The Illinois Children's Healthcare Foundation (ILCHF) is a private foundation based in Oak Brook, Illinois, established in December 2002. It is the only private Illinois foundation that funds children's healthcare statewide and operates across all 102 Illinois counties. The foundation works through grantee partners to identify and fund solutions addressing barriers that prevent children from accessing ongoing healthcare.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$151.0M
+6.4% YoY
Annual Giving
$6.1M
-30.5% YoY
Grant Count
42
-49.4% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$146K
+37.4% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Illinois Children's Healthcare reported a distributable amount of $6.3M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Mission & Focus Areas
Mission: Every child in Illinois grows up healthy.
The foundation ensures that every child in Illinois has the opportunity to grow up healthy by closing the gap between children who have access to care and those who are underserved.
Primary Focus Areas:
- Mental Health: Addressing the mental health needs of children through system of care modeling and integrating mental healthcare into community-based settings
- Oral Health: Improving the oral health of underserved children through dental health clinics, professional education, and partnerships
The foundation also monitors emerging and other compelling health issues that the board of directors may select as focus areas in the future.
Grantmaking
Grant Range
** Awards typically range from $50,000 to $1 million to nonprofits serving the health needs of Illinois children.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation funds statewide across all 102 Illinois counties. Grant-making is focused primarily in Illinois, with some activity in Missouri and Indiana.
Grant Distribution by State
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of 2024:
- Total assets: $150,973,913
- Total revenues: $56,993,273
- Total expenses: $7,936,732
- Total giving: $6,147,051
- Staff: 6 employees
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $150,973,913 | $141,891,372 | $130,396,780 |
| Revenue | $56,993,273 | $5,784,327 | $6,556,335 |
| Expenses | $7,936,732 | $9,231,609 | $12,572,503 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $8,218,232 | $10,885,851 | $13,570,756 |
| Net Investment Income | $56,684,241 | $5,458,990 | $6,254,772 |
| Distributable Amount | $6,336,731 | $6,136,539 | $6,572,071 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
242 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
3 open opportunities from Illinois Children's Healthcare
ILCHF Funding Inquiries Grant
Illinois Children's Healthcare
Amount
Up to US $10,000
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Strengthening the Bilingual Mental Health Workforce Initiative
Illinois Children's Healthcare
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Youth Workforce Development 2.0 Initiative
Illinois Children's Healthcare
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Methodist Medical Center Illinois ($439,406), Chestnut Health Systems Inc ($437,500), Rush University Medical Center ($433,928).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Advocate Health And Hospitals Corporation Oak Brook, IL | Pediattric Mobile Dental Van | $145,000 |
| Association of Latinosasxs Motivating Action Chicago, IL | LGBTQ+ Youth and Families Support Services | $10,000 |
| Beyond the Ball NFP Chicago, IL | Maker Space: Exploring Interests and Creating Objects | $10,000 |
| Board of Trustees of the U of Illinois Urbana, IL | Mile Square Health Center Dental Assistant Certification Program | $52,000 |
| Bridgeway Inc Galesburg, IL | Youth Empowerment Services (YES) System of Care | $216,666 |
| Bridgeway Inc Galesburg, IL | CMHI Youth Empowerment | $225,000 |
| Centerstone of Illinois Inc W Frankfort, IL | Building Compassionate Communities | $300,000 |
| Central Illinois Foodbank Springfield, IL | Children's Healthy Food Initiative | $125,000 |
| Chestnut Health Systems Inc Bloomington, IL | St. Clair County Systems of Care Coordination | $437,500 |
| Community Foundation of Kankakee River Valley Kankakee, IL | CMHI 2.0 Implementation - Project SUN - A Strong & Unified Network | $300,000 |
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Principal Officer: Ms. Heather Higgins Alderman
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Juan Carlos Avila | Chair/Director | 5 | — |
| Regina Crider | Vice Chair/Director | 2.5 | — |
| Rudy Valdez DM | Treasurer/Director | 5 | — |
| Icy Cade-Bell MD | Secretary/Director | 2.5 | — |
| Heather Higgins Alderman | President & CEO | 40 | $325,000 |
| Philip S Cali | Director | 2 | — |
| Kim Cassel | Director | 2 | — |
| Carl R Flowers PhD | Director | 2 | — |
| Peter Flynn PhD | Director | 2 | — |
| Veronica Guadalupe Fonseca | Director | 2 | — |
| Kay Giles | Director | 2 | — |
| Stacie Kuhlman | Director | 2 | — |
| Ruby Mendenhall | Director | 2 | — |
| Nicholas Panomitros DDS | Director | 2 | — |
| Michael Parker | Director | 2 | — |
| Ruth B Rosenthal MD | Director | 2 | — |
| Myrtis Sullivan MD | Director | 2 | — |
| Peter E Doris MD | Board Member Emeritus | 0.25 | — |
| C William Pollard | Board Member Emeritus | 0.25 | — |
| James Ryan | Board Member Emeritus | — | — |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
The foundation announced new health equity initiatives
Illinois Children's Healthcare Foundation Announces New Health ...Partnership announced with Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation for oral health initiatives
Illinois Children's Healthcare Foundation Announces New Health ...Commitment of additional $4.25 million to improve children's mental health
Illinois Children's Healthcare Foundation Announces New Health ...Participation in Birth to Five Illinois collaborative, which reached a $12 million funding milestone to support early childhood collaborations
PRESS RELEASE: Birth to Five Illinois Reaches $12M Funding Milestone to\Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Illinois Children's Healthcare fund?
**Mission:** Every child in Illinois grows up healthy. The foundation ensures that every child in Illinois has the opportunity to grow up healthy by closing the gap between children who have access to care and those who are underserved. **Primary Focus Areas:** • **Mental Health:** Addressing the mental health needs of children through system of care modeling and integrating mental healthcare into community-based settings • **Oral Health:** Improving the oral health of underserved children thro…
How do I apply for a grant from Illinois Children's Healthcare?
**Grant Range:** Awards typically range from $50,000 to $1 million to nonprofits serving the health needs of Illinois children. **Historical Grantmaking (Since 2004):** • Total awarded: $142 million across 848 grants • Oral Health: $48 million (308 grants) • Mental Health: $75 million (318 grants) • Other: $19 million (222 grants) **Recent Activity:** • 2024 grant to Chestnut Health Systems for St. Clair County Systems of Care Coordination: $437,500 **Accomplishments:** • Created over 70 oral h…
Where does Illinois Children's Healthcare make grants?
The foundation funds statewide across all 102 Illinois counties. Grant-making is focused primarily in Illinois, with some activity in Missouri and Indiana.
What size grants does Illinois Children's Healthcare award?
In 2024, Illinois Children's Healthcare awarded 42 grants totaling $6.1M — an average of about $146K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
How much is Illinois Children's Healthcare required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, Illinois Children's Healthcare reported a distributable amount of $6.3M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is Illinois Children's Healthcare's EIN?
Illinois Children's Healthcare's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 03-0503425. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Illinois Children's Healthcare's focus areas in our free grants database
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Data last updated June 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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