Illinois Stewardship Alliance
Illinois Stewardship Alliance is a public charity based in Springfield, Illinois. It works to advance a more just and regenerative Illinois food and farm system through policy, advocacy, education, and support for local food-system infrastructure.
Illinois Stewardship Alliance at a glance
In short: Illinois Stewardship Alliance gave $1.5M across 16 grants in 2024 (avg $91K), mostly in Illinois. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,456,200
- Grants made (2024)
- 16
- Average grant
- $91,013
- Median grant
- $100,000
- Total assets
- $1,349,381
- +10.1% vs 2023
- Primary geography
- Illinois (100% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated September 2026.
How to apply to Illinois Stewardship Alliance
- Review Cycle
- The Local Food Infrastructure Grant application deadline was March 27, 2026; the Farm to Food Bank Capacity-Building Grant deadline was March 8, 2026. Both deadlines have passed.
- Deadline
- The Local Food Infrastructure Grant application deadline was March 27, 2026; the Farm to Food Bank Capacity-Building…
- Contact
Mailing address: 230 Broadway Suite 200, Springfield, IL 62701
Phone: (217) 528-1563
Website: https://ilstewards.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Illinois Stewardship Alliance funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Allen's Farm Quality Meats ($150K). Together the top 10 received $1.2M.
Grant Size Distribution
58 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 42 grants of 58 (72%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars reported for 2024 went to recipients in Illinois. The Alliance describes its work as statewide and focused on Illinois food and farm policy.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 16 itemized grants.
Cities
How Illinois Stewardship Alliance gives
- Giving grew 1842% from 2021 to 2024. Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990 filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $75K (2021) to $1.5M (2024). In 2024 it made 16 grants totaling $1.5M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Allen's Farm Quality Meats Homer, IL | Pass-Through Farmer Grants | $150,000 |
| Fuller Park Community Development Chicago, IL | Pass-Through Farmer Grants | $150,000 |
| Central IL Farm Fresh Enterprise Dev Coop Mt Pulaski, IL | Pass-Through Farmer Grants | $148,000 |
| Jo Daviess Local Foods Hanover, IL | Pass-Through Farmer Grants | $140,000 |
| Sola Gratia Farm Urbana, IL | Pass-Through Farmer Grants | $117,690 |
| Down at the Farms LLC Fairbury, IL | Pass-Through Farmer Grants | $110,000 |
| Demange Farms Collinsville, IL | Pass-Through Farmer Grants | $106,000 |
| St Paul's Episcopal Church Peoria, IL | Pass-Through Farmer Grants | $105,000 |
| Urban Growers Collective Inc Chicago, IL | Pass-Through Farmer Grants | $95,000 |
| Leaf Food Hub Tunnel Hill, IL | Pass-Through Farmer Grants | $79,887 |
Ready to take the next step with Illinois Stewardship Alliance?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,349,381 | $2,837,062 | $2,872,428 | $1,456,200 | 16 | $5,738 |
| 2023 | $1,225,997 | $812,746 | $674,326 | — | — | $3,352 |
| 2022 | $978,545 | $661,400 | $851,702 | $205,000 | 14 | $143 |
| 2021 | $1,034,704 | $829,300 | $528,075 | $75,000 | 1 | $102 |
| 2020 | $622,985 | $1,010,431 | $809,966 | $299,500 | 27 | $92 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Alliance states that its mission is to build a statewide alliance of farmers, eaters, and food-system leaders to transform the local food and farm system to be more just and regenerative. Its 2024 filing describes its purpose as promoting ecologically sustainable, economically viable, socially just local food systems through policy development, advocacy, and education, and its program as research and education on agricultural policies and procedures.
The Alliance’s 2026 policy agenda includes addressing monopolies in agriculture, improving local food access, and supporting farmers’ access to capital. Its website also describes work to build farm and food leaders, collective power, farmer-led policy solutions, and resilient local food systems.
The 2024 grants were all listed as pass-through farmer grants. Among the recipients, Fuller Park Community Development Corp says its work addresses economic, education, environmental, and health issues affecting its neighbors. Sola Gratia Farm describes itself as a community-based farm producing local produce and donating at least 10% of it to regional hunger programs. Urban Growers Collective says it uses urban agriculture to address food-system inequities and structural racism and to support health and economic development. Just Roots says it collaborates with communities to expand access to local, sustainably grown food.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the Alliance reported 16 grants totaling $1,456,200. Grant amounts ranged from $8,100 to $150,000, with a median of $100,000. The listed grants were for pass-through farmer grants.
