To assist organizations that are regional and local, community based and national programs, that develop, implement, carry out, or coordinate programs and/or activities to educate the public about…

The Department of Housing and Urban Development's Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity awarded Prairie State Legal Services Inc. $260,000 under the Fair Housing Organization Initiatives program (CFDA 14.417) on June 1, 2026, for fair housing education and enforcement activities. The award carries a period of performance through May 31, 2027, with place of performance in Rockford, Illinois.

The Fair Housing Organization Initiatives program supports organizations that develop, implement, and coordinate programs and activities to educate the public about rights under the Fair Housing Act and substantially equivalent state or local laws, and to prevent or eliminate discriminatory housing practices. Prairie State, a tax-exempt legal aid organization operating 11 offices across 36 counties in northern and central Illinois, delivers civil legal services including fair housing enforcement, discrimination testing and investigation, and litigation. The organization's fair housing portfolio has expanded over a decade-long funding relationship with HUD to include enforcement addressing LGBTQ+ discrimination, gender discrimination, and criminal-records discrimination, with systemic investigations in Peoria and Rockford.

The intended beneficiaries are persons or groups aggrieved by discriminatory housing practices based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, or national origin, as well as persons and entities working to prevent such discrimination, including landlords and real estate agents.

Activities

No value provided

Expected outcomes

No value provided

Intended beneficiaries

Any person or group of persons aggrieved by discriminatory housing practices because of race, color, religion, SEX disability familial status or national origin. Any person or group of persons, including landlords or real estate agents, to prevent discriminatory housing practices based on race, color, religion, SEX, disability, familial status or national origin. Award description source - assistance listing from SAM.GOV

Subrecipient activities

No value provided