Denise Conklin, Executive Director | Prairie State Legal Services, Inc.
Denise Conklin, Executive Director | Prairie State Legal Services, Inc.
The listed appropriations included two grants of $250,000, along with two additional grants totaling $500,000, all designated for programs or services funded by the State of Illinois.
These appropriations represent state-level funding authorized by lawmakers, reflecting what was approved in the budget, not necessarily disbursed. The funds cover only State of Illinois support and exclude federal, local, or other public sources.
Founded in 1977, Prairie State Legal Services states that its mission is: “The mission of Prairie State Legal Services is to ensure equal access to justice and fair treatment under the law by providing legal advice and representation, advocacy, education, and outreach that serve to protect basic human needs and enforce or uphold rights.”
You can learn more about the organization at its website.
In its most recent IRS Form 990 filing filing for tax year 2024, the organization reported $21,911,000 in total revenue. Of that, $15,903,500 came from government grants including federal, state, or local sources, making up 72.6% of total revenue.
The nonprofit listed $21,767,800 in contributions overall. It also reported $5,483,630 categorized under other contributions, which may include restricted donations, pledges, or bequests.
At the beginning of 2024, Prairie State Legal Services had $18,582,900 in assets. By the end of 2024, that figure had changed to $22,585,400, indicating a 21.5% growth in overall holdings.
According to its filing, public funding to Prairie State Legal Services increased in the last year. The group received $15,059,800 in government grants in 2023, compared to $15,903,500 in 2024—an increase of 5.6% year-over-year.
However, a Chicago City Wire analysis found that IRS filings frequently contain discrepancies when compared with publicly disclosed government grant reports and budgets.
Prairie State Legal Services is one of hundreds of nonprofits across Illinois that receive substantial support from state taxpayers while also fundraising privately.
In 2025, Illinois lawmakers introduced House Bill 1266, also known as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Act. The proposal would create a new oversight body within the Office of the Auditor General tasked with identifying cost-saving measures, reviewing agency performance, and advising on audit priorities. If passed, DOGE could bring additional scrutiny and performance evaluation to taxpayer-funded organizations.
According to ProPublica, Illinois has more than 78,000 active tax-exempt organizations, including nearly 60,000 classified as charitable nonprofits. In their most recent IRS filings, these groups reported a combined revenue exceeding $156 billion.
| Fiscal Year | Total Grants/Contracts | Total Taxpayer $$ |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | $1,000,000 |
| Term | Name | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-2024 | Adam Fleming | President |
| 2024-2024 | Adrian Barr | Managing Attorney |
| 2024-2024 | Aga Mikolajczyk | Client Board Member |
| 2024-2024 | Amber Moore | Managing Attorney |
| 2024-2024 | April Foster | Client Board Member |
| 2024-2024 | C Garrett Bonsell | Secretary |
| 2024-2024 | Carol Loughridge | Client Board Member |
| 2024-2024 | Chasmine Thornton | Client Board Member |
| 2024-2024 | Deborah Goldberg | Board Member |
