Illinois Equal Justice Foundation’s Community Outreach Grant

The Illinois Equal Justice Foundation (IEJF) administers the New Leaf Illinois grant program, which is dedicated to expanding access to legal services for individuals affected by past cannabis-related offenses in Illinois. As a state-funded initiative, New Leaf Illinois operates through a network of nonprofit organizations offering legal support, education, and outreach. The program was created in response to the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act and is funded by the Cannabis Expungement Fund, which is financed through taxes and fees generated from the legal cannabis industry. In particular, the Community Outreach category supports organizations that act as informational conduits to residents—especially those in disproportionately impacted communities—seeking to understand and utilize cannabis expungement relief services. The purpose of this grant category is to enable not-for-profit organizations to serve as accessible and reliable entry points for individuals navigating the legal expungement process. These organizations help clients determine eligibility for cannabis record relief and direct them to the appropriate legal resources within the New Leaf Illinois network. Outreach efforts are especially encouraged in areas designated as disproportionately impacted under the Restore, Reinvest and Renew (R3) initiative. Through strategic partnerships and targeted messaging, applicants are expected to connect with underserved populations to increase awareness and use of expungement services. Funds under the Community Outreach category may be used for a variety of expenses, including personnel and administrative costs (with overhead capped at 15%), as well as the creation and dissemination of educational materials in various formats—printed, video, or web-based. Projects may also include public events, legal presentations led by or supervised by licensed attorneys, and online registration assistance through the New Leaf Illinois portal. However, funding cannot be used for general public legal education initiatives unrelated to cannabis expungement, or for telephone-based legal intake services. Grant recipients are expected to deliver services in public-accessible settings and to rely on qualified partners for legal information accuracy if not employing licensed attorneys directly. Only Illinois-based nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply for this funding. These organizations must provide free legal information and must be active in community outreach as defined in the program guidelines. Applications that fail to meet these specifications, such as general educational initiatives or telephone-based services, will not be considered. The IEJF also enforces several legal and programmatic restrictions, including prohibitions on political lobbying, sectarian programming, and excessive overhead. Organizations are expected to engage in the statewide network model, which includes secure data sharing, collaboration, and standardized reporting practices. Applications will be evaluated based on several criteria, including the documented need in the proposed service area, evidence of community support, the applicant’s history of effective engagement, and their alignment with the R3 designated impact areas. Preference is given to proposals that serve counties currently lacking outreach support or that are developing scalable and replicable models for outreach. Additionally, evaluators will review past grantee performance, staffing capacity, use of technology, fiscal health, and the ability to measure and report outcomes using S.M.A.R.T. objectives. The application window for the Community Outreach grant opens on March 17, 2026, and closes on April 17, 2026. The review and site visit process will take place between April 28 and May 16, with award decisions announced in June. Grants will be disbursed in two installments: June 2026 and February 2027. All grantees must submit midterm reports by January 8, 2027, and final reports by June 30, 2027. Applications must be submitted through the IEJF grantee portal. For more information, applicants can visit the New Leaf Illinois website or contact Beth Johnson, the New Leaf Illinois Coordinator, at [email protected].

Prioritize SMART goals; emphasize replicability and service in R3-designated areas.