GiveBetter x Chicago

Equip for Equality

Disability rights, protection and advocacy, and community integration

Research time: ~5 min on GPT-6.1 Sol
  • Research — reviewed programs, finances and impact evidence.
  • Modeling — estimated costs, QALYs and uncertainty.
  • Source audit — checked claims, assumptions and calculations.

Updated: 2026-10-05

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Summary

What do they do? Equip for Equality protects the civil rights of people with disabilities through legal advocacy, investigation and education. Its Cook County community-integration litigation seeks appropriate supports so nursing-home residents can live safely in the community. The statewide recipient also works on education, employment and access to services.

Why we’re interested in this organization:

  • Rights enforcement can connect people with safer care and practical supports.

  • Cook County litigation provides a concrete local implementation mechanism.

  • Original audited accounts identify government funding and contributed resources.

Our main reservations:

  • No verified local incremental health or net household-resource cohort was identified.

  • Existing decrees, public care and other counsel prevent assigning all transitions to a donation.

  • Unrecognized pro bono resources, unsafe transitions and caregiver/payer costs may materially change the comparison.

What do you get for your dollar? $5.0M per DALY in Chicago. DALY is our one-year comparison unit. QALY-based health gains and income-welfare equivalents retain their original assumptions; they are not measured clinical DALYs. Conditional initial Cook health and signed household-resource component, not complete portfolio/social return..

Planning reference100 distinct local households,50 annual-response exposedHH,10 incremental clinical trajectories and10 resource-changingHH; no observed completion counts claimed.

1. What do they do?

Equip for Equality, EIN 36-3361312, is Illinois's designated protection and advocacy organization. Its Colbert work concerns Medicaid-eligible disabled nursing-home residents in Cook County, within the Chicago metro; other statewide work is not assigned wholesale to Chicago. Official systemic work

2. Monitoring and information sharing

The FY2025 court-filed plan requires outreach, assessment, service planning, transition and quality reporting. It explicitly notes that some new compliance data had not yet been reliability-validated. Commitments are not verified completed transitions, additional safe placements or measured QALYs. Request unique local clients, safe retained placements, health changes, resources, burdens and actual alternative help. Primary implementation plan

3. Qualitative assessment

Safer community support, prevented neglect and appropriate access can improve health, but transition without sufficient care can cause harm. Autonomy and legal rights have value beyond clinical utility; this initial model does not turn every legal victory into health. Existing decree obligations, public Medicaid care and other plaintiff counsel remain in the counterfactual; shared transitions are not credited in full to each organization. No clinically calibrated local effect was identified in this bounded review. The 100-household reference, .2 clinical additionality, .5 annual-work response, .1 annual utility and two-year duration are transparent planning judgments, not observed causal rates. No lifetime survivor earnings or automatic family multiplier is used.

4. What do you get for your dollar?

FY2024 audited recognized expense is $9,770,963, including $117,984 contributed nonfinancial assets. Revenue is $9,408,652 and government funding $7,442,120. Central recognized-cost accounting does not include approximately $1.8 million additional unrecognized professional services noted in the audit; the explicit $11,570,963 sensitivity adds that approximate external resource value without duplicating recognized donations. It is not evidence that all volunteer time sacrifices billable household income. Original audit

A hypothetical 100 local households × .5 annual-funded-work response yields50 incremental resource-exposed households. Clinical additionality .2 gives10 changed clinical trajectories, .1 utility for two discounted years:1.91 clinical QALYs. Financial .2 implies10 resource-changing households. Their judged one-time $1500 net resource gain is halved for health overlap and netted against full $100 process/work/care burden BEFORE log, yielding$650;40 otherHH lose$100. One modeled welfare person per household and$20K annual household baseline produce .5×[10 × log1.0325+40 × log.995]/1.03=.0579266 welfare-equivalent healthy years. All negative changes remain full and clinical-null retains resources.

Combined1.971396 equivalents imply $5.0M per DALY, not a measured marginal donation return. Full statewide annual recipient expense remains the denominator while only this finite Cook branch is priced. b=1 sensitivity exposes annual-response assumptions. Central payer neutrality is UNKNOWN, not factual zero; matched transfer and adverse cases price signed local payer loss. Nonlocal costs, additional caregiver/provider burdens and wider portfolio effects remain unpriced, so this is not complete world EV.

Model, assumptions and sensitivity

Whole statewide annual recognized recipient expense; conditional finite Cook health/resource component, unrecognized professional costs separate stress, not measured marginal-gift yield.

Cook County branch within Chicago–Naperville–Elgin current OMB boundary; no statewide outcomes silently assigned local.

