The McDermott Will and Emery Charitable Foundation primarily funds legal services, public interest law, and civil rights organizations — with a strong emphasis on access to justice, immigration/refugee protection, and rights-based legal advocacy. Grants are both local (Chicago-area bar and legal aid groups) and national, and the foundation routinely makes multiple grants to the same organizations to support programmatic and capacity-building work. While law and justice dominate the portfolio, the foundation also funds related social justice causes (LGBTQ and disability rights) and selective health initiatives.
The Mc Dermott Will and Emery Charitable Foundation’s recent grantmaking is anchored by repeated support for Equal Justice Works, including $127,000 in 2024 and $108,000 in 2025. That pattern fits a funder that consistently backs legal-services organizations, public interest law groups, and civil-rights advocates. Its portfolio includes access-to-justice work, immigration and refugee representation, LGBTQ legal rights, disability advocacy, and related pro bono infrastructure. Several grantees appear more than once across recent years, including Chicago Bar Foundation, Legal Aid Chicago, Human Rights First, and Dkms, suggesting ongoing relationships rather than isolated awards. The foundation also supports organizations tied to legal capacity-building and litigation, such as Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund Inc, Immigration Equality, and Lawyers without Borders. Recent grants show a mix of general legal aid and targeted project support for organizations serving immigrants, asylum seekers, children, and other people facing legal barriers. The foundation gives nationally, with a heavy concentration in the United States and a visible cluster of recipients in Chicago and other major legal-services hubs.
Access to justice is a central theme. The foundation gave $80,000 in 2025 and $79,400 in 2023 to the Chicago Bar Foundation, and also supported Legal Aid Chicago with $60,000 in 2025, $60,000 in 2024, and $50,000 in 2023. Those grants point to sustained backing for legal aid and bar-based infrastructure. Immigration and refugee legal work is another clear focus. Recent awards include $92,500 to Nijc in 2025, $45,000 to Hias Inc in 2023, and $32,000 to Human Rights First in 2025, along with $27,500 to Immigration Equality in 2025. The foundation also funds rights-based advocacy beyond immigration: $70,000 to Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund Inc in 2025 and $25,000 to Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights in 2025 show support for civil-rights litigation and LGBTQ legal services. It also makes selective grants to professional and health-law groups, including $25,000 to the American Health Law Association in both 2024 and 2025.
Typical grant size falls in a tight band: the 25th percentile is $10,000, median grant size is $12,250, and the 75th percentile is $20,000. The recent-gift list also shows repeated awards to the same organizations across multiple years, including Equal Justice Works, Chicago Bar Foundation, Legal Aid Chicago, Human Rights First, and Dkms. That points to recurring support rather than one-time awards. The foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it gives to charitable organizations and nonprofits through grantmaking and intermediary distribution.
$1.2M
$592K
$781K
$1.4M
Most grants fall between $10K and $20K, with a median of $12K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$12K
75th Percentile
$20K
About 21% of grants go to recipients in DC.
Ira Coleman
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Concentrated thematic giving with many repeat grants to core legal and justice organizations; a mix of multi-year or multiple awards per grantee and mid-size grants (most in the low-to-mid five-figures), complemented by a few larger national grants (e.g., Equal Justice Works). Funding is primarily focused on program/support for nonprofits rather than open-ended philanthropy.
Notable grantees: Equal Justice Works, Chicago Bar Foundation, Legal Aid Chicago, Immigration Equality, Equip for Equality
Grantmaking is national, and every recent grant in the dataset went to a U.S. recipient. Chicago is a visible hub, with recipients such as Chicago Bar Foundation, Legal Aid Chicago, Lawyers for the Creative Arts, and Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights. Other frequent recipient cities include New York, Washington, DC, and Atlanta. Florida is the top state by grant count, while 24% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state of Illinois.
It backs charitable organizations and nonprofits working in legal aid, public interest law, civil rights, immigration and refugee representation, LGBTQ legal rights, disability advocacy, and related pro bono infrastructure. Recent grants include support for legal-services providers, litigation organizations, and professional associations tied to access-to-justice work.
Yes. Several organizations appear in multiple years, including Equal Justice Works, Chicago Bar Foundation, Legal Aid Chicago, Human Rights First, Dkms, and American Health Law Association. The recent data shows a pattern of ongoing support rather than a single award to each grantee.
The grant-size distribution is concentrated in the low five-figure range: the 25th percentile is $10,000, the median is $12,250, and the 75th percentile is $20,000. The recent list also includes larger individual grants, but most awards cluster near those levels.
