Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcerated Mothers (CLAIM) and Cabrini Green Legal Aid (CGLA) were criminal justice organizations in Chicago with complementary missions and programs. While CLAIM provided advocacy and legal support services for incarcerated mothers, CGLA delivered legal services to low-income Chicago residents awaiting trial and those recently released from prison. In 2013, searching for a new executive director, CLAIM approached CGLA’s executive director about the opening. Since CGLA was looking for ways to expand its services and its geographic reach, she instead suggested the possibility of merging the organizations. The organizations merged in June 2014 with CLAIM becoming a program of CGLA. The benefits of the merger were numerous, including the strengthening of executive leadership and program capacity for CLAIM, expansion of CGLA’s program services, and an anticipated $100,000 in annual savings from shared staffing and office space. A Lodestar Foundation challenge grant funded the one-time costs associated with the merger.
Grant Information
Grant Amount: $30,000
Year Granted: 2014
Grantee: Cabrini Green Legal Aid (CGLA)
Location: IL - Illinois
Grantee Website: Cabrini Green Legal Aid (CGLA)