Form 990 for tax year 2024

Totals

Total revenue

$15,447,025

Total expenses

$12,409,031

Contributions and grants received

$15,333,430

Grants paid

$9,777,502

Program service revenue

$44,890

Investment income

$152,667

Other revenue

-$83,962

Total assets, end of year

$10,135,132

Total liabilities, end of year

$4,561,880

Net assets or fund balances, end of year

$5,573,252

Program services expenses (Part IX)

$11,606,906

Management and general expenses

$501,147

Fundraising expenses

$300,978

Program service expenses (Part III)

$11,606,906

Program services were 93.5% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

Line items

Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.

Mission and programs · 2024

• MADE THE COURT SYSTEM MORE USER-FRIENDLY AND ACCESSIBLE FOR PEOPLE IN NEED, PARTICULARLY THOSE WITHOUT LAWYERS. THE CBF CONTINUED ITS ROLE AS A LEAD PARTNER WITH THE CIRCUIT COURT, COOK COUNTY, LEGAL AID, AND OTHERS IN THE COOK COUNTY LEGAL AID FOR HOUSING AND DEBT PROGRAM, WHICH PROVIDES CRITICAL HELP FOR PEOPLE FACING EVICTIONS, CONSUMER DEBT CHALLENGES, AND FORECLOSURES AND HELPS TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ANNUALLY. THE CBF CONTINUED ITS LEADERSHIP AND SUPPORT FOR ADVICE DESKS IN THE STATE AND FEDERAL COURTS AND IN THE CITY'S DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE HEARINGS. THE CBF ALSO PLAYED A LEAD ROLE IN ILLINOIS JUSTICECORPS, AN INNOVATIVE PROGRAM THROUGH WHICH STUDENTS SERVE AS GUIDES TO MAKE COURTS ACROSS ILLINOIS MORE WELCOMING FOR PEOPLE WITHOUT LAWYERS.

  Expenses $9,702,340 · Grants $8,311,176

• PROVIDED SIGNIFICANT GRANTS AND OTHER KEY SUPPORT TO CHICAGO'S PRO BONO AND LEGAL AID ORGANIZATIONS AND RELATED INITIATIVES SERVING THE CHICAGO AREA. THESE GRANTS ENABLED TENS OF THOUSANDS OF CHICAGOANS IN NEED TO GET CRITICAL LEGAL ADVICE AND ASSISTANCE; STRENGTHENED CHICAGO'S PRO BONO AND LEGAL AID SYSTEM; AND SUPPORTED A NUMBER OF INITIATIVES THAT HELPED MAKE THE JUSTICE SYSTEM MORE USER-FRIENDLY AND ACCESSIBLE. THE CBF MADE OTHER GRANTS TO SUPPORT A VARIETY OF ACCESS TO JUSTICE AND RELATED PHILANTHROPIC INITIATIVES, INCLUDING THE CBF'S PRO BONO AND PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD GRANTS AND GRANTS TO PROJECTS THAT EDUCATE YOUNG PEOPLE ABOUT THEIR LEGAL RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OR PROMOTE LEGAL OR CIVIC-RELATED EDUCATION.

  Expenses $1,419,220 · Grants $1,215,726

• INVESTED IN THE ATTORNEYS DEDICATING THEIR CAREERS TO LEGAL AID. THE CBF MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR 12 ATTORNEYS AND LAW STUDENTS TO PURSUE CAREERS IN LEGAL AID THROUGH THE CBF'S ANDERSON FELLOWSHIP, THE MOSES PUBLIC INTEREST SCHOLARSHIP, EQUAL JUSTICE WORKS FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM, AND THE CBF'S SPONSORSHIP OF PILI LAW STUDENT INTERNSHIPS. IN ADDITION, THE CBF CONTINUED TO ADMINISTER THE NEWLY REBRANDED AND EXPANDED CBF PATTON LEGAL AID TRAINING ACADEMY, AN INNOVATIVE PRO BONO PROGRAM THROUGH WHICH LAW FIRMS, LEGAL AID ORGANIZATIONS, ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS, CONSULTANTS AND OTHER PROFESSIONALS ARE COLLABORATING TO HELP MEET THE CORE TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY'S LEGAL AID ATTORNEYS AND STAFF.

