The Illinois Bar Foundation Board of Directors is pleased to announce a $15,000 grant to Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS), one of 32 grants awarded this year totaling $304,995. Founded in 1964, Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation (CVLS) is one of the oldest and largest pro bono programs in the country. Last year, nearly 2,000 volunteers provided legal assistance to over 17,000 low-income people. The 2004 Illinois Legal Needs Study found that CVLS is the largest pro bono program in the state, handling nearly 45% of all pro bono cases. One quarter of all cases statewide handled by a legal services program are handled by a CLVS volunteer or staff attorney. The IBF grant specifically supports the Chancery Court Access to Justice Program, a cooperative venture between CVLS and Cook County's Chancery Court. Chancery Court judges appoint CVLS to represent pro se low-income parties in mortgage foreclosures and partitions, actions to quiet title, subsidized housing evictions and appeals of government administrative decisions. This program also accepts referrals of pending foreclosure and mortgage fraud cases referred by the Illinois Attorney General's office and the Illinois Treasurer's office. The project accepted 113 new cases in 2008. As the charitable affiliate of the Illinois State Bar Association, the Illinois Bar Foundation's mission is to ensure meaningful access to the justice system, especially for those with limited means, and to assist lawyers who can no longer support themselves due to incapacity. This past year, through the support of ISBA members, IBF distributed more than $425,000 to support these efforts.