Giving is national, with all recent grants in the dataset going to U.S. recipients. Florida is the top state by grant count, and Illinois receives 24% of grants. Chicago, New York, Washington, DC, and Atlanta all appear among recipient locations.
Public interest legal services and access to justice are the most visible themes, alongside immigration, refugees, and asylum work. The foundation also supports LGBTQ legal rights, disability and children’s legal advocacy, and selective health-law or pro bono capacity-building groups.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equal Justice Works | Washington, DC | $108,000 | 2025 | — |
| Ownership Works | New York, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | — |
| NIJC | Chicago, IL | $92,500 | 2025 | — |
| Chicago Bar Foundation | Chicago, IL | $80,000 | 2025 | — |
| Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund Inc | New York, NY | $70,000 | 2025 | — |
| Legal Aid Chicago | Chicago, IL | $60,000 | 2025 | — |
| Lawyers for the Creative Arts | Chicago, IL | $32,500 | 2025 | — |
| Human Rights First | New York, NY | $32,000 | 2025 | — |
| Immigration Equality | Brooklyn, NY | $27,500 | 2025 | — |
| Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta | Atlanta, GA | $25,000 | 2025 | — |
| Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights | Chicago, IL | $25,000 | 2025 | — |
| American Health Law Association | Washington, DC | $25,000 | 2025 | — |
| DKMS | New York, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | — |
| Legal Services of Greater Miami | Coral Gables, FL | $21,250 | 2025 | — |
| Tahirih Justice Center | Falls Church, VA | $20,000 | 2025 | — |
| Children's Law Center | Washington, DC | $17,500 | 2025 | — |
| Lawyers for Children America | Miami, FL | $16,250 | 2025 | — |
| Ascend Justice | Chicago, IL | $15,000 | 2025 | — |
| National Legal Aid & Defender Association | Washington, DC | $15,000 | 2025 | — |
| Breakthrough T1D | New York, NY | $15,000 | 2025 | — |
| Helms Hope | Dallas, TX | $15,000 | 2025 | — |
| KIND | Washington, DC | $15,000 | 2025 | — |
| Children's Rights | New York, NY | $15,000 | 2025 | — |
| Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs | Washington, DC | $15,000 | 2025 | — |
| Equip for Equality | Chicago, IL | $15,000 | 2025 | — |
| American Heart Association | Nashville, TN | $13,333 | 2025 | — |
| Her Justice | New York, NY | $13,000 | 2025 | — |
| Catholic Charities of Los Angeles Inc | Los Angeles, CA | $12,000 | 2025 | — |
| Public Interest Law Initiative | Chicago, IL | $11,000 | 2025 | — |
| Sanctuary for Families | New York, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | — |
| Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence | San Francisco, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | — |
| Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights Under Law | Washington, DC | $10,000 | 2025 | — |
| Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights for the San Francisco Bay Area | San Francisco, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | — |
| Ilitch Charities | Detroit, MI | $10,000 | 2025 | — |
| DC Bar Foundation | Washington, DC | $10,000 | 2025 | — |
| Bet Tzedek | Los Angeles, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | — |
| National Veterans Legal Service Program | Arlington, VA | $10,000 | 2025 | — |
| DC Bar Pro Bono Center | Washington, DC | $10,000 | 2025 | — |
| San Francisco Symphony | San Francisco, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | — |
| Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County | Redwood City, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | — |
| Family Giving Tree | Milpitas, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | — |
| NY Lawyers for the Public Interest | New York, NY | $8,000 | 2025 | — |
| National Women's Law Center | Washington, DC | $7,500 | 2025 | — |
| Ladder Up | Chicago, IL | $7,500 | 2025 | — |
| DC Volunteer Lawyers Project | Washington, DC | $7,500 | 2025 | — |
| Legal Services NYC | New York, NY | $7,500 | 2025 | — |
| Public Law Center | Santa Ana, CA | $7,500 | 2025 | — |
| Lawyers Clearinghouse | Boston, MA | $7,250 | 2025 | — |
| Victim Rights Law Center | Boston, MA | $7,250 | 2025 | — |
| Women's Lunch Place | BOSTON, MA | $7,250 | 2025 | — |
American Health Law Association
$25,000Lawyers for Children America
$16,250Helms Hope
$15,000Equip for Equality
$15,000Ilitch Charities
$10,000DC Bar Foundation
$10,000National Veterans Legal Service Program
$10,000Ladder Up
$7,500Lawyers Clearinghouse
$7,250