On June 11, 2026, the Board of Directors of the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation approved $1,360,000 in grants to nonprofit legal aid and community-based organizations across the state to ensure impacted Illinoisans can access expungement relief provided in the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act.
The Illinois Equal Justice Foundation was charged with distributing state appropriations to legal aid and advocacy organizations throughout Illinois to aid in the implementation of cannabis expungement relief. During the first year of funding, New Leaf Illinois was created and launched with a statewide, centralized registration and referral system to network grantees. Grantee organizations conduct outreach and provide legal education on cannabis expungement and available assistance, determine legal eligibility for relief, and provide legal representation to income-eligible clients for no cost in all 102 Illinois counties.
CIVIL LEGAL ASSISTANCE GRANTS ($805,000)
Cabrini Green Legal Aid ($115,000)
Represents people in Cook County seeking criminal record relief through direct legal services and volunteer engagement, with referrals from its staffing of the Chicago expungement and sealing court call, Daley Center Help Desk, community forums and summits, and conflict-of-interest cases referred from legal aid organizations in other counties.
Coalition Legal ($25,000)
Represents people in the Waukegan area and Lake County, providing comprehensive expungement and sealing services through referrals from the court, community partnerships, and direct outreach to the community.
Greater Chicago Legal Clinic ($120,000)
Represents people in Chicago and suburban Cook County through its Criminal Records Program, combining direct litigation, volunteer attorney partnerships, community-based workshops, and its staff of the Chicago expungement and sealing court call.
James B. Moran Center for Youth Advocacy ($55,000)
Represents people in Cook County, prioritizing residents in and around the Second Municipal District, through its Tom Verdun Memorial Expungement & Sealing Help Desk at the Skokie Courthouse, phone intake line, community-based legal clinics, library outreach, and partner referrals.
Land of Lincoln Legal Aid ($220,000)
Represents people throughout its 65-county service area in southern and central Illinois, through its five regional offices located in East St. Louis, Alton, Springfield, Champaign, and Carbondale and four satellite offices, through referrals to its Legal Advice and Referral Center (LARC), court-based help desks, outreach events, and community clinics.
Legal Aid Chicago ($120,000)
Represents people in Chicago and suburban Cook County through its Pro Bono and Community Partnerships Practice Group, providing full representation and holistic intake through its staff attorneys, and leveraging a robust pro bono network to assist with record research and petition preparation.
Prairie State Legal Services ($150,000)
Represents people within its 36-county service area in northern and central Illinois, through applications to its 11 regional offices located in Bloomington, Galesburg, Joliet, Kankakee, Moline, Ottawa, Peoria, Rockford, Waukegan, and Woodstock, referrals from its telephone counseling services, and its engagement in the community through outreach and events.
TELEPHONE ADVICE AND REFERRAL SERVICES ($275,000)
Coordinated Advice & Referral Program for Legal Services (CARPLS) ($275,000)
Operates the New Leaf web portal and hotline, which serves as a centralized point of entry to assist people with accessing cannabis expungement relief. Staff reviews criminal history records and assesses eligibility, referring eligible individuals to the network of legal service providers throughout the State of Illinois.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH GRANTS ($280,000)
Coordinated Advice & Referral Program for Legal Services (CARPLS) ($50,000)
Conducts targeted outreach and education throughout Cook County, engaging community members, partner organizations, and system stakeholders through expungement and sealing workshops, know-your-rights presentations, resource fairs, and reentry events, assisting eligible individuals in completing their New Leaf Illinois registration on-site.
Cannabis Equity Illinois Coalition ($70,000)
Provides in-person and digital education for communities impacted by the War on Drugs, primarily on the South and West sides of Chicago, through resource fairs, community canvasses, workshops, RAP Sheet Assistance Days, and youth programming, rotating programs across Chicagoland neighborhoods to ensure record-clearing resources reach communities.
Illinois Coalition to End Permanent Punishments (ENDPP) ($20,000)
Conducts outreach and education through its statewide chapter, drawing on its leadership in passing Illinois’ Clean Slate law and utilizing its community ambassador model, reaching people through community events, partnerships with reentry, workforce, and faith-based organizations, and digital communications.
Illinois Legal Aid Online (ILAO) ($20,000)
Provides legal information, self-help resources, and referrals for cannabis expungement and related issues through its mobile-accessible, ADA-compliant website, which serves as a statewide public resource. Maintains and updates cannabis expungement content in coordination with network legal aid partners to ensure accuracy and accessibility for individuals navigating the process on their own.
Instituto del Progreso Latino ($10,000)
Provides legal information and conducts outreach to Latinx and bilingual Spanish/English speaking populations in southwest Chicago and the broader Chicagoland area through know-your-rights sessions, resource fairs, social media, and partner events, with particular attention to the intersection of cannabis and immigration laws.
Prairie State Legal Services ($50,000)
Provides legal information, resources, and system navigation through partnerships and outreach to individuals facing barriers to career advancement in the East St. Louis community and surrounding areas.
Safer Foundation ($20,000)
Conducts know-your-rights presentations to individuals across the Chicagoland region and Quad Cities through its five community-based office locations, amplifying its reach through digital programming, partnerships with the Illinois Department of Corrections and Cook County jail, community navigator outreach, and social media channels.
Social Change ($20,000)
Conducts community-based outreach and education in Cook County and statewide through a network of over 100 partners and elected officials, engaging volunteers, and leveraging community programs including food distributions and expungement access events, amplifying reach through social media, newsletters, radio, and media platforms.
United Congregations of Metro-East ($20,000)
Conducts outreach and education, provides resources, and supports system navigation to individuals facing barriers to career advancement in the East St. Louis community and surrounding areas through faith-based institutions, community events, and its Transformational Justice Taskforce.