A Pillar of Support: How Chicago Lawyers’ Committee Helped NDoula Community Alliance Build Capacity and Confidence
When Mai Heath founded NDoula Community Alliance, a nonprofit focused on health equity and social justice for Black mothers and families in Chicago, she didn’t realize she was starting a business.
“I was just trying to meet a need for my community— to keep my community strong for myself, for my neighbors, for my children,” Heath said.
NDoula Community Alliance aims to improve healthcare access and support for those hardest hit by the Black maternal health crisis. The nonprofit focuses on holistic health literacy, reproductive justice and building strong support networks that center autonomy, joy and healing.
Heath didn’t realize how many logistical hurdles she would have to overcome to get the organization up and running, including understanding the legal language and its implications in certain policies and contracts, and preparing the documents required to register as a nonprofit in Illinois. Connecting with Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights (CLC) in November 2024 was a turning point for her.
CLC provides free legal assistance to nonprofits and small businesses in historically disinvested communities because we know how critical this type of assistance is to their success, to addressing wealth inequality and to ensuring organizations like NDoula can continue providing and expanding essential services without facing legal risks down the road.
“You feel like you’ve got more legs to stand on,” Heath said. “You feel like you can sit up a little straighter.”
CLC provided NDoula with assistance on compliance and reporting, helped with policy generation, and provided essential guidance on working with volunteers and independent contractors. Heath said that, before working with CLC, she felt unsupported and, at times, lost. She said finding CLC was like a “pillar of support,” helping her organization build capacity and confidence.
She said CLC’s work is especially important in these times of uncertainty because it provides nonprofits a foundational relationship they can consistently rely on for guidance and support.
“CLC helps organizations like mine be less vulnerable,” Heath said. “It’s just such a lifeline.”
Are you a nonprofit leader or small business owner seeking free legal assistance? Click here to learn more about CLC’s nonprofit and small business legal support.