Illinois Equal Justice Foundation

Background
Availability of Funds
Purposes
Eligibility
Limitations
Timeline for Application & Review
Grant Disbursement
General Evaluation Criteria
Application and Reporting Requirements
For More Information

Background
The Illinois Equal Justice Foundation (IEJF) is a not-for-profit corporation established in 1999, pursuant to the Illinois Equal Justice Act (30 ILCS 765/1 et. seq.). The IEJF supports initiatives to increase Illinois residents’ access to the legal system.

The Illinois State Bar Association and The Chicago Bar Association appoint the Foundation’s Board of Directors. The IEJF is funded through a state appropriation housed in the Illinois Attorney General’s Office.

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Availability of Funds
In Governor Blagojevich’s FY 2009 budget presented to the Illinois General Assembly in February 2008, $3.5M was allocated for the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation. The General Assembly approved $5M in May. However, the state budget has not yet been finalized so these figures are not guaranteed.

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Purposes
The Illinois Equal Justice Foundation provides funding in five distinct categories identified in the Illinois Equal Justice Act. To learn more about the grants the Foundation makes, please click on the funding categories below to review specific guidelines for each category.

An organization may apply for funds in more than one category. Organizations seeking support for more than one of the five purposes must submit a separate application for each category.

At its discretion, the Board may also request proposals from non-profit organizations to conduct research, training and technical assistance regarding legal information for the public, mediation, telephone advice and referral services and/or civil legal assistance.

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Eligibility
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 four 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. Mediation services, however, must be provided free of charge.

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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.

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Timeline for Application & Review
The grant period will be September 1, 2008 – August 31, 2009, and the application and review process will follow this schedule:

		June 9, 2008	Applications available at www.iejf.org. Click on Grants and then on Applications. There is a separate application for each funding category.
		July 15, 2008	Completed Applications Due
		August – September, 2008	Site Visits
		October 15, 2008	IEJF Directors make grant decisions

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Grant Disbursement
Ideally, grant payments will be disbursed in October, December, March and June. However, distribution of funds is contingent on the timely receipt of the funds from the state by the IEJF.
All funds must be expended by August 31, 2009.

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General Evaluation Criteria (see funding category for more specific criteria)

Demonstrated need for the proposed services.
Applicant’s experience in providing said service, as indicated by the experience levels and qualifications of key staff and the numbers of persons served in prior years.
Efficient service delivery which takes into consideration factors such as the relative costs of the applicant’s services; cooperation and coordination with other entities to avoid duplication of effort; the use of volunteers; and the use of technology to increase access to services and to maximize productivity.
Sound organizational management, including indices such as the fiscal health of the sponsoring organization; realistic income and expense budgets for the project; and evidence of active involvement and oversight by a qualified advisory board and/or board of directors.
Performance under previous Illinois Equal Justice Foundation grants. For organizations that received grants in 2008 and are seeking a renewal, information on how the grant is being used, what services are being provided and if/how the funds increased the capacity of the organization.

Grant requests will be evaluated on the factors listed above, the criteria listed under each funding category as well as those outlined in the Illinois Equal Justice Act.

The IEJF is committed to equitable salaries for legal aid providers and encourages applicants to develop a reasonable pay scale, training and support program for its personnel to ensure that client services are not interrupted by unplanned staff turnover.

The IEJF subscribes to Illinois Nonprofit Principles and Best Practices and encourages applicants to strive to adopt the Best Practices pertinent to their organization. The Best Practices were developed by the Donors Forum of Chicago, endorsed by the Illinois Attorney General and available at http://www.donorsforum.org/publictrust/principles.html.

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Application and Reporting Requirements
All grantees must submit a brief mid-term report on their activities on or by March 31, 2009. Grantees must state whether or not they can spend the grant funds in the time and manner allocated in this report. All funds must be expended by August 31, 2009. The IEJF reserves the right to re-grant funds if deemed necessary.

A detailed final report will be due on or by September 30, 2009. The IEJF will provide a report form. Failure to submit reports in a timely manner may jeopardize future IEJF funding.

Applications and reports will be received via messenger or regular mail by the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation at 180 N. Stetson, Suite 820, Chicago, IL 60601. If an applicant/grantee would like to drop off their applications/reports in person, they must inform us 24 hours in advance so their name can be given to the security desk. Please do not submit proposals or reports via e-mail or fax.

Applicants are to submit TWO copies of each proposal as well as an additional copy of the cover sheet, summary, project budget and annual budget. Please do not submit proposals in binders, etc.

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For More Information
For more information about the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation’s grant guidelines and procedures, contact Leslie Corbett, IEJF Executive Director, at 312-938-2381. You can contact Ms. Corbett via e-mail at lcorbett@iejf.org.

To learn more about the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation, click here.

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