Legal Council for Health Justice Receives $2 Million Gift from the Yield Giving Open Call
Chicago, IL, March 19, 2024 – Today, MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving announced Legal Council for Health Justice (“Legal Council”) as one of the Yield Giving Open Call awardees for working with people and communities experiencing the greatest need in the United States. Legal Council received a $2 million gift—the largest contribution in the organization’s 37-year history. These funds will support ongoing legal and policy advocacy to advance health equity for low-income community members in Chicago and throughout Illinois.
Founded on a wing and a prayer in 1987, during the height of Chicago’s AIDS epidemic, Legal Council for Health Justice has grown to a staff of thirty, working tirelessly to ensure that individuals of all ages who are living with disabilities and chronic health issues can access quality, affordable healthcare and stable housing, receive social and educational supports, and obtain the income and benefits that they need to thrive. Each year, the organization provides expert legal services to more than 1,600 people. By partnering with trusted medical, housing, and social service providers, Legal Council advocates meet clients in convenient locations and work holistically to improve individuals’ well-being and community health. Legal Council’s policy team advocates for systemic change on issues raised by clients, with a focus on strengthening and sustaining public benefits programs and improving access to life-saving private and public health insurance coverage.
“MacKenzie Scott’s generosity provides an incredible opportunity for us,” said Julie Justicz, Executive Director of Legal Council. “Like many nonprofits, we operate under considerable pressure to continue essential programs despite the vicissitudes of private and government funding. With this transformative award, we will take a breath, carefully assess our strategic priorities—including expanding our programs in under-resourced Black and Brown communities and providing gender-affirming care for trans individuals—and we will invest wisely in organizational infrastructure to support our clients, staff, and broader community going forward.”
The Yield Giving Open Call received 6,353 applications and initially planned for 250 awards of $1 million each. In the Fall of 2023, organizations top-rated by their peers advanced to a second round of review by an external Evaluation Panel recruited for experience related to this cause, and underwent a final round of due diligence. In light of Legal Council’s high scores—as judged by peers and external panelists—Yield Giving doubled the award amount to $2 million.
“In a world teeming with potential and talent, the Yield Giving Open Call has given us the opportunity to identify, uplift, and empower transformative organizations,” said Cecilia Conrad, CEO of Lever for Change.
More information on the Yield Giving Open Call and other initiatives can be found at www.leverforchange.org.
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Legal Council for Health Justice
Legal Council for Health Justice, a nonprofit legal organization, advocates to secure dignity, opportunity, and well-being for people of all ages living with chronic illness or disability. We provide legal services using a Medical-Legal Partnership model. We partner with safety net medical providers and social services agencies across Chicago to serve clients in the communities where they live and receive medical care and other essential assistance. Learn more about Legal Council at www.legalcouncil.org.
Yield Giving
Established by MacKenzie Scott to share a financial fortune created through the effort of countless people, Yield Giving is named after a belief in adding value by giving up control. To date, Yield’s network of staff and advisors has yielded over $16,500,000,000 to 1,900+ non-profit teams to use as they see fit for the benefit of others. To learn more, visit www.yieldgiving.com.
Lever for Change
Lever for Change connects donors with bold solutions to the world’s biggest problems—including issues like racial inequity, gender inequality, lack of access to economic opportunity, and climate change. Using an inclusive, equitable model and due diligence process, Lever for Change creates customized challenges and other tailored funding opportunities. Top-ranked teams and challenge finalists become members of the Bold Solutions Network—a growing global network that helps secure additional funding, amplify members’ impact, and accelerate social change. Founded in 2019 as a nonprofit affiliate of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Lever for Change has influenced over $1.7 billion in grants to date and provided support to more than 145 organizations. To learn more, visit www.leverforchange.org.