Clinical=g*N*a*b*q*sum(y=0..T-1)(1+d)^-(delay+y)-g*N*b*harm/(1+d)^delay. Household resource=.5*people*discountedlog(1+signedjointnet/baseline), positive-only recipient overlap. Combined=clinical+resource;price10=10*C/Combined only if known andpositive.

C
9770963 USD annual recognized recipient resources (observed). Original audited expense9,770,963 includes117,984 recognized nonfinancial assets. Additional~1.8M unrecognized professional resources treated separately in sensitivity, so central is recognized-cost not complete social-cost. [efe-audit24]
N
100 distinct local health-relevant client households, hypothetical annual cohort (judgment). 100 is a finite local planning hypothesis, NOT an observed cohort or trial denominator. Sources establish Cook service mechanism only;50/200 sensitivity. [efe-colbert25]
a
0.2 additional implemented health-change fraction (judgment). Judged .2 of hypothetical cases change health beyond funded decree implementation and alternative advocates; no measured local rate. [efe-colbert25]
b
0.5 annual-funded-work response fraction (judgment). Judged .5 additional annual-funded-work response relative to continuing public P&A, state care and other counsel; full statewide annual cost retained. Not measured marginal donor conversion. [efe-colbert25]
q
0.1 annual net clinical utility per changed person (judgment). Judged .1 annual clinical utility for two years from safer supported living/access; no causal QALY study identified. Not autonomy itself assumed clinical health. [efe-colbert25]
T
2 finite clinical years (judgment). Finite conditional judgment, not measured local causal parameter; no unknown population treated as observedzero. [efe-colbert25]
g
1 Chicago MSA share of modeled Cook branch (judgment). Cook County direct branch inside Chicago–Naperville–Elgin OMB23-01; statewide and cross-counsel spillovers excluded. [efe-colbert25]
discount
0.03 annual discount fraction (judgment). Finite conditional judgment, not measured local causal parameter; no unknown population treated as observedzero. [efe-colbert25]
delay
1 years until first effect (judgment). Finite conditional judgment, not measured local causal parameter; no unknown population treated as observedzero. [efe-colbert25]
financialShare
0.2 additional resource-changing share among exposed households (judgment). Finite conditional judgment, not measured local causal parameter; no unknown population treated as observedzero. [efe-colbert25]
gain
1500 USD net one-time change per resource-changing household (judgment). Judged $1500 ONE-TIME net resources after taxes, benefits, replacement income, work/care/moving costs and alternative assistance; no observed net collections. [efe-colbert25]
cost
100 USD process/work/care burden per exposed household (judgment). Full $100 judged process burden across ALL exposedHH independent of clinical success. [efe-colbert25]
baseline
20000 USD annual household resources per one welfareperson reference (judgment). Finite conditional judgment, not measured local causal parameter; no unknown population treated as observedzero. [efe-colbert25]
overlap
0.5 retained positive resource fraction after health overlap (judgment). Finite conditional judgment, not measured local causal parameter; no unknown population treated as observedzero. [efe-colbert25]
payerShare
0 matched creditor/public-payer transfer fraction (unknown). Unknown-neutral central0, NOT observedzero; matched1 scenario retains full local payer transfer loss. Nonlocal incidence unpriced. [efe-colbert25]
payerPeople
20 distinct local payer household-equivalent welfarepeople (judgment). Finite conditional judgment, not measured local causal parameter; no unknown population treated as observedzero. [efe-colbert25]
payerBaseline
60000 USD annual payer household resources (judgment). Finite conditional judgment, not measured local causal parameter; no unknown population treated as observedzero. [efe-colbert25]
harm
0.00 QALYs clinical harm per exposed household (judgment). Finite conditional judgment, not measured local causal parameter; no unknown population treated as observedzero. [efe-colbert25]

central: Cost: $9.8M; Chicago health QALYs: 1.91; all-population health QALYs: 1.91. Income-equivalent healthy years: 0.06. Conditional initial planning hypothesis, not observed causal cohort or validated marginal donation return. Full portfolio and nonlocal counterparty resources unknown.

clinical null: Cost: $9.8M; Chicago health QALYs: 0.00; all-population health QALYs: 0.00. Income-equivalent healthy years: 0.06. Conditional initial planning hypothesis, not observed causal cohort or validated marginal donation return. Full portfolio and nonlocal counterparty resources unknown.

financial only: Cost: $9.8M; Chicago health QALYs: 0.00; all-population health QALYs: 0.00. Income-equivalent healthy years: 0.06. Conditional initial planning hypothesis, not observed causal cohort or validated marginal donation return. Full portfolio and nonlocal counterparty resources unknown.

