Click here to hear U.S. Senator Dick Durbin talk about the importance of IEF Scholarships.
Click here to watch the "Newsmakers" video about the IEF airing on CNN Headline News.
Click here to listen to the IEF's Public Service Announcement, now airing on WLS-AM 890 and WZZN 94.7 FM Oldies!
Read the Chicago Sun-Time article on the IEF: "Program Invests in Student Success."Article or PDF
Welcome
The IEF empowers low-income, high potential Illinois students to enroll and succeed in community college programs by providing a combination of financial assistance and academic support services, such as tutoring and mentoring.
Every year in Illinois, thousands of students are denied the chance to pursue a college degree. Some fail to enroll because they are not academically prepared to enter four-year universities. Others are hampered by the financial burden, as the cost of college keeps rising. And still others are struggling to juggle school, work and raise their own families.These can be daunting barriers, but they do NOT have to be deal-breakers.
At the Illinois Education Foundation we believe that all students who have the passion to succeed, deserve the opportunity to attend college. We combine scholarship funding with academic support services such as mentoring, tutoring, and academic advising to ensure the highest possible rate of success for our students.
The Illinois Education Foundation is helping to create a new generation of financially independent young adults who will not only become productive members of the workforce and society, but who will also be in a better position to provide for their children those opportunities they were once denied.
Join us in this educational movement that benefits not only Illinois students-but all of Illinois!

"I always thought I would never see the inside of a college. Now I want to get a bachelor's in marketing and a master's in entrepreneurship. Now that I have started school, it's like, they're going to have to kick me out to pull me out."
-Rashida Cooper, IEF Scholar, Malcolm X College and Northern Illinois University
Rashida Cooper has the potential to become anything she wants - and the Illinois Education Foundation is helping her to reach that potential.
IEF Advisory Board
State Rep. Edward Acevedo
IL 2nd District, Asst. House Maj. Leader
U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean
IL 8th Congressional District
Governor Rod R. Blagojevich
Dr. Cozette Buckney
CAO, AdvancePath Academics
Paul Bryant
Principal/ Vice President, Mid- America Real Estate Co.
Marty Castro
Vice President of External Affairs, Aetna
Gery J. Chico
Senior Partner, Chico & Nunes, PC
Sunny P. Chico
President, SPC Consulting
State Rep. Tom Cross
IL 84th District, House Republican Leader
Greg Darnieder
Director of Post-Secondary Education, CPS
Andrew Davis
Executive Director, ISAC
U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel
IL 5th Congressional District
U.S. Rep. Danny K. Davis
IL 7th Congressional District
Wayne R. Hannah Jr.
Attorney and Partner, Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal
U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr.
IL 2nd Congressional District
U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson
IL 15th Congressional District
John Hartigan
Managing Director, EnTrust Capital, Inc.
Pete LaPietra
Founder & CEO, PLP Capital Markets
Doug Levy
Station Manager, Univision Radio
Judd Malkin
Chairman, JMB Realty
Senator Edward D. Maloney
IL 18th District
State Rep. David Miller
IL 29th District
Andrew Rashkow
CEO, IMBIBE, Inc
Tom Rubio
Managing Partner, Breakwater Trading
U.S. Rep. John Shimkus
IL 19th Congressional District
David W. Tretter
President, Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities
James Tyree
CEO, Mesirow Financial
Dr. Wayne Watson
Chancellor, City Colleges of Chicago