About Illinois Action for Children
Since 1969, Illinois Action for Children has advocated for child care providers, families, and children. Our programs support everyone in creating safe, healthy, and sustainable places in the community for children.
Focus Areas
Early childhood educationChild care assistanceFamily support servicesWorkforce development for educatorsHealth and safety in child careEarly childhood mental health
Who They Fund
nonprofit organizations / service providersprogram staff and administrators
Funding Style
capacity buildingtechnical assistancequality improvement grants
About Illinois Action for Children
Since 1969, Illinois Action for Children has focused on helping child care providers improve quality, strengthen services, and meet health and safety standards across Illinois. The foundation’s recent grant activity shows a consistent pattern of small, direct awards to early childhood programs, usually in the same range and often tied to quality improvement work. That includes grants to Nurturing Developmental Learning Center II in South Holland and A Mother’s Touch in Arlington Heights, both listed among the larger recent awards. The foundation also supports workforce-facing work within early childhood care. Recent grants include support for Jennifer’s Kids Learning Center in Schaumburg and Small World Learning Center in Franklin Park, alongside awards to centers in Chicago, Skokie, Elgin, and other Illinois communities. Its active programs point to practical support for accreditation, training, professional development, and quality improvement, with an emphasis on child care providers and early childhood professionals. Across the recent grant list, the recipients are primarily child care centers, early childhood learning programs, and related providers rather than large intermediaries. The overall pattern is hands-on and local, with funding aimed at improving day-to-day program quality and the workforce that supports young children.
What Illinois Action for Children Funds
A central theme in Illinois Action for Children’s grantmaking is quality improvement for child care providers. Recent awards include $8,092 to Nurturing Developmental Learning Center II in South Holland for quality improvements and $8,045 to Busy Bees II in Chicago for the same purpose. The active Quality Improvement Funds and related cohort, stipends, and accreditation assistance programs reinforce that emphasis. The foundation also supports professional development for early childhood staff. It gave $8,038 to Jennifer’s Kids Learning Center in Schaumburg and $8,035 to Small World Learning Center in Franklin Park for quality improvements, and its program list includes Individual Professional Development Funds and Quality Improvement - Training Stipends. Health and safety appear as another practical funding area. Illinois Action for Children offers CPR and First Aid Assistance Funds, and its program lineup includes a Healthy Food Program. The grant record aligns with that operational focus on keeping child care settings safe and sustainable. Education access for the early childhood workforce is also part of the portfolio through the ECACE Scholarship Opportunity.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$521K
Total Assets
$21.4M
Total Revenue
$60.6M
Total Expenses
$61.1M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $5K and $8K, with a median of $8K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$8K
75th Percentile
$8K
Geographic Reach
Local1 state funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Unlock Deep Analysis
Sign up for a free Kindora account to access AI-generated insights into this funder's giving patterns, decision-makers, and fit signals.
Get Started FreeSee Similar Funders
Free Kindora accounts unlock side-by-side comparisons with foundations that share this funder's focus areas and giving profile.
Get Started FreeExplore related grant guides
Want a Personalized Pitch for Illinois Action for Children?
Sign up free to see how well your nonprofit fits this funder, get an AI-generated pitch, and unlock similar foundations.
Free plan available
No contracts
Cancel anytime