Illinois Equal Justice Foundation

08/19/2026

On Veterans Day at the Illinois State Fair, Ellen G. Rheaume (our IL-AFLAN project manager) joined Land of Lincoln Legal Aid to spotlight the Illinois Armed Forces Legal Aid Network (IL-AFLAN).

IL-AFLAN connects low-income veterans, service members, and their families with free legal assistance. Thank you to everyone who stopped by to learn more!

08/17/2026

New Leaf Illinois was proud to march in this year's Bud Billiken Parade! We enjoyed connecting with communities across Chicago's South Side and celebrating the work of building a stronger future, one second chance & one cleared record at a time.

Thank you to our grantee organizations for joining us on the parade route and in Washington Park - CARPLS; Canna Equity IL Coalition; Cabrini Green Legal Aid; Instituto del Progreso Latino; Illinois Coalition to End Permanent Punishments & Social Change

08/13/2026

We're proud to fund the Chicago Hearing Society's workshops that help community members who are deaf, blind and hard of hearing navigate the court system.

08/10/2026

What's making Kane County's Eviction Mediation Program work? We asked Heather Fogg of our grantee Resolution Systems Institute (RSI) in our latest newsletter.

We also talked about how RSI designs the mediation experience to give tenants a real voice, and whether she ever slips into mediator mode in her personal life.

The Kane County Eviction Mediation Program has mediated 3,000 cases and helped parties reach over 2,100 agreements. What do you see as the biggest factors behind this success — and what surprised you most over these five years? RSI’s Kane County Eviction Mediation Program’s success is the resu...

07/30/2026

Our Summer newsletter is out! Meet our new IEJF Board members: Former State Senator Pamela Althoff; Kenyatta Beverly; Micaeh Johnson; & Paige Gors Limberg.

Plus, we sit down with Heather Fogg of Resolution Systems Institute to discuss the impact of the Kane County Eviction Mediation Program. And we share our latest Eviction Help Illinois grant awards.

Check it out: https://iejf.org/news/newsletters/

07/27/2026

Did you know that New Leaf Illinois can help clear your old cannabis record + all other eligible records?

If past charges are holding you back, it's worth finding out what's possible. Our network of legal aid organizations are here to help.

Call 872-NEW-LEAF or visit newleafillinois.org today.

07/21/2026

Our Executive Director Leslie Corbett recently traveled to Decatur to honor former board member Faiq Mihlar with a plaque celebrating his years of service on the IEJF Board. Thank you Faiq for your dedication to the IEJF!

As we always say: once a board member, always a member of the IEJF Family!

07/16/2026

Helping our Heroes.

The IEJF recently awarded $1.5+ million in grants through the Illinois Armed Forces Legal Aid Network, funding free civil legal help for low-income veterans and military members on issues like VA benefits access, discharge upgrades, housing and consumer problems. https://lnkd.in/gKjHdczB

CARPLS; Prairie State Legal Services.;Land of Lincoln Legal Aid Legal Aid Chicago; Chicago Volunteer Legal Services; Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI); Center for Disability and Elder Law; Loyola University Chicago School of Law

07/14/2026

Attention nonprofits! The Illinois Equal Justice Foundation is accepting applications for its FY27 Civil Legal Aid Grants, with approximately $4.25 million available to support general civil legal aid services across Illinois.

🗓️ Applications are due July 24.

Don't miss this opportunity to apply for funding. More information can be found here: https://iejf.org/civil-legal-aid-grants/