The Illinois Bar Foundation is seeking applications for its 2026 Access to Justice Grants Program.
Donor Name: Illinois Bar Foundation
State: Illinois
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 12/17/2025
Size of the Grant: Not Available
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
Objectives
Grants awarded by the Illinois Bar Foundation will support one of three organizational objectives:
- Enhance the availability of civil legal aid to those of limited means
- Projects funded under this category assist Illinois residents with limited means to resolve their civil legal problems in the most effective way possible. Programs addressing areas of greatest need or with the greatest impact will receive priority.
- Encourage pro-bono legal work
- Projects funded under this category facilitate pro bono opportunities; provide educational opportunities for pro bono attorneys; or recognize and help sustain the efforts of current pro bono attorneys.
- Educate Illinois residents regarding their rights and responsibilities under the law
- Projects funded under this category create informational materials for unrepresented Illinois residents with civil legal problems.
The Illinois Bar Foundation funds organizations or projects with a statewide, regional or local impact. All organizations must show evidence of the need and impact of their program. The Illinois Bar Foundation will entertain projects with a new or innovative approach that require seed money to launch as well as programs that result from collaboration among multiple organizations. New projects must demonstrate their viability by identifying support (financial or other) from the communities they are intended to serve. The Foundation will fund general operating expenses only when the organization’s mission fits squarely within the Illinois Bar Foundation’s grant program objectives. Otherwise, IBF grants will be restricted to specific programmatic support.
Eligibility Criteria
The Illinois Bar Foundation awards grants only to 501(c)(3) organizations that serve the State of Illinois and conduct work within IBF’s grant program objectives.
Excluded Activities
For those organizations, projects or programs that do fall within the grant program objectives identified above, the Illinois Bar Foundation will not fund:
- Projects that do not directly serve residents of the State of Illinois
- Projects providing legal aid for criminal matter
- Endowment campaigns
- Political activities that are inconsistent with the organization’s tax-exempt status
- Fundraising benefits or mass appeal solicitations
- Sectarian organizations (unless participation in the program is not limited by religious affinity)
- Scholarships for individuals
Evaluation Criteria
Proposals submitted to the Illinois Bar Foundation will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- The relative importance of the program to the Foundation’s objectives.
- The geographic area served by the program and local access to similar services.
- The results and/or impact of the program on the issue it addresses.
- The availability of funding from other sources.
- Whether Foundation funding will leverage funds from other sources.
- Whether the organization is doing an effective job of coordinating its services with other similar organizations.
- The involvement of the legal community in the program.
- Whether the organization is efficient and well managed.
- The capability of the organization to successfully manage the program.
- Whether the Foundation grant will have a material impact on the organization’s operating budget.
- Whether the organization has mechanisms in place to regularly evaluate and improve the quality of the services it provides.
For more information, visit Illinois Bar Foundation.
