Chicago-Based Shriver Center on Poverty Law to Close at the End of the Year

Blair Paddock | December 2, 2025, 4:56 pm

Man works in a food pantry in a file photo. (Photo by Aaron Doucett on Unsplash)

A man works in a food pantry as pictured in a file photo. (Photo by Aaron Doucett on Unsplash)

The Shriver Center on Poverty Law announced Tuesday that it will close at the end of the year due to financial concerns.

For over 50 years, the Chicago-based organization has worked nationally on anti-poverty advocacy by litigating, shaping policy and training networks of lawyers, community leaders and advocates.

But in recent years, the center has faced financial challenges: an inability to overcome a multi-year structural deficit and a decrease in revenue, according to a statement from the center.

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A tax return from 2023, the most recently available, shows the center operating at a loss of almost $700,000.

“This decision–while deeply painful–is the right one to honor the legacy and mission of the Shriver Center,” the statement reads. “The fact that so many Shriver alumni now populate and lead those organizations will help facilitate this transition.”

The organization began as a national law firm, the National Clearinghouse for Legal Services. The firm published the Clearinghouse Review, which distributed action research for lawyers.

In recent years, the organization successfully fought for an increase of the minimum wage in Illinois, anti-discrimination housing laws for people with criminal records in Cook County and a state law to allow some SNAP recipients to use benefits at restaurants.

“We have tremendous gratitude for our dedicated staff that continued to stay focused on our mission and work during this period of uncertainty,” the statement continued. “It is because of you that this transition is not the end of the fight for those living in poverty, but rather the beginning of a new chapter.”