Illinois Association of Court Appointed Special Advocates
ActiveCivil Rights & Advocacy
About Illinois Association of Court Appointed Special Advocates
Illinois CASA, together with its local member programs, supports and promotes court-appointed volunteer advocacy for children who have experienced abuse or neglect.
Focus Areas
Child welfareFoster care advocacyVolunteer training and supportLegal/guardian ad litem supportDiversity, equity & inclusion resources
Who They Fund
children and families in Illinoisat-risk childrenfoster youth
Funding Style
pass-through fundinggovernment-agency partnershiprestricted/project-specific
About Illinois Association of Court Appointed Special Advocates
Illinois Association of Court Appointed Special Advocates channels nearly all of its grant activity through pass-through support for local CASA programs, with recent awards repeatedly tied to Illinois DCFS and CESF funding. The largest recent grants go to Casa of Southwestern Illinois and Casa Lake County, each receiving substantial support in both 2024 and 2025, which signals an ongoing, program-linked funding pattern rather than one-off awards. Across the recent list, the foundation backs a network of county and regional CASA organizations that provide court-appointed volunteer advocacy for children who have experienced abuse or neglect. The grant list shows a clear emphasis on child welfare infrastructure: local CASA programs in Belleville, Vernon Hills, Geneva, Peoria, Quincy, Urbana, Danville, Decatur, Joliet, Wheaton, Rockford, Charleston, and Crystal Lake all appear among recipients. That breadth suggests the foundation is working through established member programs across Illinois rather than funding a small set of stand-alone projects. Its giving is also tightly aligned with legal and guardian ad litem support, volunteer training and support, and foster care advocacy, all within the CASA model described in its summary.
What Illinois Association of Court Appointed Special Advocates Funds
In child welfare services, the foundation gave $274,540 in 2024 to Casa Kane County for a pass-through IL DCFS and CESF grant, and $232,200 in 2025 to Casa of the 10th Judicial Circuit for the same funding stream. Those awards sit within a broader pattern of support for local CASA organizations working with children involved in the child protection system. Foster care advocacy appears throughout the recent list as well. Casa of Vermilion County received $227,085 in 2024 and $219,930 in 2025, while Macon County Casa received $222,432 in 2024 and $218,625 in 2025. The foundation also supports volunteer-based advocacy infrastructure: Casa of Dupage County received $180,163 in 2024 and $152,237 in 2025, and Winnebago County Casa received $153,427 in 2024 and $136,833 in 2025. The grant pattern also extends to regional coverage through groups such as Advocacy Network for Childrencasa of Adams County, which received awards in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
How Illinois Association of Court Appointed Special Advocates Gives
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$10.2M
Total Assets
$1.1M
Total Revenue
$7M
Total Expenses
$7M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $74K and $166K, with a median of $99K.
25th Percentile
$74K
Median
$99K
75th Percentile
$166K
Geographic Reach
Local1 state funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
MARI CHRISTOPHERSON
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