About Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois
Supports the provision of civil legal aid to low-income people in Illinois.
Focus Areas
Civil legal aidLegal services for low-income individualsIOLTA program supportGrants to legal aid organizations
Who They Fund
low-income individualsunderserved/marginalized communitiespeople facing legal discrimination or civil rights issues
Funding Style
direct serviceprogram-specific/restricted grantsequity-focused/DEI grantsclient-facing service delivery
About Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois
Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois centers its grantmaking on free civil legal services for low-income people across Illinois, with annual funding reaching $52,021,086 and a latest reported asset base of $59,059,830. The foundation’s recent awards show a sustained emphasis on organizations that deliver direct legal help, from Prairie State Legal Services in Rockford to Land of Lincoln Legal Aid in East St. Louis. Those grants appear repeatedly across multiple years, suggesting a durable funding relationship rather than isolated awards. Chicago-based providers also receive substantial support, including Illinois Legal Aid Online, Carpls Legal Aid, Chicago Volunteer Legal Services, and Legal Aid Chicago. The grant purposes are consistent: providing free legal services, often in the context of statewide access-to-justice work and client-facing legal assistance. The foundation also uses some awards to support diversity, equity, and inclusion in legal services, indicating attention to the makeup and reach of the legal aid system as well as its service output. Across the recent grants list, the pattern is clear: the funder backs the organizations that make civil legal aid available to Illinois residents with limited income.
What Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois Funds
In civil legal aid, the foundation gives large grants for direct service delivery. Prairie State Legal Services received $4,506,027 in 2025 to provide free legal services, while Land of Lincoln Legal Aid received $4,487,462 for the same purpose. The focus is on access to justice for low-income Illinois residents rather than litigation or policy work. It also supports legal aid infrastructure in Chicago. Illinois Legal Aid Online received $1,866,489 in 2025 to provide free legal services, and Law Center for Better Housing received $587,068 for the same purpose. Those awards point to both digital access and housing-related legal assistance. Another visible thread is diversity, equity, and inclusion in legal services. In 2023, Prairie State Legal Services and Land of Lincoln Legal Aid each received grants that explicitly paired free legal services with DEI support, showing that the foundation funds both service capacity and internal equity efforts.
How Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois Gives
Typical grant size sits at $36,250 at the 25th percentile, $85,000 at the median, and $388,980 at the 75th percentile, with a small number of much larger operating awards pushing the upper end. The pattern is recurring rather than one-off: multiple organizations appear in consecutive years, including Prairie State Legal Services, Land of Lincoln Legal Aid, Illinois Legal Aid Online, Carpls Legal Aid, Chicago Volunteer Legal Services, Legal Aid Chicago, National Immigrant Justice Center, Cabrini Green Legal Aid, Law Center for Better Housing, Life Span, and the Legal Aid Society. The foundation operates as a grantmaker focused on program-specific and restricted support for legal aid organizations. Both active grant programs accept unsolicited applications.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$28.1M
Total Assets
$83.3M
Total Revenue
$47.4M
Total Expenses
$30.7M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $36K and $389K, with a median of $85K.
25th Percentile
$36K
Median
$85K
75th Percentile
$389K
Geographic Reach
Local1 state funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
MARK MARQUARDT
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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