Associated Colleges of Illinois Inc
Associated Colleges of Illinois Inc (ACI) is a Chicago-based public charity founded in 1952. It is a network of 21 private, nonprofit colleges and universities, and its work includes supporting member institutions and helping underserved students succeed in college, career, and life.
Associated Colleges of Illinois Inc at a glance
In short: Associated Colleges of Illinois Inc gave $512K across 21 grants in 2025 (avg $24K), mostly in Illinois. 5% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $511,502
- -9.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 21
- -16.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $24,357
- +8.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $24,762
- Total assets
- $1,617,684
- +13.8% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 5% first-time grantees (1 of 21, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Associated Colleges of Illinois Inc
- How to Apply
-
ACI does not accept applications for scholarships. Scholarship funds are distributed through member institutions; students enrolled at, or accepted by, a member college or university should contact their campus financial aid officer to ask about eligibility.
- Contact
Mailing address: 70 E Lake Street 1418, Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: (312) 263-2391
Website: https://acifund.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Associated Colleges of Illinois Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Knox College ($26K). Together the top 10 received $250K.
Grant Size Distribution
122 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 122 grants of 122 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars reported for filing year 2025 went to recipients in Illinois.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 21 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Associated Colleges of Illinois Inc open to new grantees?
5%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 21 grantees (5%) were first-time recipients. With only 21 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $25K; repeat grants $24K. How we count
Medians: $25K first-time, $25K repeat.
- 95% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−6%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $512K (2025) to $605K (2021). In 2025 it made 21 grants totaling $512K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Knox College Galesburg, IL | Educational Activities | $25,762 |
| Olivet Nazarene University Bourbonnais, IL | Educational Activities | $25,512 |
| Eureka College Eureka, IL | Educational Activities | $25,062 |
| Rockford University Rockford, IL | Educational Activities | $25,062 |
| North Central College Naperville, IL | Educational Activities | $24,862 |
| Augustana College Rock Island, IL | Educational Activities | $24,812 |
| Millikin University Decatur, IL | Educational Activities | $24,812 |
| Monmouth College Monmouth, IL | Educational Activities | $24,812 |
| North Park University Chicago, IL | Educational Activities | $24,812 |
| Quincy University Quincy, IL | Educational Activities | $24,812 |
Ready to take the next step with Associated Colleges of Illinois Inc?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,617,684 | $1,403,356 | $1,209,707 | $511,502 | 21 | $58,497 |
| 2024 | $1,421,439 | $1,456,402 | $1,236,542 | $562,325 | 25 | $25,735 |
| 2023 | $985,907 | $1,264,360 | $1,255,571 | $530,930 | 24 | $18,208 |
| 2022 | $1,061,635 | $1,309,810 | $1,386,140 | $541,840 | 26 | $21,752 |
| 2021 | $1,379,579 | $1,339,594 | $1,436,637 | $605,440 | 26 | $134,244 |
| 2019 | $1,389,146 | $1,240,842 | $1,447,266 | $590,950 | 27 | $-30,338 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
ACI’s mission is to support member colleges and universities by advancing independent liberal arts and sciences education and helping underserved students succeed in college, career, and life. Its programs address student persistence and degree completion, college affordability, and career preparation. They include scholarships and emergency financial aid, peer mentoring for low-income, minority, and first-generation students, BravenX, and paid micro-internships.
ACI says its scholarships and the McGraw Foundation Student Emergency Assistance Fund are distributed through member institutions, whose financial aid officers administer the aid to eligible students. In the 2024–2025 academic year, ACI provided member schools with $369,100 in scholarships benefiting 220 students, and $100,002 in emergency assistance benefiting 50 students.
The 2025 filing lists grants for educational activities at Illinois colleges and universities. Among the supported institutions, Knox College describes its mission as providing a liberal arts education to students from diverse backgrounds, while Olivet Nazarene University says it provides academic instruction for personal development, career readiness, and lives of service. Rockford University describes its mission as educating students through liberal arts learning combined with professional and practical experience.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, ACI reported 21 grants totaling $511,502. Grant amounts ranged from $19,762 to $25,762, with a median of $24,762. The largest listed grants included $25,762 to Knox College, $25,512 to Olivet Nazarene University, and $25,062 each to Eureka College and Rockford University. The stated purpose for these grants was educational activities.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Gene C Crume as President; Lyn Bulman as Chair; Angela T Allen as Secretary/Treasurer; and Andrea Talentino, Greg Meyer, Larry Lee, Troy VanAken, Jamel SC Wright, Barbara Farley, and Georgia Nugent as Trustees.
