What is the Illinois Patriot Education Fund 501(c)3 Tax ID Number?
The Illinois Patriot Education Fund Tax EIN is 80-0681047.

What is the Illinois Patriot Education Fund’s Mission?

The Illinois Patriot Education Fund 501c(3) provides financial assistance to support the educational journey for Illinois military service men and women who have given their lives or become disabled in service to our country and their families. We encompass early education (K-12) through advanced, collegiate educational needs.  We also support the education of active duty members of our Armed Services over and above the benefits provided by the Post-911 GI Bill.

In expanding our reach to early educational needs, the goal is to ensure the children of Illinois service men and women have access to the school supplies and materials; programs; and schools to prepare them for vocational careers and college.

IPEF assistance could include school supplies and materials; professional tutoring programs, funding to help offset charter school costs, and scholarships.  Educational support for our Illinois service men, women, and families is our Mission.

The Illinois Patriot Education Fund 501c(3) Tax ID number is 80-0681047

 

What is the Illinois Patriot Education Fund’s Vision?
To inspire others to replicate this fund raising model on a state-by-state basis in order to influence local, state, and federal government to enhance the educational benefits, beyond those provided by the Post-9/11 GI Bill, to our service men and women; and the families of these men and women who have been wounded, disabled or killed while serving our country.

The Illinois Patriot Education Fund incorporates the latest technology to promote best practice fund raising models, community collaboration, and independent, non-for-profit governance to provide Illinois military families the financial support necessary to achieve their educational dreams.

Over the past 10 years, our military families’ educational pursuits have been impacted significantly by the ongoing war efforts. In many cases, our military families have not been afforded the time or the financial ability to pursue their educational interests. Furthermore, many of these families have been impacted by a loved one’s loss or disability associated with service to our country.  These families are hindered by the limited educational benefits provided in the Post-9/11 GI Bill causing great financial stress coupled with the inability to further their education to create a more stable and promising future for their families.

The Illinois Patriot Education Fund assists our Illinois military families by providing educational scholarship support through the use of the latest online technology, resources, and fund raising strategies. By drawing attention to this growing educational epidemic, we are able to help close the financial gap facing our Illinois military families. We are all digging in to help them. We are all in this together.

The hard reality is that the State of Illinois is drowning in debt. These families are not getting the assistance they need from our state or federal governments. It is up to us — their neighbors, their friends and family — to create these opportunities for them. It is our way of thanking them for their service by providing them with the educational opportunities that will enhance their family legacies for many generations to come.

Get involved today and help serve those that have served you.

Why donate to the Illinois Patriot Education Fund?

Ours is an Illinois-specific philanthropic effort. Donations are welcome from everyone; however donations to the fund are distributed only to assist those families that have local ties to the State of Illinois. We are ensuring that Illinois citizens have a chance to help serve their neighbors by serving those who have served us. Donors will have the comfort of knowing that their money is being reinvested in their local community. Your donations are granted to the following scholarship partners (Operation Homefront, Pat Tillman Foundation, Student Veterans of America, and Fisher House Foundation).  Each have agreed by contract to help identify Illinois military families in need and allocate 100% of your donations back into our local community. Our funds are restricted to ensure that each scholarship partner does not take out administrative costs etc.   In addition,  our local scholarship recipients attend our local events, giving donors the opportunity to meet the individuals they are helping first hand.

How does the Illinois Patriot Education Fund fill an educational void for our Illinois military families?

The IPEF supplements and complements state and federal programs already in place. Our program provides assistance for room, board, books, out of state tuition, advanced degrees and more. The Post-9/11 GI Bill does not help with advanced degrees. We do. The Post 911 GI Bill does not assist families wanting to pursue an education at smaller private institutions or with out of state tuition. We do. The Illinois Patriot Education Fund also assists with additional tuition costs, including room/board, incidental fees, all known grants, and any difference between school fees and state and federal government provisions. The Post-911 GI Bill doesn’t necessarily transfer educational benefits of the Post-911 GI benefits to children and spouses. We do.

The Illinois Patriot Education Fund complements and supplements the current Post-9/11 GI Bill for those families that are associated with the State of Illinois. This is very specific to the State of Illinois and to the individuals who have lost their lives for our country. We will also be incorporating additional educational assistance to those family members who have been impacted by the disability of a loved one as a result of their service.

How does IPEF restrict its donations to its scholarship partners?

100 percent of all donations granted to our scholarship partners are designated to support the educational needs of spouses and children of those who have served us by serving our country. Our criteria is simple. If you have an association with the state of Illinois, you qualify. If you were born in Illinois, attended school in Illinois, lived in Illinois for at least one year, worked in Illinois for at least one year, were stationed in Illinois, served in Illinois, paid taxes in Illinois, or your children reside in Illinois, you qualify for assistance through our program.

Be assured that your donations handled with utmost professionalism.  All donations made to Illinois Patriot Education Fund are managed by our goodwill partner, Morgan Stanley, which acts as fiscal manager and distributes donations on behalf of the fund to qualified recipients and scholarship partners.