full unknown: Cost: $9.8M; Chicago health QALYs: unknown; all-population health QALYs: unknown. Conditional initial planning hypothesis, not observed causal cohort or validated marginal donation return. Full portfolio and nonlocal counterparty resources unknown.

zero expansion: Cost: $9.8M; Chicago health QALYs: 0.00; all-population health QALYs: 0.00. Income-equivalent healthy years: 0.00. Conditional initial planning hypothesis, not observed causal cohort or validated marginal donation return. Full portfolio and nonlocal counterparty resources unknown.

true zero: Cost: $9.8M; Chicago health QALYs: 0.00; all-population health QALYs: 0.00. Income-equivalent healthy years: 0.00. Conditional initial planning hypothesis, not observed causal cohort or validated marginal donation return. Full portfolio and nonlocal counterparty resources unknown.

adverse: Cost: $9.8M; Chicago health QALYs: -4.85; all-population health QALYs: -4.85. Income-equivalent healthy years: -0.50. Conditional initial planning hypothesis, not observed causal cohort or validated marginal donation return. Full portfolio and nonlocal counterparty resources unknown.

negative gain: Cost: $9.8M; Chicago health QALYs: 1.91; all-population health QALYs: 1.91. Income-equivalent healthy years: -0.50. Conditional initial planning hypothesis, not observed causal cohort or validated marginal donation return. Full portfolio and nonlocal counterparty resources unknown.

negative gain no overlap: Cost: $9.8M; Chicago health QALYs: 1.91; all-population health QALYs: 1.91. Income-equivalent healthy years: -0.50. Conditional initial planning hypothesis, not observed causal cohort or validated marginal donation return. Full portfolio and nonlocal counterparty resources unknown.

matched transfer: Cost: $9.8M; Chicago health QALYs: 1.91; all-population health QALYs: 1.91. Income-equivalent healthy years: -0.06. Conditional initial planning hypothesis, not observed causal cohort or validated marginal donation return. Full portfolio and nonlocal counterparty resources unknown.

positive resource: Cost: $9.8M; Chicago health QALYs: 1.91; all-population health QALYs: 1.91. Income-equivalent healthy years: 0.23. Conditional initial planning hypothesis, not observed causal cohort or validated marginal donation return. Full portfolio and nonlocal counterparty resources unknown.

positive resource matched: Cost: $9.8M; Chicago health QALYs: 1.91; all-population health QALYs: 1.91. Income-equivalent healthy years: -0.01. Conditional initial planning hypothesis, not observed causal cohort or validated marginal donation return. Full portfolio and nonlocal counterparty resources unknown.

half scale: Cost: $9.8M; Chicago health QALYs: 0.96; all-population health QALYs: 0.96. Income-equivalent healthy years: 0.03. Conditional initial planning hypothesis, not observed causal cohort or validated marginal donation return. Full portfolio and nonlocal counterparty resources unknown.

double scale: Cost: $9.8M; Chicago health QALYs: 3.83; all-population health QALYs: 3.83. Income-equivalent healthy years: 0.12. Conditional initial planning hypothesis, not observed causal cohort or validated marginal donation return. Full portfolio and nonlocal counterparty resources unknown.

annual full response: Cost: $9.8M; Chicago health QALYs: 3.83; all-population health QALYs: 3.83. Income-equivalent healthy years: 0.12. Conditional initial planning hypothesis, not observed causal cohort or validated marginal donation return. Full portfolio and nonlocal counterparty resources unknown.

weak: Cost: $9.8M; Chicago health QALYs: 0.01; all-population health QALYs: 0.01. Income-equivalent healthy years: 0.01. Conditional initial planning hypothesis, not observed causal cohort or validated marginal donation return. Full portfolio and nonlocal counterparty resources unknown.

strong: Cost: $9.8M; Chicago health QALYs: 28.29; all-population health QALYs: 28.29. Income-equivalent healthy years: 0.12. Conditional initial planning hypothesis, not observed causal cohort or validated marginal donation return. Full portfolio and nonlocal counterparty resources unknown.

high process cost: Cost: $9.8M; Chicago health QALYs: 1.91; all-population health QALYs: 1.91. Income-equivalent healthy years: -0.43. Conditional initial planning hypothesis, not observed causal cohort or validated marginal donation return. Full portfolio and nonlocal counterparty resources unknown.

low baseline: Cost: $9.8M; Chicago health QALYs: 1.91; all-population health QALYs: 1.91. Income-equivalent healthy years: 0.11. Conditional initial planning hypothesis, not observed causal cohort or validated marginal donation return. Full portfolio and nonlocal counterparty resources unknown.

