The Civil Legal Assistance Grant provides legal assistance to low-income Illinois residents who cannot afford to hire an attorney.
Donor Name: Illinois Equal Justice Foundation
State: Illinois
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 07/25/2025
Size of the Grant: Not Available
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
Priority Areas
The IEJF grants will focus on two priority areas:
- Legal Assistance to Families in Crisis: This includes civil legal assistance in cases involving family law (eg., orders of protection, child custody, guardianships, school disciplinary hearings, dissolution of marriage and post-decree matters), consumer law, and veterans and disability benefits. Housing will not be a priority for funding this year due to IEJF’s eviction and foreclosure grant programs funded via IDHS and IHDA.
- Legal Assistance to Older Illinoisans: This includes efforts to provide civil legal assistance to protect people 65 and older from physical and financial abuse and financial hardship. It includes civil legal assistance in cases involving orders of protection; guardianships; health care; consumer and credit issues; housing; and public benefits programs such as Social Security and Medicare.
Grant period
The grant period will be September 1, 2025 – August 31, 2026.
Uses of Fund
Grants will be made to support direct service staff positions at eligible legal services providers, including attorneys, paralegals and/or pro bono coordinators, and social/caseworkers that are performing duties directly supporting to the civil legal services being delivered by direct service staff. Grant funds can be used to pay for salaries, benefits, and limited overhead costs (10%) directly related to supporting the position. The applicant must demonstrate how the proposed staff position will help the organization provide efficient and effective legal assistance to persons in one or both of the priority areas.
Eligibility Criteria
In the Civil Legal Assistance category, the IEJF will only consider applications from Illinois-based not-for-profit organizations that:
- Serve persons in one or both of the two priority areas listed above (Legal Assistance to Families in Crisis and Legal Assistance to Older Illinoisans).
- Have been in continuous operation for at least two years prior to the date the application is submitted to the IEJF.
- Have received and expended at least $200,000 for the provision of civil legal assistance to low-income persons in its most recently completed fiscal year.
- Employ four or more full-time, licensed attorneys who provide civil legal assistance to low-income persons at the time the application is submitted to the IEJF; or have provided legal representation to at least 200 low-income persons through the services of pro bono attorneys in their most recently completed fiscal year.
For more information, visit IEJF.
