Deadline: 15-Aug-22
The Illinois Equal Justice Foundation (IEJF) is seeking applications for its Grant Program to increase Illinois residents’ access to the legal system.
The IEJF provides grants to nonprofit legal aid providers through a state appropriation housed in the Illinois Attorney General’s Office.
Purposes
The Illinois Equal Justice Foundation makes grants in five categories:
- Legal Information for the Public
- Self Help Legal Assistance Projects
- Mediation Services
- Telephone Advice & Referral Services
- Civil Legal Assistance
Funding Information
Attorney General Raoul requested and received $4,000,000 for the state appropriation for civil legal aid this year. The budget for FY 23 grants will be approximately $3.8 million.
Eligibility Criteria
Organizations are eligible to apply for a grant from the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation if they:
- Are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code;
- Provide services to Illinois residents in one or more of the five areas set forth in the “Purposes” section. To determine if a particular project qualifies for a grant, see the specific guidelines for each of the five categories noted above.
- Provide services to low-income people free of charge or on a sliding scale based on income. Low-income is defined as a household income of up to 150% of the federal poverty guidelines. Applicants who charge fees for their legal services are required to provide the IEJF with a copy of their fee schedule. However, legal information for the public, self-help legal assistance and mediation services must be provided free of charge.
Limitations
- Funds appropriated by the Illinois General Assembly, including funds distributed by the IEJF, may not be spent on a sectarian purpose.
- Said funds may not be used for the purpose of lobbying; encouraging political activities, labor or anti-labor activities, boycotts, picketing, strikes or demonstrations; or investigative or legal compliance activities related to a pending dispute.
- A recipient may not use funds received under the Illinois Equal Justice Act to file an individual action or class action under the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act or other labor laws.
- No more than 10% of grants awarded by the IEJF can be used for overhead costs. Failure to abide by this may jeopardize future funding from the IEJF.
For more information, visit IEJF.
For more information, visit https://iejf.org/grants/guidelines/