Eviction Help Illinois Grants

The Eviction Help Illinois Grants, provided by the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation, offer crucial support to nonprofit organizations that deliver free legal assistance to individuals facing eviction. In light of the ongoing housing crisis exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, these grants aim to enhance access to legal services and mediation, particularly in suburban Cook County and downstate regions. Eligible organizations must comply with specific legal and financial criteria, ensuring aid reaches those in need effectively.

In response to the housing crisis fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic, the IEJF provides grants to nonprofit organizations delivering free legal help and information to people facing eviction and housing stability. These services are provided through Eviction Help Illinois, a statewide network people can access via phone, text or web chat.
Fund Categories
The Illinois Equal Justice Foundation will make Eviction Help Illinois grants in the following two categories:

• Civil Legal Assistance Grants

The IEJF makes grants to provide legal assistance to low-income Illinois residents who cannot afford to hire an attorney. The IEJF Eviction Response grants will focus on the following two priority areas:
Eviction Response Legal Services: This includes legal advice, consultations, limited services, full representation, and telephone hotline services in eviction and housing matters. Online Legal Information and Triage Services. These services enable Illinois residents to receive online legal information, triage, and referral services for eviction and housing matters, mediation and available rental assistance.
Mediation Services
The IEJF makes grants to provide mediation services to Illinois residents, as an efficient and cost-effective alternative to traditional legal processes. The IEJF will support selected mediation programs whose purpose is to improve access to just resolutions of disputes for those who might not otherwise have such access.
Grants to support mediation services will be made to dispute resolution centers, which are not-for-profit organizations that offer free mediation services to the public that are provided by trained volunteers.
For the purposes of these guidelines, mediation is defined as a voluntary process in which an impartial mediator actively assists disputants in identifying and clarifying issues of concern and in designing and agreeing to solutions for those issues. A mediator is defined as a person who has received at least 30 hours of training in the areas of negotiation, nonverbal communication, agreement writing, neutrality and ethics.
In the Mediation Services category, the IEJF will consider support for:
New Dispute Resolution Centers: To increase the availability of mediation services throughout Illinois, the IEJF will consider applications for “start-up” grants to new dispute resolution centers – including those that have begun operation and those that will begin offering services during the grant period – that can demonstrate the ability to provide mediation services in accordance with these guidelines.
Existing Dispute Resolution Centers: The IEJF will consider applications for operating support from existing dispute resolution centers to expand services in response to the eviction crisis. These operating expenses include staff salaries and benefits, as well as other costs directly related to providing mediation services.
Mediator Training: The IEJF will consider applications for operating support from existing dispute resolution centers aiming to increase the State’s capacity to provide mediation services through training of new mediators or Eviction Response training for existing mediators.

Eligibility

Organizations are eligible to apply for an Eviction Help Illinois grant from the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation if they:Are certified and in compliance with the Illinois Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) requirements;
Have a demonstrated track record in providing legal assistance or mediation services to individuals impacted by housing insecurity;
Are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code;
Provide services to Illinois residents set forth in the “Purposes” section. Provide services to low-income people free of charge. Low-income is defined as a household income of up to 80% Area Median Income (AMI) in Chicago for Cook County grantees and 80% Area Median Income (AMI) in Illinois for all other counties. Current AMI can be found here.
Provide services in downstate counties and/or suburban Cook County. Any funding directed toward Chicago is subject to availability.In the Civil Legal Assistance category, the IEJF will only consider applications from Illinois-based not-for-profit organizations that:Serve persons in one or both of the two priority areas listed above (Eviction Response Legal Services and Online Legal Information and Triage Services.
For eviction response legal services, employ licensed attorneys to provide legal services, who can be supplemented by law students or other non-attorneys acting under the supervision of licensed attorneys.Civil Legal Assistance Grants will be made to support staff or contract positions at eligible legal services providers, including attorneys, paralegals, program staff, and/or pro bono coordinators. Grant funds can be used to pay for salaries, benefits, and other allowable costs directly related to supporting the positions. Indirect costs are limited to no more than 10% unless the organization has a higher negotiated rate.In the Mediation Services category, the IEJF will only consider applications from Illinois-based not-for-profit organizations that:Provide free mediation services to disputants.
Provide mediation services using mediators who have received at least 30 hours of training as mediators.
Provide training for mediation services to increase the State’s capacity.
Have operating procedures in place that demonstrate compliance with Section 5 of the Illinois Not-for-Profit Dispute Resolution Center Act (710 ILCS 20/5)

Ineligibility

Funds provided by the State of Illinois, 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.
No more than 10% of grants awarded by the IEJF can be used for indirect costs unless the applicant has a higher state/federal negotiated reimbursement rate. Failure to abide by this may jeopardize future funding from the IEJF.Grants will not duplicate services funded under Cook County Legal Aid for Housing & Debt or the Chicago Right to Counsel Pilot.