Access to Justice Grants Grantees

In fiscal year 2023, the Illinois Bar Foundation Board of Directors approved the distribution of $245,000 in Access to Justice Grants around the State in support of the below organizations.

Ascend Justice

Cook County, Chicago | $10,000

Fund the legal services of the Emergency Services Division assisting victims of domestic violence every day.

Beyond Legal Aid

Statewide | $5,000

Support for Community-located, Community-operated, Community-directed Legal Workshops and know-your-rights presentations.

Cabrini Green Legal Aid

Statewide | $10,000

Eliminating the barriers created by criminal records through the expungement and sealing process.

CARPLS

Cook County/Chicago | $10,000

Funding for brief legal services, advice and referrals through the CARPLS Main Hotline

Center for Disability & Elder Law

Cook County/Chicago | $5,000

Support for Senior Legal Assistance Clinics throughout Cook County

Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation

Cook County/Chicago | $5,000

CAASE Legal Services supporting victims of sexual exploitation

Chicago Coalition for the Homeless

Cook County/Chicago | $5,000

Funding for the Law Project providing legal services for students and adults experiencing homelessness.

Chicago Volunteer Legal Services

Cook County/Chicago | $10,000

Providing GAL services for adults with disabilities

Children’s Legal Center

Statewide | $5,000

Immigration Legal Services and Wrap Around Services for migrant children.

Chinese American Service League

Statewide| $5,000

The CASL Legal Services Program providing bilingual legal services to the Chinese-American population and other immigrants.

Equip for Equality

Statewide | $5,000

Legal advice through the hotline and Special Education Clinic

Farmworker & Landscaper Advocacy Project

Statewide | $5,000

Educate very low-income Latinx workers about their Rights and Responsibilities Under the Law

Greenlight Family Services

Statewide | $5,000

Legal representation for non-traditional families through the Adoption Aid Program

Illinois Equal Justice Foundation

Statewide |$5,000

Support the expansion of legal aid in Illinois through the Equal Justice Illinois Campaign

Illinois Legal Aid Online

Statewide | $15,000

Support the increase in access to justice for all through the use of technology and online tools at illinoislegalaid.org

The Immigration Project

Central Illinois| $5,000

Support for Immigration Legal Services and Regional Clinics

James B. Moran Center for Youth Advocacy

Cook County/Chicago | $7,500

Driving Equity Through Education Advocacy and School-Based Legal Services

Land of Lincoln Legal Aid 

Southern/Central Illinois | $17,500

General Operating support to provide low-income and senior residents of central and southern Illinois with high-quality civil legal services in order to maintain their basic human needs

Legal Aid Society of Metropolitan Family Services

Northern IL | $5,000

Eviction Help DuPage

Law Center for Better Housing

Cook County/Chicago | $5,000

The Tenant Advocacy Program providing a spectrum of legal services to tenants in crisis

Legal Council for Health Justice

Cook County/Chicago | $7,500

Helping address health problems related to homelessness including substance abuse and physical or mental health problems through the Homeless Project and medical-legal partnerships

Life Span

Cook County/Chicago | $5,000

Provide full legal services for domestic violence and sexual assault victims of north and northwest Cook County

Migrant and Immigrant Community Action Project

Southern Illinois |$5,000

Immigration legal services for Illinois residents in southern Illinois

National Immigrant Justice Center

Statewide | $5,000

Know-your-rights presentations and legal advice for detained immigrants

North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic

Northern Illinois | $5,000

Comprehensive Domestic Violence, Immigration, and Housing Legal Aid

Northern Illinois Justice for Our Neighbors

Northern Illinois | $5,000

Regional immigration and citizenship clinics and workshops

Prairie State Legal Services

Northern/Central Illinois | $17,500

Brief legal advice and referrals through the Telephone Counseling Services

Pro Bono Network

Statewide | $7,500

General Operating and Technology Innovation

Public Interest Law Initiative

Statewide | $17,500

Increasing and enhancing the pro bono capacity of law firms, corporations, law schools, and legal service agencies to better meet the legal needs of low-income individuals and families through the Pro Bono Program and Free Illinois Legal Answers

Riverview Center

Northern Illinois | $5,000

Legal Representation for Survivors of Domestic Violence

Turning Point, Inc.

Northern Illinois | $5,000

Legal representation for survivors of domestic violence seeking more advanced protective orders through the Legal Access Program

The Illinois Pension Assistance Project of The University of Massachusetts

Statewide | $5,000

Helping Illinois residents recover the public and private benefits they worked hard to earn in order to provide for safety and stability in their retirement years.

Uptown People’s Law Center

Statewide | $5,000

Protecting the civil rights of Illinois prisoners through the Prisoner’s Rights Program

World Relief Chicagoland

Northern Illinois | $5,000

Support for the Immigration Legal Services Program