We have business and legal contracts in place with each scholarship partner that restricts donations so that they are reinvested in the State of Illinois exclusively. Any amount of money granted is to be invested specifically for the purpose of educational scholarships, not expenses associated with their organization. Our legal partner is Winston & Strawn LLP.

Click here to donate to the Illinois Patriot Education Fund.

How does IPEF distribute money?
Ours is an Illinois-specific philanthropic effort. Donations are welcome from everyone; however donations to the fund are distributed only to assist those families that have local ties to the State of Illinois. We are ensuring that Illinois citizens have a chance to help serve their neighbors by serving those who have served us. Donors will have the comfort of knowing that their money is being reinvested in their local community. Your donations are granted to the organizations who help identify Illinois families in need and who have each made a commitment to reinvest this money back into our Illinois families’ education. Our local scholarship recipients attend our local events, giving donors the opportunity to meet the individuals they are helping.

Today our Illinois service men and women bear the incredible burden of combat and also are challenged with the same economic difficulties that face our state and country. The Illinois Patriot Education Fund recognizes the state and federal government’s work to support its military service families, but it cannot succeed without proactive Illinois citizens and corporate organizations to assist with this burden. Please keep these startling facts in mind when deciding how you can get involved and help our Illinois families.

How are Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom impacting Illinois military families and Illinois communities*?

[bulletlist]

  • Number of Illinois troops lost in action in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom – over 250
  • Number of Gold Star Families residing in Illinois – 580
  • Number of soldiers wounded In action Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom – over 1,400
  • Percent of soldiers whose combat wounds resulted in an amputation – over 5%
  • Percent of service men and women who are married with 2 dependents per family – more than 50%
  • Average age of an Illinois wounded or fallen service member – 26 years
  • Average age of each Illinois dependent – between 6-8 years
  • Average Illinois veteran income – $28,000 per year
  • Illinois families impacted by Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom – more than 8,000
  • Percent of wounded service members’ families who qualify for VA federal educational benefits – 15% [/bulletlist]

*Stats provided by a variety of resources including the Department of Defense and Veterans Administration Office.

How can I make a difference?
We are honored and moved by your willingness to help, and there are a number of ways that you can do so, including the following:

[bulletlist]

  • Make a one-time donation in any amount that you can contribute
  • Become a corporate sponsor or in-kind goodwill partner
  • Come to an event and help us raise funds while networking with others
  • If you can’t donate consider joining a committee and volunteering your time
  • Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and our YouTube Channel to get the latest updates
  • Tell your friends by sharing this site with others and spreading the word

 

What is your 510C3 Status?

The Illinois Patriot Education is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.  Our taxpayer identification number issued by the Internal Revenue Service for federal income tax purposes is EIN # 80-0681047.  Contributions to the Illinois Patriot Education Fund are deductable under Section 170 of the Internal Revenue Code, and the Fund is qualified to receive tax deductible bequests, devises, transfers, or gifts under Sections 2055, 2106, or 2522 of the Internal Revenue Code.

The Illinois Patriot Education Fund is incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation in the State of Illinois and is exempt from federal income tax.    Furthermore, the Fund is fully registered with the State of Illinois Attorney General’s Office under both the Charitable Trust and the Solicitation for Charity Acts.  Our registration number issued by the Illinois Attorney General’s office for purposes of complying with the Charitable Trust and Solicitation for Charity Acts is CO #01060609.  Applications and paperwork associated with this effort has been handled and filed by the Chicago, Illinois branch of the law offices of  Winston & Strawn LLP.

The Illinois Patriot Education Fund is an Illinois-specific philanthropic effort. Donations are welcome from everyone; however, our goal is to provide Illinois citizens with an opportunity to serve their neighbors by providing scholarship funding to those who have served us.  To that end, donations to the Illinois Patriot Education Fund are distributed only to assist those families that have local ties to the State of Illinois.  In turn, local scholarship recipients are invited to attend our fundraising events, giving donors the opportunity to meet the individuals they are helping.

Furthermore, donors may be confident in knowing that their donations are being reinvested in Illinois local communities in the form of scholarship assistance provided to Illinois military families only.  Donations to the Illinois Patriot Education Fund are distributed to organizations, or “scholarship partners,” that identify and assistIllinois families in need.  Each scholarship partner has made a commitment to reinvest 100% of these donations back into our Illinois families’ education as scholarship funding for Illinois military families.  This commitment is embodied in restrictive grant agreements (authored by Winston & Strawn, LLP) between the Illinois Patriot Education Fund and each of our scholarship partners, which currently includes Operation Homefront, Student Veterans of America, the Pat Tillman Foundation, and Fishers House Foundation.  You are welcome to review these restrictive grant agreements by contacting mark@illinoispatriot.com.

Winston & Strawn continues to represent the Illinois Patriot Education Fund on legal and tax matters associated with its federal tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.  Please contact mark@illinoispatriot.com for further information regarding the Fund’s tax-exempt status or to request copies of the Fund’s approved application for tax-exempt status and its most recent tax filings.