EIN 36-3361312

Equip for Equality (EFE)

IRS 501(c) type
501(c)(3)
Num. employees
76
Year formed
1985
Most recent tax filings
2023-09-01
Description
Equip for Equality is a private, not-for-profit legal advocacy organization and is the federally mandated Protection and Advocacy System designated to safeguard the rights of people with physical and mental disabilities.
Total revenues
$9,425,878
2023
Total expenses
$9,321,913
2023
Total assets
$5,557,493
2023
Num. employees
76
2023

Program areas at EFE

Protection & advocacy system for individuals with developmental disabilities in the mid-1970's, congress established a unique, innovative, experimental initiative to safeguard the rights of people with developmental disabilities. Under this program, each governor was empowered to designate one independent organization to serve as a legal advocate and watchdog for people with developmental disabilities in the state. In this role, Equip for Equality provides self-advocacy assistance and legal services to remedy individual rights violations and pursues systems-change initiatives to benefit the disability community. These initiatives include facility monitoring, systems litigation to promote community living, public policy advocacy, training on disability rights, and other social change strategies.
Protection & advocacy system for individuals with mental illnessin response to alarming findings of widespread abuse and neglect and fundamental rights violations in state psychiatric hospitals and other facilities that congressional hearings across the country had documented, in the mid-1980s congress expanded the role of the independent, state-level protection & avocacy systems to include people with serious mental and emotional illnesses. With this expanded role and authority, Equip for Equality monitors the use of restraint and seclusion; assesses the quality of state-conducted abuse investigations; ensures that treatment meets quality standards; and calls for reforms to promote employment, self-determination, communityliving, and other rights under the americans with disabilities act (ada).
Protection and advocacy system for individual rightsfollowing adoption of the ada, the landmark federal civil rights law for people with disabilities, congress recognized that most individuals with disabilities would not have access to legal services to enforce their ada rights. Thus, in the early 1990s, congress once again expanded the role and authority of the state p&a systems to empower them to advocate for the rights of individuals with physical and other disabilities (besides developmental disabilities and mental illness) who are experiencing discrimination and other rights violations. Under this new p&a initiative, Equip for Equality opened its doors to individuals with all types of disabilities (e.g., mobility, learning, sensory, and others), with a focus on promoting access and challenging discriminatory practices prohibited under the ada.
Multiple programs designed to assist individuals with disabilities in special education, employment, self-determination and voting.

Who funds Equip for Equality (EFE)

Grants from foundations and other nonprofits
GrantmakerDescriptionAmount
Lawyers Trust Fund of IllinoisTo Provide Free Legal Services$442,400
Illinois Equal Justice Foundation (IEJF)To Provide Legal Information and Advice on Special Education Issues Via A Statewide Hotline. To Provide Outreach To Disabled People Impacted By Criminalization of Cannabis.$200,000
The Chicago Bar FoundationGeneral Operating Support$110,000
...and 18 more grants received totalling $1,088,123

Personnel at EFE

NameTitleCompensation
Zena NaiditchPresident and Chief Executive Officer$292,414
Jim McMillanChief Financial Officer
Barry C TaylorVice President - Civil Rights and Litigati$156,816
Olga F PribylVice President - Special Ed Clinic$134,600
Stacey AschemannVice President - Independent Monitorin$127,324
...and 13 more key personnel

Financials for EFE

RevenuesFYE 09/2023
Total grants, contributions, etc.$8,644,394
Program services$718,262
Investment income and dividends$47,891
Tax-exempt bond proceeds$0
Royalty revenue$0
Net rental income$0
Net gain from sale of non-inventory assets$0
Net income from fundraising events$0
Net income from gaming activities$0
Net income from sales of inventory$0
Miscellaneous revenues$15,331
Total revenues$9,425,878

Form 990s for EFE

Fiscal year endingDate received by IRSFormPDF link
2023-092024-07-23990View PDF
2022-092023-08-04990View PDF
2021-092022-08-05990View PDF
2020-092021-07-27990View PDF
2019-092020-09-14990View PDF
...and 9 more Form 990s
Data update history
September 1, 2024
Posted financials
Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2023
August 31, 2024
Updated personnel
Identified 2 new personnel
August 26, 2024
Received grants
Identified 7 new grant, including a grant for $55,000 from Polk Bros Foundation
May 18, 2024
Received grants
Identified 7 new grant, including a grant for $442,400 from Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois
October 24, 2023
Received grants
Identified 1 new grant, including a grant for $20,000 from Mcdermott Dermott Will and Emery Charitable Foundation
Nonprofit Types
Human rights organizationsLegal service nonprofitsCivil rights and social justice organizationsCharities
Issues
HealthHuman rightsDiseases and disordersHomelessnessLegal services
Characteristics
Political advocacyLobbyingReceives government fundingCommunity engagement / volunteeringTax deductible donationsAccepts online donations
General information
Address
20 N Michigan Ave 300
Chicago, IL 60602
Metro area
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
County
Cook County, IL
Website URL
equipforequality.org/ 
Phone
(312) 341-0022
Facebook page
equipforequality 
Twitter profile
@equip4equality 
IRS details
EIN
36-3361312
Fiscal year end
September
Taxreturn type
Form 990
Year formed
1985
Eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions (Pub 78)
Yes
Categorization
NTEE code, primary
R20: Civil Rights, Advocacy for Specific Groups
NAICS code, primary
5411: Legal Services
Parent/child status
Independent
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