Associated Colleges of Illinois Inc is led by April Arnold, Executive Director on every filing since 2023; 1 of 51 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
April Arnold
Executive Director
On filings since 2023
50 hrs/week
$60K (2023) → $124K (2025)
Gene C Crume
President
Trustee → President, 2025
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lyn Bulman
Chair
Trustee → Chair, 2021
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ellen Babbitt
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jamel SC Wright
Trustee
President → President & Trustee, 2021
President & Trustee → Trustee, 2022
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jim Applegate
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Leslie Sawyer
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Tony LoBello
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Arvid Johnson
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Barbara Farley
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Bob DiMeo
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Bob Dow
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Brian McGee
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
C Andrew McGadney
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Clarence Wyatt
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Daniel Dobbins
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Dave Livingston
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Debbie Osgood
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Georgia Nugent
Trustee
President & Trustee → President, 2024
President → Trustee, 2025
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gregg Chenoweth
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jim Reynolds
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kim Marshall
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Leah Wallace
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Liz Cook
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mary Surridge
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Nichole Johnson
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ray Krouse
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Troy VanAken
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Aaron J Kuecker
Trustee
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Andrea Talentino
Trustee
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Chris Miceika
Trustee
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Emily Bothfeld
Trustee
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kassie Olea
Trustee
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Patricia Mota
Trustee
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Pawel Szeliski
Trustee
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ruben Abarca
Trustee
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Toya Garcia-Bradow
Trustee
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Anita Thomas
Trustee
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Daniel Norton
Trustee
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Greg Meyer
Trustee
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Patricia Lynott
Trustee
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Abiodun Goke-Pariola
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Dave Barnett
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Keith Elder
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Larry Lee
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Nicholas Simpson
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Passion Johnson
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Patricia Draves
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Peter Fissinger
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sheahon Zenger
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Angela T Allen
Secretary & Treasurer
Trustee → Secretary & Treasurer, 2021
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (57)
- Former: Brian Powers (2019–2024) — Trustee
- Former: Don Campbell (2019–2024) — Trustee · Filing note: Deceased
- Former: Becky Sherrick (2021–2024) — Trustee
- Former: Brad Summers (2021–2024) — Trustee
- Former: Glena Temple (2021–2024) — Trustee
- Former: Nic Simpson (2021–2024) — Trustee
- Former: Phil G Ryken (2021–2024) — Trustee
- Former: Joseph Foy (2024) — Trustee
- Former: Susana Rivera-Mills (2024) — Trustee
- Former: Brad Mease (2019–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Jerry Murphy (2019–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Mitchell G Weltman (2019–2023) — Former Executive Director
- Former: Adam Lieb (2021–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Charles Gregory (2021–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Chole Overstreet (2021–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Eric Fulcomer (2021–2023) — Trustee
- Former: John Williams (2021–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Justin Lee Allen (2021–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Kelly Kirkman (2021–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Laurie M Joyner (2021–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Mark Biermann (2021–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Rob Johnson (2021–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Russell Dawn (2021–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Troy Hammond (2021–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Margaret Mueller (2022–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Barry Mastin Jr. (2021–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Demetrio Garcia (2021–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Bill Powell (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Frank Cella (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Joe Perkoski (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Vince Williams (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Angie Winschel (2021) — Trustee
- Former: Clif Fenton (2021) — Trustee
- Former: Kurt Dykstra (2021) — Trustee
- Former: Mark Vargas (2021) — Trustee
- Former: Paul Szeliski (2021) — Trustee
- Former: Steve Bahls (2021) — Trustee
- Former: Brian Healy (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Chipo Nyambuya (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Clifton L Fenton (2019) — Secretary & Treasurer
- Former: Ed Wynn (2019) — Trustee
- Former: George Tarulis (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Jim Johnson (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Kayla Portwood (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Leslie Peltason (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Liz Niederkorn (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Louis Apostol (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Mark Neil (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Ranko Jovicevic (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Richard Lynch (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Shaelyn Otikor (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Simon Reeves (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Terri Diggs Norman (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Toni Cornellius (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Tony Oommen (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Wale Cole (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Watchen Nyanue (2019) — Trustee
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $124K, to April Arnold (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about Associated Colleges of Illinois Inc
How much does Associated Colleges of Illinois Inc give each year?
Associated Colleges of Illinois Inc gave $512K across 21 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $562K across 25 grants.
What is Associated Colleges of Illinois Inc's typical grant size?
Associated Colleges of Illinois Inc's median grant in 2025 was $24,762, and its average grant was $24,357, across 21 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Associated Colleges of Illinois Inc that year got $25K on average.
Where does Associated Colleges of Illinois Inc give grants?
Associated Colleges of Illinois Inc gives mostly in Illinois: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (2 grants).
Does Associated Colleges of Illinois Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 21 grants with a stated purpose on Associated Colleges of Illinois Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Educational Activities" (21 grants).
Who are Associated Colleges of Illinois Inc's largest grantees?
Associated Colleges of Illinois Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Knox College ($25,762), Olivet Nazarene University ($25,512) and Eureka College ($25,062), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 15% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Associated Colleges of Illinois Inc?
Associated Colleges of Illinois Inc reported $1.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $1.4M.
What does Associated Colleges of Illinois Inc fund?
ACI’s mission is to support member colleges and universities by advancing independent liberal arts and sciences education and helping underserved students succeed in college, career, and life. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Associated Colleges of Illinois Inc?
ACI does not accept applications for scholarships. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Associated Colleges of Illinois Inc's EIN?
Associated Colleges of Illinois Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-2252360. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS January 7, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS January 10, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS October 5, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 7, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS December 13, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS November 14, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
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Browse active grant opportunities in Associated Colleges of Illinois Inc's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Associated Colleges of Illinois Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 5, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/associated-colleges-of-illinois-inc-morg_c4732f9ee13d48bc80542b657b5deaab
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_362252360_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Associated Colleges of Illinois Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/associated-colleges-of-illinois-inc-morg_c4732f9ee13d48bc80542b657b5deaab},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-05. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Associated Colleges of Illinois Inc's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Associated Colleges of Illinois Inc down — hundreds of funders to go?