Notable 2024 recipients included Allen’s Farm Quality Meats ($150,000), Fuller Park Community Development Corp ($150,000), Central IL Farm Fresh Enterprise Dev Coop ($148,000), Jo Daviess Local Foods ($140,000), and Sola Gratia Farm ($117,690). Other reported awards included Down at the Farms LLC ($110,000), Demange Farms ($106,000), St. Paul’s Episcopal Church ($105,000), Urban Growers Collective ($95,000), Leaf Food Hub ($79,887), Funks Grove Heritage Fruits & Grain ($72,124), and Just Roots ($70,000).
The Alliance announced a Local Food Infrastructure Grant Program offering collaborative grants of up to $250,000 or individual project grants of up to $75,000. It also announced Farm to Food Bank Capacity-Building Grants of up to $100,000. These were described as state-supported programs, and the announced application periods are past.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Chad Wallace as president, Dane Holmes as treasurer, and Shari O’Donnell as secretary. It also lists Rachel Berry, Jason Weedon, Amy Bartucci, Laura Miller Hill, Ryan Smith, Kim Ross, and Amy Cook as board members.
Illinois Stewardship Alliance is led by Liz Stelk, Executive Director on every filing since 2020; 1 of 13 officers listed in 2024 is compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Liz Stelk
Executive Director
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$55K (2020) → $87K (2024)
Chad Wallace
President
Board Member → President, 2022
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Rachel Berry
Board Member
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Shari O'Donnell
Secretary
President → Secretary, 2022
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Amy Bartucci
Board Member
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Amy Cook
Board Member
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jason Weedon
Board Member
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jessica Eder
Board Member
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kim Ross
Board Member
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Laura Miller Hill
Board Member
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ryan Smith
Board Member
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Warren Bakker
Vice President
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Dane Holmes
Treasurer
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (12)
- Former: Jen Wilcox (2022–2023) — Board Member
- Former: Emily Wright (2020–2022) — Treasurer
- Former: Melissa Schwoerer (2020–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Tim Magner (2020–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Lisa Griffith (2022) — Board Member
- Former: Kathy Pecora (2020–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Kendra Boesdorfer (2020–2021) — Secretary
- Former: Ben Hawkins (2020) — Board Member
- Former: Chase Sanert (2020) — Board Member
- Former: Dick Lyons (2020) — Board Member
- Former: Erica Beeman (2020) — Board Member
- Former: Rikkisha Candler (2020) — Board Member
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $87K, to Liz Stelk (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about Illinois Stewardship Alliance
How much does Illinois Stewardship Alliance give each year?
Illinois Stewardship Alliance gave $1.5M across 16 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990.
What is Illinois Stewardship Alliance's typical grant size?
Illinois Stewardship Alliance's median grant in 2024 was $100,000, and its average grant was $91,013, across 16 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990.
Where does Illinois Stewardship Alliance give grants?
Illinois Stewardship Alliance gives mostly in Illinois: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (3 grants).
Does Illinois Stewardship Alliance give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 16 grants with a stated purpose on Illinois Stewardship Alliance's 2024 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Pass-Through Farmer Grants" (16 grants).
Who are Illinois Stewardship Alliance's largest grantees?
Illinois Stewardship Alliance's largest 2024 grantees include Allen's Farm Quality Meats ($150,000), Fuller Park Community Development ($150,000) and Central IL Farm Fresh Enterprise Dev Coop ($148,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 31% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Illinois Stewardship Alliance?
Illinois Stewardship Alliance reported $1.3M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $2.8M.
What does Illinois Stewardship Alliance fund?
The Alliance states that its mission is to build a statewide alliance of farmers, eaters, and food-system leaders to transform the local food and farm system to be more just and regenerative. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Illinois Stewardship Alliance?
Illinois Stewardship Alliance has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check ilstewards.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Illinois Stewardship Alliance's EIN?
Illinois Stewardship Alliance's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 37-6160476. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(5)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 17, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Illinois Stewardship Alliance funds
Food, Agriculture & Nutrition Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Illinois Stewardship Alliance's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Illinois Stewardship Alliance funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/illinois-stewardship-alliance-morg_4ee96186edce4ec9961cec523aba0993
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_376160476_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Illinois Stewardship Alliance funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/illinois-stewardship-alliance-morg_4ee96186edce4ec9961cec523aba0993},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-20. 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 Stewardship Alliance'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.
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