Illinois Action for Children
Illinois Action for Children (IAFC) is a public charity based in Chicago, Illinois. It works to support children, families, child care providers, and early childhood educators through programs, advocacy, research, professional development, and other resources. Its programs include administering the Child Care Assistance Program in Cook County and connecting families with child care referrals and related services.
Illinois Action for Children at a glance
In short: Illinois Action for Children gave $521K across 60 grants in 2025 (avg $9K), mostly in Illinois. 28% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $520,684
- -9.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 60
- -27.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $8,678
- +25.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $6,998
- Total assets
- $21,388,943
- -2.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 28% first-time grantees (17 of 60, 2025)
- 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 Illinois Action for Children
- How to Apply
-
IAFC provides application materials and instructions for specific provider funding opportunities; requirements vary by program.
- Contact
Mailing address: 4753 North Broadway 1St Floor, Chicago, IL 60640
Phone: (312) 823-1100
Website: https://actforchildren.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Illinois Action for Children funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Little Bear Day Care ($35K). Together the top 10 received $174K.
Grant Size Distribution
338 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 338 grants of 338 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
IAFC is based in Chicago, and its website describes work supporting children, families, providers, and educators in Chicago and across Illinois. All grant dollars reported for 2025 went to Illinois recipients. Some provider funding opportunities are limited to Cook County; the individual professional development fund page directs providers outside Cook County to their local resource and referral agency.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 60 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Illinois Action for Children open to new grantees?
28%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 17 of 60 grantees (28%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $8K; repeat grants $9K. How we count
Medians: $7K first-time, $7K repeat.
- 55% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+13%). 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 $403K (2021) to $852K (2020). In 2025 it made 60 grants totaling $521K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Little Bear Day Care Chicago, IL | Quality Improvements | $35,215 |
| Pinewood Drive KinderCare Orland Park, IL | Quality Improvements | $20,957 |
| Concordia Place Chicago, IL | Quality Improvements | $19,724 |
| Smart Learning Center Site A Chicago, IL | Quality Improvements | $16,349 |
| Huy & Jackie Corp DBA First Academy Chicago, IL | Quality Improvements | $15,807 |
| Small World Learning Center Inc Franklin Park, IL | Quality Improvements | $15,760 |
| Nurturing Developmental Learning Academy II South Holland, IL | Quality Improvements | $14,002 |
| Penny Lane SchoolChicago Ridge Chicago Ridge, IL | Quality Improvements | $13,931 |
| Lake Shore Schools Andersonville Chicago, IL | Quality Improvements | $13,898 |
| M & M Child Care Center Lynwood, IL | Quality Improvements | $8,713 |
Ready to take the next step with Illinois Action for Children?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $21,388,943 | $60,569,461 | $61,096,552 | $520,684 | 60 | $8,409 |
| 2024 | $21,966,052 | $58,005,195 | $57,337,435 | $573,942 | 83 | $16,339 |
| 2023 | $22,550,870 | $57,636,788 | $57,407,378 | $521,994 | 74 | $-15,832 |
| 2022 | $10,829,561 | $53,057,014 | $52,743,067 | $461,247 | 65 | $12,197 |
| 2021 | $11,927,500 | $51,346,846 | $51,550,214 | $403,241 | 56 | $1,733 |
| 2020 | $11,741,566 | $52,360,521 | $50,927,836 | $851,524 | 125 | $134,244 |
| 2019 | $11,056,991 | $48,944,074 | $49,029,572 | $827,794 | 128 | $185,364 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
IAFC’s mission is to “uplift children and all who care for them, advancing strong families and prosperous communities.” The organization says its work includes early care and education, family resources, provider support, advocacy, and research.
Its Quality Improvement Funds support child care programs seeking to achieve or maintain a Circle of Quality above the required licensing level, pursue national accreditation, or advance their quality rating. IAFC also offers individual professional development funds for eligible early childhood providers and educators.
In 2025, IAFC’s largest listed grants were for “QUALITY IMPROVEMENTS.” Among its recipients, Concordia Place describes its own work as supporting families from pregnancy through college entry, including early childhood care and education, after-school and summer programs, and teen leadership programs. KidWatch Plus Inc. says its mission is to offer educational programs and quality care for children while parents work or attend school. Academy for Children describes its work as providing emotional, social, and educational support to families and teen mothers with young children.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, IAFC reported 60 grants totaling $520,684. Grant amounts ranged from $5,000 to $35,215, with a median of $6,998. All reported grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois. The largest listed award was $35,215 to Little Bear Day Care in Chicago for quality improvements. Other notable awards included $20,957 to Pinewood Drive KinderCare in Orland Park and $19,724 to Concordia Place in Chicago, both for quality improvements.
IAFC’s website describes application processes for particular provider funding programs. For individual professional development funds, applicants must meet employment, Gateways to Opportunity Registry, program listing, location, and financial-standing requirements; the application instructions call for submitting the application and supporting documents. Quality Improvement Funds include cohort, training stipend, and accreditation assistance options, each with program-specific requirements. The posted deadlines for the Quality Improvement Cohort (October 24, 2025), Quality Improvement Accreditation Assistance or Training Stipends (June 1, 2026), and Individual Professional Development Funds (June 2, 2026) have passed.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Peter Kim as Chair of the Board, Michelle Saddler as Vice Chair, Amirh Collis as Treasurer, and Catherine Merritt as Secretary. It also lists Christopher Knapik, Gail Miller-Carter, Hardik Dalal, Jason Smith, Katie Durick, and LaChar Crayton as directors.
