how you can help the downstate illinois innocence project
Thank you for your interest in supporting the Downstate Illinois Innocence Project. When you make your gift, please give to this fund:
Downstate Illinois Innocence Project
Use the link at left to go to the Give Now page; once there, you'll find this fund listed under the Center for State Policy and Leadership.
For Specifics on What the Project Needs...
Support for Students
We need to find ways to finance students who want to work for the Project during the school year and/or the summer.
- Student workers:
Current use: $6,600 each for four students or $26,400 total annually (20 hrs/week for 16 weeks in the fall and spring semesters + 12 weeks in the summer)
- Graduate assistants
Current use: $8,100 each for two students ($900/month x 9 months)
Endowed: $180,000 (one assistantship in perpuity) - Conference attendance
Current Use: $1,500 each for two students
Support for Investigation
Investigation costs money. That's hardly a surprise. What might surprise you is much investigation costs. With funds--especially endowed funds that supply continuing funds every year--we would be able to involve more students, enhance our educational impact, and serve more wrongfully convicted clients.
- Investigator
First on our lists of needs is an investigator to supervise the students. An investigator would also allow us to take more than one case at a time.
Bill Clutter, a local criminal investigator, has served as director of investigations for the Innocence Project. He has been paid a small salary to work on the project, but a steadier Project income is long overdue so that he does not have to sacrifice his private practice to work with us. We could not find anyone better qualified or more committed to the Project than Bill.
Current use contributions: $50,000 (1/2 time appointment)
These would allow us to meet only this year's salary for an investigator.Endowed fund: $1.2 million
Because the interest from this fund pays for the investigator's salary, this fund would provide funds every year.
- Investigation costs
Most investigation, especially interviewing witnesses, has to be done on site, so travel expenses constitute a big investigation cost. Other significant costs we incur include forensic testing, expert analysis of evidence, and duplication of case materials.
- Travel expenses
Current use (providing funds for this year): $ 5,000
Endowed fund (providing funds every year): $ 110,000
- Reproduction of materials
Current use (providing funds this year): $ 1,000
Endowed fund (providing funds every year): $25,000
- Other expenses
Current use (providing funds this year): $2,000
Endowed fund (providing funds every year): $50,000
If you have any questions about giving to the Innocence Project, please feel free to contact our gift officer, Stacey Willenborg.
For more information about the Innocence Project, please feel free to contact:
- Larry Golden, Project Co-Director
- Bill Clutter, Project Co-Director
- David Racine, Director UIS Institute for Legal, Legislative, and Policy Studies