no clinical additionality: Cost: $9.8M; Chicago health QALYs: 0.00; all-population health QALYs: 0.00. Income-equivalent healthy years: 0.06. Conditional initial planning hypothesis, not observed causal cohort or validated marginal donation return. Full portfolio and nonlocal counterparty resources unknown.

geography half: Cost: $9.8M; Chicago health QALYs: 0.96; all-population health QALYs: 1.91. Income-equivalent healthy years: 0.03. Conditional initial planning hypothesis, not observed causal cohort or validated marginal donation return. Full portfolio and nonlocal counterparty resources unknown.

negative clinical: Cost: $9.8M; Chicago health QALYs: -1.91; all-population health QALYs: -1.91. Income-equivalent healthy years: 0.06. Conditional initial planning hypothesis, not observed causal cohort or validated marginal donation return. Full portfolio and nonlocal counterparty resources unknown.

unrecognized professional resources: Cost: $11.6M; Chicago health QALYs: 1.91; all-population health QALYs: 1.91. Income-equivalent healthy years: 0.06. Conditional initial planning hypothesis, not observed causal cohort or validated marginal donation return. Full portfolio and nonlocal counterparty resources unknown.

Counterfactual: Existing public P&A support, decree implementation, Medicaid/community services and alternative counsel continue. b is conditional annual-package response not an extra donor haircut on measured effects.

Attribution: Hypothetical distinct local household cohort; one clinical person/one welfareperson per household. Different clinical/resource resolutions are not inferred from raw litigation output. No repeated lifetime or gross salary credit.

All effect and resource conversions are judgments; source evidence establishes scope and cost, not causal QALYs. Full portfolio unknown is explicitly null.

Sensitivity

  • N50/200, annual-response1, clinical weak/strong, zero/unknown/adverse and signed recipient/payer cases retained.
  • Unrecognized professional resources add approximately$1.8M in separate full-resource sensitivity.
  • Household financial-only paths remain when clinical efficacy is zero; negative gains are not reduced by positive overlap.

Unresolved inputs

  • Dated unique local outcomes and causal safe care/health changes.
  • Net household gains, actual care/work burdens and public/private payer incidence.
  • Marginal donor funding tranche and replacement government/volunteer capacity.
  • Current accounts after2024 and full unrecognized social opportunity resources.

Health and income breakdown

For the modeled $9.8M: 1.91 health QALYs + 0.06 income-equivalent healthy years in Chicago: $5.0M per DALY. Income equivalents are welfare comparisons, not observed QALYs or DALYs.

Method and caveats.

5. Funding and previous grants

The 2024 audit reports net assets$2,977,296, unrestricted$2,633,895 and restricted$343,401. Heavy government support complicates donor additionality; there is no verified marginal general-support expansion tranche. Ordinary gifts support the statewide recipient, not a ring-fenced Colbert project. Official giving The audit opinion is dated May 29, 2025; this is not verified publication time. Root independently read official FY2023 and FY2022 audits with expenses $9,358,418 and $8,102,494. Together with 2024, the descriptive annual mean is $9,077,291.67, not a forecast.

Annual expenses

Organization-level spending, including programs, administration and fundraising. The research list averages three comparable, consecutive full fiscal years when available.

  • FY 2022: $8.1M; Equip for Equality, Inc., 12-month period, Audited accrual recognized expenses. Source
  • FY 2023: $9.4M; Equip for Equality, Inc., 12-month period, Audited accrual recognized expenses. Source
  • FY 2024: $9.8M; Equip for Equality, Inc., 12-month period, Audited accrual recognized expenses. Source

6. Sources

  1. Original FY2024 audited financial statements. Equip for Equality. Published: not stated; retrieved: 2026-10-05.
  2. Current systemic litigation and Cook County scope. Equip for Equality. Published: not stated; retrieved: 2026-10-05.
  3. Court-filed FY2025 Colbert implementation plan. Colbert parties / court filing. Published: 2024-12-18; retrieved: 2026-10-05.
  4. Official recipient giving route. Equip for Equality. Published: not stated; retrieved: 2026-10-05.
  5. IRS-derived recipient filing index EIN36-3361312. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Published: not stated; retrieved: 2026-10-05.
  6. Original FY2023 audit, independent root verification. Equip for Equality. Published: not stated; retrieved: 2026-10-05.
  7. Original FY2022 audit, independent root verification. Equip for Equality. Published: not stated; retrieved: 2026-10-05.