Illinois Action for Children is led by April Janney, President & CEO since 2022 (on filings since 2019); 8 of 21 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
April Janney
President & CEO
Senior Vice President & Programs → Senior Vice President, Operations, Acting President & CEO, 2020
Senior Vice President, Operations, Acting President & CEO → President & CEO, 2022
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$184K (2019) → $368K (2025)
Peter Kim
Chair of the Board
Director → Chair of the Board, 2024
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
LaChar Crayton
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Tobeka Green
Director
Secretary & Acting Treasurer → Secretary, 2024
Secretary → Director, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Christopher Knapik
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Hardik Dalal
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Linda Hodo
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jason Smith
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Katie Durick
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gail Miller-Carter
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Micah Brown
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jacqueline Zanders
Chief Financial Officer
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$151K (2019) → $231K (2025)
Sandra Matthews
Senior Vice President, Organizational Advancement & External Relations
Vice President Organizational Advancement & External Relations → Vice President, Organizational Advancement & External Relations, 2020
Vice President, Organizational Advancement & External Relations → Senior Vice President, Organizational Advancement & External Relations, 2023
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$166K (2019) → $205K (2025)
Shauna Ejeh
Senior Vice President & Programs
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$118K (2020) → $200K (2025)
Tito Guerrero
Senior Vice President & Operations
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$133K (2023) → $181K (2025)
Arlene Mitchell-Pace
Vice President & Human Resources
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$157K (2024) → $164K (2025)
Angela Farwig
Vice President, Public Policy, Research & Advocacy
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$146K (2025)
Marquinta Thomas
Vice President & Community Impact
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$130K (2025)
Michelle Saddler
Vice Chair
Director → Vice Chair, 2022
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Catherine Merritt
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Amirh Collis
Treasurer
Director → Treasurer, 2024
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (32)
- Former: Jennifer Farrington (2019–2024) — Director
- Former: Mark Barrett (2023–2024) — Vice President & Early Learning
- Former: Christopher Tokarski (2024) — Vice President, Family & Community Services
- Former: Tamarr Walker (2024) — Director
- Former: Tussanee Taylor (2024) — Director
- Former: Beth Brooks (2019–2023) — Chair of the Board
- Former: Celena Roldan (2019–2023) — Past Chair
- Former: Jeffrey Gawel (2019–2023) — Chief Information Officer
- Former: Aurienday Briggins-Godfrey (2023) — Director
- Former: Britany Moutry (2023) — Director
- Former: Choua Vue (2023) — Vice President & Community Impact
- Former: Joel Carp (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Judith Walker Kendrick (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Nicole Watkins (2020–2022) — Vice President & Human Resources
- Former: Laci Gatewood (2021–2022) — Vice President, Family & Community Services
- Former: Teresa Ramos (2021–2022) — Vice President of Public Policy & Advocacy
- Former: Sonia Lopez Tavares (2022) — Director
- Former: Andrew Rosenband (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Larry Mages (2019–2021) — Secretary of the Board
- Former: Maria Whelan (2019–2021) — Former President & CEO
- Former: Marvin Cohen (2019–2021) — Treasurer of the Board
- Former: Monica Moss (2019–2021) — Past Chair of the Board
- Former: Natalie Mindrum (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: James Alexander (2019–2020) — Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning & Execution
- Former: Julia Gray (2019–2020) — Chief Operating Officer
- Former: Laurie Walker (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Patricia Sawyer (2020) — Director
- Former: Bryan Stokes (2019) — Vice President of Early Learning Head Start
- Former: Micki Chulick (2019) — Director
- Former: Radiance Walker (2019) — Director
- Former: Richard Sewell (2019) — Past Chair of the Board
- Former: Theresa Hawley (2019) — Senior Vice President of Policy & Innovation
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 $368K, to April Janney (President/CEO). 8 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Illinois Action for Children
How much does Illinois Action for Children give each year?
Illinois Action for Children gave $521K across 60 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $574K across 83 grants.
What is Illinois Action for Children's typical grant size?
Illinois Action for Children's median grant in 2025 was $6,998, and its average grant was $8,678, across 60 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Illinois Action for Children that year got $8K on average.
Where does Illinois Action for Children give grants?
Illinois Action for Children 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 (25 grants), Cicero, IL (3 grants), Orland Park, IL (2 grants) and Country Club Hills, IL (2 grants).
Does Illinois Action for Children give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 60 grants with a stated purpose on Illinois Action for Children's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Quality Improvements" (60 grants).
Who are Illinois Action for Children's largest grantees?
Illinois Action for Children's largest 2025 grantees include Little Bear Day Care ($35,215), Pinewood Drive KinderCare ($20,957) and Concordia Place ($19,724), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 15% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Illinois Action for Children?
Illinois Action for Children reported $21.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $60.6M.
What does Illinois Action for Children fund?
IAFC’s mission is to “uplift children and all who care for them, advancing strong families and prosperous communities.” The organization says its work includes early care and education, family resources, provider support, advocacy, and research. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Illinois Action for Children?
IAFC provides application materials and instructions for specific provider funding opportunities; requirements vary by program. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Illinois Action for Children's EIN?
Illinois Action for Children's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-2712912. 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 2024 (received by the IRS May 14, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 8, 2026)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 12, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 9, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 12, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 13, 2024)
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Illinois Action for Children's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Illinois Action for Children funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/illinois-action-for-children-morg_1edb60a9791046a8bee783af028a6237
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_362712912_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Illinois Action for Children funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/illinois-action-for-children-morg_1edb60a9791046a8bee783af028a6237},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Illinois Action for Children'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.
Illinois Action for Children down — hundreds of funders to go?