Indiana Legal Services Receives Lilly Endowment Grant to Support Immigrant Services
Indiana Legal Services, Inc., has received a $600,000 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help support the
work of the Immigrants’ and Language Rights Center (ILRC), a special project within ILS dedicated to
serving immigrants and people with limited English proficiency throughout Indiana.
“The ILRC appreciates the monetary support and the recognition of our commitment to meeting the
needs of our immigrant community members by providing legal and wraparound services,” said Kristin
Edison Garn, ILRC Director.
ILS has a robust immigration practice for those who are seeking a range of humanitarian immigration
benefits, relief from removal, lawful permanent residence, and US citizenship, and prioritizing immigrant
survivors of crime. Many lawyers and staff in ILS’s Immigrants’ and Language Rights Project conduct
business in Spanish, and the ILRC provides interpretation services in Spanish and uses an on-demand
interpretation service for other languages as needed.
“ILS thanks Lilly Endowment for its support, which will allow us to help address the rising demand for
immigration services in Central Indiana,” said Jon Laramore, ILS Executive Director. “We will use most of
these resources to add paraprofessional staff, who can help make the six ILS lawyers working in this area
more productive.”
Indiana Legal Services is one of 19 organizations that has received the grants designed to help
organizations adapt their programs as they respond to the growing number of immigrants in
Indianapolis. During the last decade, the foreign-born population of Indianapolis has grown by 30
percent, according to the most recent U.S. Census data.
“A growing number of immigrants seek to make Indianapolis their home,” said Ronni Kloth, the
Endowment’s vice president for community development. “We are pleased to support these
organizations as they build their capacity to help our city continue to be a place that is welcoming and
livable for all its residents.”
About Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr.
through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain
the financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct
governing board, staff, and location. In keeping with its founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the
causes of community development, education, and religion. Although the Endowment funds programs
throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion, it maintains a special commitment to its
founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.
About Indiana Legal Services, Inc.
Indiana Legal Services is the only statewide provider of free civil legal services to low-income Hoosiers.
ILS uses the law to fight poverty and racism, empower clients, and increase access to justice. ILS
attorneys and staff help clients facing legal problems that harm their ability to access such basics as
food, shelter, income, medical care, and personal safety. Most of the cases ILS staff handle involve
domestic violence, evictions, consumer law, access to health care, and access to government benefits.
ILS has a long history of providing legal assistance to agricultural workers and has other special projects
addressing elder abuse, human trafficking, seniors, veterans, and the LGBT community.