Initial Teaching Alphabet

NEW YORK, NY EIN: 11-2074243

The Initial Teaching Alphabet Foundation is a private operating foundation incorporated in New York in March 1965 and designated as tax-exempt in December 1966. Based in New York City, the foundation is organized exclusively for educational and charitable purposes. The foundation focuses on promoting literacy through the development, standardization, propagation, dissemination, teaching, and use of the Initial Teaching Alphabet (ITA)—a phonetic alphabet designed to improve reading and writing skills.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$1.3M

-35.1% YoY

Annual Giving

$563K

+28.8% YoY

Grant Count

+0.0% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$63K

+28.8% YoY

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

Mission Statement: The mission of the ITA Foundation is to promote literacy by providing independent funding for the development and dissemination of best teaching practices in the use and support of the initial teaching alphabet (ITA).

Primary Focus Areas:

Promotion of the Initial Teaching Alphabet through development of ITA lesson development systems
Development of related software and teaching publications
In-service training to grant recipients
Providing informational services about ITA and the ITA lesson development system to non-recipients
Support for K-12 schools, charter schools, and Head Start programs
Remediation of dyslexia and reading disabilities
Programs serving struggling middle and high school students
Support for Latino middle school students learning English
Title I and ADSIS student programs

Grantmaking

The foundation made seven grants in 2024. Recent grant recipients include:

Grant Range

** Typical awards range from $8,917 to $139,624.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation's grant-making focuses primarily on Minnesota, Illinois, and Georgia.

Grant Distribution by State

Minnesota $796K (38%)

Illinois $658K (32%)

PR $327K (16%)

Wisconsin $138K (7%)

Georgia $108K (5%)

Florida $40K (2%)

States

Florida Georgia Illinois Minnesota Pr Wisconsin

Cities

ChicagoClarkstonEvamsHaywardHutchinsonRochesterSan JuanSt AugustneWabashaWinona

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

As of 2024:

Total Assets: $1,289,371
Total Revenue: $179,178
Total Expenses: $917,024
Net Income: -$737,846
Total Liabilities: $16,500
Number of Employees: 1

EIN: 11-2074243

Contact Information:

Address: 630 3rd Ave, Floor 18, New York City, NY 10017-6940
Mailing Address: PO Box 231295, New York, NY 10023
Telephone: 507-458-5402
Website: www.itafoundation.org

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	$1,289,371	$1,986,915	$467,058
Revenue	$179,178	$2,099,844	$504,329
Expenses	$917,024	$596,117	$546,086
Qualifying Distributions	$917,081	$596,117	$506,181
Net Investment Income	$4,376	$4,349	$4,329
Distributable Amount	—	—	—

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 9 recipients in 2024

Grant Size Distribution

43 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Hutchinson Middle School ($139,624), Little Village Academy ($135,000), Rochester Catholic Schools ($94,599).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
HUTCHINSON MIDDLE SCHOOL HUTCHINSON, MN	TO FURTHER PROMOTE AND TEACH THE FOUNDATION'S PRIMARY GOAL - THE USE OF THE INITIAL TEACHING ALPHABET	$139,624
INVESTING IN KIDSINK ST AUGUSTNE, FL	TO FURTHER PROMOTE AND TEACH THE FOUNDATION'S PRIMARY GOAL - THE USE OF THE INITIAL TEACHING ALPHABET	$20,000
LITTLE VILLAGE ACADEMY CHICAGO, IL	TO FURTHER PROMOTE AND TEACH THE FOUNDATION'S PRIMARY GOAL - THE USE OF THE INITIAL TEACHING ALPHABET	$135,000
CENTRO METROPOLITANO DE SERVICIOS COMUNITARIOS SAN JUAN, PR	TO FURTHER PROMOTE AND TEACH THE FOUNDATION'S PRIMARY GOAL - THE USE OF THE INITIAL TEACHING ALPHABET	$63,544
AMANI WOMEN CENTER CLARKSTON, GA	TO FURTHER PROMOTE AND TEACH THE FOUNDATION'S PRIMARY GOAL - THE USE OF THE INITIAL TEACHING ALPHABET	$20,000
ROCHESTER CATHOLIC SCHOOLS ROCHESTER, MN	TO FURTHER PROMOTE AND TEACH THE FOUNDATION'S PRIMARY GOAL - THE USE OF THE INITIAL TEACHING ALPHABET	$94,599
SAN MIGUEL SCHOOL OF CHICAGO CHICAGO, IL	TO FURTHER PROMOTE AND TEACH THE FOUNDATION'S PRIMARY GOAL - THE USE OF THE INITIAL TEACHING ALPHABET	$39,476
SOAR ACADEMY EVAMS, GA	TO FURTHER PROMOTE AND TEACH THE FOUNDATION'S PRIMARY GOAL - THE USE OF THE INITIAL TEACHING ALPHABET	$30,000
WABASHA-KELLOGG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WABASHA, MN	TO FURTHER PROMOTE AND TEACH THE FOUNDATION'S PRIMARY GOAL - THE USE OF THE INITIAL TEACHING ALPHABET	$21,000

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

Board Members and Officers (as of 2020):

Shelley Jerviss, President
Dr. Jane Anderson, Vice President/Treasurer
Erin Hemstead, Director
Margaret Westlund, Secretary
Edith Galvez, Director
Linda Vaplon, Director

The foundation notes that Dr. Jane Flynn Anderson and other ITA intervention pioneers have joined the Board to promote the use of ITA for struggling students. The foundation's research history includes work by Dr. Anderson on using ITA for remediation of dyslexia beginning in 1985.

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
SHELLEY JERVISS	DIRECTOR	8	$2,500
DR JANE ANDERSON	DIRECTOR	30	$74,833
ERIN HEMSTEAD	SECRETARY	2	$1,500
MARGARET WESTLUND	PRESIDENT	4	$13,500
EDITH GALVEZ	TREASURER	2	$11,500
LINDA VAPLON	VICE-PRESIDENT	2	$1,500

Recent News & Activity

Recent developments and announcements

The foundation has maintained active grant-making focused on ITA literacy programs. Recent grant awards have supported schools and literacy clinics implementing ITA methodologies. The foundation continues to support research and implementation of ITA for reading instruction and remediation, with particular emphasis on serving struggling readers and students with dyslexia across various educational settings.

Saint Mary\u2019s i.t.a. Literacy Clinic receives $75,172 grant | News |\

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Initial Teaching Alphabet fund?

**Mission Statement:** The mission of the ITA Foundation is to promote literacy by providing independent funding for the development and dissemination of best teaching practices in the use and support of the initial teaching alphabet (ITA). **Primary Focus Areas:** • Promotion of the Initial Teaching Alphabet through development of ITA lesson development systems • Development of related software and teaching publications • In-service training to grant recipients • Providing informational servic…

How do I apply for a grant from Initial Teaching Alphabet?

**Grant Activity:** The foundation made seven grants in 2024. Recent grant recipients include: • Rochester Catholic Schools: $94,599 (2024) • San Miguel School of Chicago • Saint Mary's i.t.a. Literacy Clinic: $75,172 **Grant Range:** Typical awards range from $8,917 to $139,624. **Total Giving:** $563,243 (2024)