490 MILLION DOLLARS.

That’s how much the State of Illinois currently owes to nonprofits that provide services to Illinoisans on behalf of the State.  And if you include what is owed to private business as well as nonprofits, the total amount owed is $1.3 billion! 

The State's economic troubles have hit nonprofits hard.  This list (PDF download), compiled by Illinois Partners for Human Service, drives that point home.  Obtained via a Freedom of Information Act Request to Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes, the document lists the specific amounts owed to hundreds of nonprofits across the state.

We were glad to see this issue covered on the Progress Illinois blog and on Greg Hinz’s blog at Crain's Chicago Business.  More and more people are coming to understand that Illinois nonprofits are expected to provide vital services without the reimbursement they were promised by the State.

Illinois Partners for Human Service is raising public awareness and promoting public policies to protect vital human services for men, women, and children in Illinois.  We encourage you to join them.

By the way, Illinois Partners endorsed Donors Forum's Partnership Principles for a Sustainable Human Services System — have you?

~ Hannah White, Public Policy Associate, Donors Forum