

Grant Guidelines

LTF’s Grant Guidelines provide a detailed explanation of LTF’s grantmaking goals, eligibility criteria, and factors in awarding grants. The CY 2027 Annual Grant Guidelines, which are now available, also contain more detailed information and instructions for LTF’s CY 2027 annual grants.

Grant Eligibility

To be eligible for a grant from LTF, an organization must:

• Be an Illinois-based non-profit organization with tax-exempt status under §501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
• Serve Illinois residents who cannot afford to hire private legal counsel. This means individuals and families whose income is at or below 250% of the federal poverty level, but includes other factors – such as client characteristics, geography, and area of law – that substantially limit an individual’s ability to get legal help from a private attorney.
• Provide services without charge to the client. [Note: Entities funded by LTF may charge sliding-scale fees to clients whose income exceeds their guidelines and may also require clients to pay court costs or related expenses that cannot be waived. However, LTF funds may only be used to support free legal services.]
• Meet LTF’s Attorney Staffing Requirement, which means that the organization employs at least one qualified attorney. A qualified attorney is an individual who is directly involved in providing legal services; is a compensated, full-time employee; and has been licensed for at least three years as of January 1 of the funding year. Additional details about the staffing requirement and the limited circumstances in which an attorney can seek a temporary waiver are in Part I of the Annual Grant Guidelines.
• Provide legal services in a nondiscriminatory manner. This means the entity may not deny services to any otherwise qualified client or prospective client on the basis of race; color; religion; sex; national origin; ancestry; age; marital status; order of protection status; physical or mental disability; military status; sexual orientation; gender identity; or any other category prohibited by federal or Illinois law.

Applying for a Grant

LTF awards grants on a calendar year basis. Grant applications for 2027 are now available. For information about applying for a grant, visit the How to Apply page.

For more information contact Deputy Executive Director for Grants & Legal Affairs David Holtermann at 312-938-3076 or via email.