Illinois · Grantmakers

Foundations That Fund Crime & Legal Aid in Illinois

Imperigo has identified 381 funders that made 2,808 grants totaling $432.7M to 186 crime & legal aid organizations in Illinois, with a median grant of $25K. Every figure below is drawn from IRS Form 990 filings through 2025.

Crime & Legal Aid Funding in Illinois

Total granted $432.7M
Funders 381
Grants 2,808
Organizations funded 186

Top Funders — page 1 of 4

1. Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois
99 grants to 19 organizations · largest $5.5M · through 2024 · 64.0% of their giving
$63.7M
2. Illinois Equal Justice Foundation
102 grants to 24 organizations · largest $4.1M · through 2024 · 74.8% of their giving
$43.4M
3. American Bar Endowment
10 grants to 2 organizations · largest $3.9M · through 2024 · 94.5% of their giving
$36.7M
4. The Chicago Bar Foundation
77 grants to 18 organizations · largest $1.5M · through 2024 · 48.6% of their giving
$17.0M
5. Legal Services Corporation
15 grants to 3 organizations · largest $8.6M · through 2023 · 3.4% of their giving
$82.2M
6. Illinois Association of Court Appointed Special Advocates
45 grants to 8 organizations · largest $295K · through 2024 · 21.9% of their giving
$5.0M
7. Ageoptions Inc (FKA Suburban Area Agency on Aging)
6 grants to 1 organization · largest $2.0M · through 2024 · 7.2% of their giving
$10.2M
8. Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault
12 grants to 3 organizations · largest $1.2M · through 2024 · 6.5% of their giving
$9.0M
9. United Way Quad Cities
15 grants to 3 organizations · largest $261K · through 2024 · 8.2% of their giving
$1.5M
10. DuPage County Bar Association
5 grants to 1 organization · largest $95K · through 2024 · 100.0% of their giving
$395K
11. Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence
5 grants to 1 organization · largest $657K · through 2024 · 3.0% of their giving
$2.5M
12. International Union of Elevator Constructors
6 grants to 1 organization · largest $100K · through 2024 · 16.7% of their giving
$425K
13. Northwestern Il Area Agency on Aging
10 grants to 2 organizations · largest $250K · through 2023 · 4.5% of their giving
$1.6M
14. Agesmart Community Resources
6 grants to 1 organization · largest $324K · through 2024 · 3.9% of their giving
$1.7M
15. Accesslex Institute
9 grants to 1 organization · largest $244K · through 2024 · 7.3% of their giving
$879K
16. Healthcare Foundation of Highland Park
11 grants to 3 organizations · largest $130K · through 2024 · 6.4% of their giving
$906K
17. The Chicago Community Trust
176 grants to 51 organizations · largest $3.6M · through 2023
$20.8M
18. Highland Park Community Foundation
16 grants to 2 organizations · largest $64K · through 2024 · 8.9% of their giving
$602K
19. Bradley M Yusim Foundation
8 grants to 2 organizations · largest $50K · through 2024 · 63.2% of their giving
$266K
20. Mc Dermott Will and Emery Charitable Foundation
13 grants to 5 organizations · largest $92K · through 2024 · 10.3% of their giving
$409K
21. Impact Grants Chicago
7 grants to 5 organizations · largest $100K · through 2023 · 10.7% of their giving
$357K
22. United Way of Metropolitan Chicago Inc
53 grants to 19 organizations · largest $140K · through 2024 · 1.4% of their giving
$2.2M
23. Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
13 grants to 4 organizations · largest $423K · through 2024 · 1.5% of their giving
$1.9M
24. Divine Providence Ministries Inc
3 grants to 1 organization · largest $81K · through 2024 · 18.3% of their giving
$160K
25. United Way of Will County
13 grants to 3 organizations · largest $85K · through 2024 · 6.7% of their giving
$390K

Funders are ordered by how much of their overall giving goes to crime & legal aid work in Illinois, not by dollar totals alone — a foundation that concentrates its giving here is usually a better prospect than a larger one for which this is a rounding error. 13 of the funders counted here are donor-advised fund sponsors, which grant on behalf of individual donors and accept no applications; they are marked and ranked last.

Other Causes Funded in Illinois

About This Data

A grant appears here when a funder reported it on its IRS Form 990 and the recipient organization is classified under the NTEE group covering crime & legal aid work, with an address in Illinois. Grants are counted from the 2025 filing year backward.

Some 990 grant schedules list a recipient by name and address without an EIN, and those grants cannot be matched to a classification — so the totals above represent identifiable crime & legal aid funding in Illinois, not every dollar that reached the sector. Figures are a floor, not a ceiling.

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