Empower Illinois

Empower Illinois has a big, bold mission rooted in the simple belief that every child should have access to high quality education options. Public education is rooted in the promise of equal opportunity, but for too many children who live near poverty or for students with certain special needs, those opportunities are out of reach. Empower Illinois formed to fight for children whose educational options are limited by household income, neighborhood, or learning style. Our scholarships, policy work, and advocacy provide parents with options to help their children find success. Empower Illinois’ primary initiative is Illinois’ Tax Credit Scholarship Program. Empower Illinois is the state’s largest, most comprehensive scholarship granting organization (SGO). We have successfully raised the most donations, received the greatest number of applications, and awarded more scholarships than any other SGO in the state. Since the program’s inception in 2018, we have raised more than $125M. Empower Illinois partners with approximately 91% of all Illinois’ recognized private schools to ensure families have options to find their child’s best fit school. We support schools and school networks in their tax credit scholarship fundraising efforts while assisting students and their families through the scholarship process that can help make their dreams a reality. Program donors can earn a 75% state tax credit on their gift and designate their favorite nonpublic school to receive the funds. Empower Illinois' patented scholarship granting platform EmpowerXChange offers a user-friendly, transparent, and seamless experience for applicants and participating schools.