  Expenses $292,546 · Grants $250,600

• CONTINUED TO HOST AND SUPPORT THE CBF'S JUSTICE ENTREPRENEURS PROJECT (JEP), AN INCUBATOR AND NETWORK OF LAWYERS WHO ARE COMMITTED TO MAKING QUALITY LEGAL SERVICES ACCESSIBLE AND AFFORDABLE TO PEOPLE WHO CANNOT AFFORD AN ATTORNEY IN THE TRADITIONAL LEGAL MARKET. THE JEP PROVIDES TRAINING, MENTORING, AND OTHER RESOURCES AND SUPPORT TO HELP PARTICIPANTS ESTABLISH SUSTAINABLE LAW PRACTICES SERVING THIS MARKET. JEP LAWYERS BUILD PRACTICES THAT OFFER FIXED FEES AND FLEXIBLE REPRESENTATION OPTIONS, MAXIMIZE TECHNOLOGY, AND LEVERAGE TRADITIONALLY UNTAPPED REFERRAL NETWORKS. IN ADDITION, THE PROGRAM IDENTIFIES SUCCESSFUL AND REPLICABLE PRACTICE MODELS, SHARES INNOVATIONS, AND HELPS ENCOURAGE OTHER SIMILAR PROGRAMS ACROSS THE U.S. AND BEYOND.

  Expenses $192,800 · Revenue $44,890

As filed on the 2024 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Listed in Part VII

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. A Schedule J breakdown is as filed: base pay, bonus, other, deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits from this organization, with any from related organizations beside each, and the filer's own total. It is shown with the Part VII listing of the same name on the same return. The form gives no key between the two, so that pairing is ours, and is marked matched by us.

Schedule J

Part I's answers as filed. A line not listed was left unanswered; on lines 1a and 3 that means the box was not checked.

Grants on this return

• CARPLS

  $2,209,850

  GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT, GOVERNMENT/PROJECT GRANT, & PROJECT SUPPORT

• LEGAL AID CHICAGO

  $1,459,066

  GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT, GOVERNMENT/PROJECT GRANT, & PROJECT SUPPORT

• CENTER FOR CONFLICT RESOLUTION

  $1,306,184

  GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT, GOVERNMENT/PROJECT GRANT, & PROJECT SUPPORT

• LAW CENTER FOR BETTER HOUSING

  $1,071,005

  GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT & GOVERNMENT/PROJECT GRANT

• CHICAGO VOLUNTEER LEGAL SERVICES

  $769,909

  GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT, GOVERNMENT/PROJECT GRANT, & PROJECT SUPPORT

• GREATER CHICAGO LEGAL CLINIC INC

  $562,991

  GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT, GOVERNMENT/PROJECT GRANT, & PROJECT SUPPORT

• CENTER FOR DISABILITY & ELDER LAW

  $561,941

  GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT, GOVERNMENT/PROJECT GRANT, & PROJECT SUPPORT

• LEGAL AID SOCIETY - METRO FAMILY SERVICES

  $424,318

  GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT & GOVERNMENT/PROJECT GRANT

• UPTOWN PEOPLES LAW CENTER

  $149,412

  GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT & PROJECT SUPPORT

• THE RESURRECTION PROJECT

  $113,000

  GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT

The 10 largest by cash amount. The API serves every itemized grant.

Related organizations on this return

Schedule R Part II: tax-exempt organizations related to the filer by control. It does not record shared board members or money.

• CHICAGO BAR ASSOCIATION

  501(C)(6) · ASSOCIATION · IL

Provenance

Return type

form_990

Tax year

2024

Filed

10 November 2025

IRS schema version

2024v5.2

Source object

202513149349306066

Check it against the return as filed: the GivingTuesday Data Lake hosts a public copy of the original XML.

The source document this was parsed from is served over the API, which is where bulk and document access live.