| 2024-2024 | Denise L Conklin | Executive Director |
| 2024-2024 | Gretchen Farwell | Managing Attorney |
| 2024-2024 | J Michael Bean | Vice President |
| 2024-2024 | Jasper Jones | Community Member |
| 2024-2024 | Jean P Ruthe | Finance Director |
| 2024-2024 | Jim Rowe | Board Member |
| 2024-2024 | Jonathan Ji Hwan Kim | Treasurer |
| 2024-2024 | Joseph Lovelace | Board Member |
| 2024-2024 | Karlene Jones | Client Board Member |
| 2024-2024 | Kathy Bettcher | Director Of Family And Survivor Advocacy |
| 2024-2024 | Kenneth E Davies | Board Member |
| 2024-2024 | Louis Hobson | Client Board Member |
| 2024-2024 | Maria Best | Client Board Member |
| 2024-2024 | Paul Zukowski | Managing Attorney |
| 2024-2024 | Rebecca I Lee | Board Member |
| 2024-2024 | Rolonda Mitchell | Board Member |
| 2024-2024 | Scott J Smith | Board Member |
| 2024-2024 | Sonni Choi Williams | Board Member |
| 2024-2024 | William Beckman | Board Member |
| Year | Name | Title | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Adrian G Barr | Managing Attorney | - |
| 2024 | Amy Weiss | Attorney | - |
| 2024 | Anne Catherine Dunbar | Project Coordinator, Veterans Legal Assistance Project | - |
| 2024 | Annette Voss | Staff Attorney | - |
| 2024 | Britta A Johnson | Staff Attorney | - |
| 2024 | Christine Weygand | It Manager | - |
| 2024 | Clare A Mitchell | Attorney | - |
| 2024 | Elaine R Sofferman | Attorney | - |
| 2024 | Eliot Abarbanel | Managing Attorney | - |
| 2024 | Evan Stahr | Staff Attorney | - |
| 2024 | Gabriel Roman Chavez | Paralegal | - |
| 2024 | Gretchen Martin Farwell | Managing Attorney | - |
| 2024 | Haley Marie Klosky | Vista Legal Needs Assessment Coordinator | - |
| 2024 | Heather Kelly Skrip | Staff Attorney | - |
| 2024 | Jessica K Hodierne | Director Of Human Resources | - |
| 2024 | Karen Snyder | Office Manager And Pro Bono Coordinator | - |
| 2024 | Kathryn M Bettcher | Managing Attorney | - |
| 2024 | Kendall Elizabeth Hodges | Staff Attorney | - |
| 2024 | Khristine Y Chapman | Intake Specialist | - |
| 2024 | Kira A Devin | Staff Attorney | - |
| 2024 | Lacy Burpee | Staff Attorney | - |
| 2024 | Lori S Luncsford | Staff Attorney | - |
| 2024 | Margaret E Cavanaugh | Secretary | - |
| 2024 | Megan Kathleen Brady | Staff Attorney | - |
| 2024 | Michelle Lee Miller | Staff Attorney | - |
| 2024 | Patrick K Garvey | Interpreting Intern | - |
| 2024 | Robert J. Kroeger | - | |
| 2024 | Rose A Willette | Lawyer | - |
| 2024 | Sandra Jean Linquist | Paralegal | - |
| 2024 | Sandra K Crow | Pro Bono Coordinator | - |
| 2024 | Stacy Lynn Brandon | Paralegal | - |
| 2024 | Suzanne Diane Helwich | Pro Bono Coordinator | - |
| 2024 | Therese Edmiston | Staff Attorney | - |
| 2024 | Winona J Agbabiaka | Community Outreach Coordinator | - |
| 2018 | Krystal Deleon Judah | Licensed Law Student L Legal L Mediation L Negotiation L Counselor | - |
| 2018 | Leah Denise Patton | Voca Staff Attorney | - |
| 2018 | Loretta J Martin | Paralegal Intern | - |
| 2018 | Rachel Diamond | Staff Attorney | - |
| 2017 | Anne R Bardo | Americorps Vista | - |
| 2017 | John Cheek | Vice President - Board Of Directors | - |
| 2017 | Kanisha Patel | Summer Legal Intern | - |
| 2017 | Nicole Katherine Moravec | Legal Assistant | - |
| 2016 | Charlotte E Coats | Intern | - |
| 2016 | Lydia Waterbear Jordan | Americorps Vista Public Benefits Education And Outreach Coordinator | - |
| 2016 | Marilyn Campbell | Associate Director Of Community Support | - |
| 2016 | Robert A Stavins | Pro Bono Attorney | - |
