LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD

Our grants help people protect their health, their families and their livelihoods

What We Fund
The Illinois Equal Justice Foundation supports innovative, cost-effective civil legal aid programs that help people in crisis address life-changing problems and improve their lives. These programs offer:

  • Legal representation to people who can’t afford a lawyer

  • Easy to understand legal forms and information

  • Easy to access legal aid hotlines

  • Legal self-help centers that help people understand their rights

  • Mediation services that help people resolve conflicts and avoid court

To maximize our impact, we fund both large organizations that provide a breadth of legal aid services, as well as community based groups who bring the law to where people live.

We currently manage four state appropriations for civil legal aid.

IEJF-grant-timeline

CIVIL LEGAL AID

Our Civil Legal Aid grants fund a wide range of civil legal aid programs that address the biggest areas of need across Illinois, including family law, housing, and access to government benefits.

IL ARMED FORCES LEGAL AID NETWORK

We fund programs that provide free legal assistance and information to veterans and active-duty military members as part of the Illinois Armed Forces Legal Aid Network (IL-AFLAN).

HOUSING

We fund programs that provide free legal assistance and landlord/tenant mediation to people facing eviction as part of Eviction Help Illinois.

NEW LEAF ILLINOIS

We fund organizations that provide legal services to help people clear cannabis convictions off their record as part of New Leaf Illinois.