| 2016 | Thomas R Dennis | Staff Attorney | - |
| 2015 | Alice E Coleman | Volunteer Attorney | - |
| 2015 | Brian T Creghin | Voluteer And Intern | - |
| 2015 | Chloe L Williams | Staff Attorney | - |
| 2015 | Emma Junk | Marketing Intern | - |
| 2015 | Gabriela Veronica Borges | Staff Attorney | - |
| 2015 | Griffith Chung | Director, Veterans Legal Clinic | - |
| 2015 | Jessica Marie Parsons | Legal Intern | - |
| 2015 | Lesley Dianne Morton | Public Benefits Outreach Project Coordinator | - |
| 2015 | Rachel S Robinson | Fair Housing Testing And Outreach Coordinator | - |
| 2014 | Beth A Orchard | Soar Ssi And Ssdi Coordinator-Americorps Vista | - |
| 2014 | Erin M O'Connor | Data Entry | - |
| 2014 | Jennifer Susa | Paralegal Intern | - |
| 2014 | Kara Amouyal | Fair Housing Testing And Outreach Coordinator | - |
| 2014 | Kate Elizabeth Skarvan | Legal Intern | - |
| 2014 | Kathleen E Johnston | Public Benefits Outreach And Education Coordinator | - |
| 2014 | Kelly J Pasholk | Intake Attorney For Legal Help For Homeowner's Project | - |
| 2014 | Longgiang Thanh Le | Mortgage Foreclosure Associate | - |
| 2014 | Mark W Guest | Staff Attorney | - |
| 2014 | Mary Elizabeth Rosenberg | Staff Attorney | - |
| 2014 | Richard Kohn | Volunteer Attorney | - |
| 2014 | Robert F White | Public Interest Law Initiative Fellow | - |
| 2014 | Xin Xu | Legal Assistant | - |
| 2013 | Amanda Nicole Miller | Summer Law Clerk | - |
| 2013 | Joana Garcia | Intern | - |
| 2013 | Jordan Sartell | Staff Attorney - Borchard Law And Aging Fellow | - |
| 2012 | Barbara E Myers | Staff Attorney | - |
| 2012 | Dan Smith | Attorney | - |
| 2012 | Deidre Sanders | Pro Bono Lawyer | - |
| 2012 | Elizabeth A Petri | Executive Secretary | - |
| 2012 | Joseph Campbell | Intern | - |
| 2012 | Manuel G Acuna | Staff Attorney | - |
| 2012 | Matthew D Mccue | Intern And Volunteer | - |
| 2012 | Stephanie J Sanchez | Paralegal Intern | - |
| 2011 | Anna Pearl Rubin | Staff Attorney | - |
| 2011 | Arielle Julia Denis | Legal Intern | - |
| 2011 | Christopher A Nelson | Attorney | - |
| 2011 | Dylan Patrick Grady | Legal Intern | - |
| 2011 | Jenna Marley Tucker | Intern | - |
| 2011 | Joshua B Hawthorne | Americorps*Vista | - |
| 2011 | Vijay Venkat Raghavan | Aba Section Of Taxation Public Service Fellow | - |
| 2010 | Aileen Cordero | Legal Intern | - |
| 2010 | Brigette M Lobacz | Intern | - |
| 2010 | Cindy Lorraine Ortega | Legal Assistant | - |
| 2010 | Tessa Daisy Crowther | Intake Assistant | - |
| 2010 | Tracey J Johnson | Volunteer Attorney | - |
| 2010 | Tracey A Hower | Volunteer Attorney | - |
| 2009 | Jeffrey R Soderberg | Intern | - |
| 2009 | Larry Mcshane | Paralegal Advocate | - |
| 2009 | Maria Z Howard | Volunteer Legal Intern | - |
| 2009 | Stacy Lynn Mcculley | Legal Secretary | - |
| 2008 | Jana Yvonne Underhill | Legal Secretary | - |
| 2008 | Michael D Bashem | Paralegal | - |
| 2008 | Terri A Ross | Staff Attorney | - |
| 2006 | Syed Ahmad | Law Intern | - |
| 2004 | Kristin L Nieminski | Legal Intern | - |
| 2003 | Steven Lawrence Pick | Staff Attorney | - |
| 2002 | Marjorie A Branson | - | |
| 2001 | Stephen Douglas Iden | Staff Attorney | - |
| 1998 | Ashley Paige Rhea Shields | Law Clerk | - |
| 1998 | Linda M Moore | - | |
| 1996 | Majorie Branson | - | |
| 1989 | Helene Hoff Price | Staff Attorney | - |
| 1985 | Alan John Wirth | Bookkeeper | - |
| 1984 | Patricia K Best | - |
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