Hektoen Institute

What Hektoen Institute does

Hektoen Institute of Medicine is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation founded in 1943 by a group of prominent Chicago physicians and headquartered at 1339 S. Wood Street, Suite G, Chicago, Illinois. The organization operates as a healthcare fiscal intermediary and grant administrator, providing budgeting, invoicing, payments, payroll, human resources, pre- and post-award grant administration, and fiscal compliance services on behalf of externally funded programs for county, city, state, and federal-level entities. It functions as a programmatic platform spanning the Hektoen International online medical humanities journal (over 1 million annual page views, 3,000+ articles, 100,000 healthcare professional readers in 100+ countries), the Nurses and the Humanities program, the Morris T. Friedell minority mentorship program (since 1993), and a portfolio of public health initiatives covering HIV care, infection prevention and control, antimicrobial stewardship, domestic violence and trauma, early childhood intervention, and COVID-19 community supports.

Hektoen's revenue mechanics are grant-driven rather than product-driven: it does not publish pricing, sells no commercial product, and instead captures indirect/administrative recovery on flow-through funding from government health agencies. Its go-to-market is relationship-led, anchored by long-dated partnerships with the CDC (Project Firstline), Illinois Department of Public Health, Cook County Department of Public Health, and the 14-member Foxglove Alliance coalition in Chicago. The COVID-19 Contact Tracing program alone channeled nearly $5.5 million to 40+ community-based organizations in suburban Cook County. End-customers are typically principal investigators, public health agencies, and CBOs, with the underlying programs serving medically underserved populations across Chicago, Illinois, and—via the journal—globally.

The organization runs on a commodity technology stack (Microsoft 365, ADP, TC Plus timekeeping, Cayuse 424, NIH eRA Commons) and has no disclosed AI/ML, proprietary software product, or patents. Hektoen employs 251-500 people and is governed by a Board of Trustees chaired by Earl C. Smith, MD, with George Dunea, MD serving as President and Mariela Romo as Chief Administrator. Recent strategic activity includes the 2025 launch of a Community College Scholarship Contest and ongoing multi-program work in infection prevention, antimicrobial stewardship, and HIV.

Name

Hektoen Institute

Legal name

Hektoen Institute of Medicine

Website

https://hektoen.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1943

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Hektoen Institute of Medicine is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1943 that serves as a healthcare fiscal intermediary and grant administrator for federal, state, and county public health programs, while also publishing the Hektoen International medical humanities journal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Grant Administration and Fiscal Sponsorship

NAICS

Administration of Public Health Programs (923120), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAJALAC

Public Health Program Grants Management & Administration

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Public Health Funding, Grants & Program Administration

SECONDARYHLAJALAA

Government Public Health Grantmaking & Program Offices

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Public Health Funding, Grants & Program Administration

SECONDARYHLAJALAN

Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting & Compliance (Grant Oversight)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Public Health Funding, Grants & Program Administration

SECONDARYHLAJAMAC

Public Health Financing, Budgeting & Grants Management

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Public Health Policy & Administration

SECONDARYBPAGAKAL

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

Keywords

• Healthcare grant administration
• Fiscal intermediary services
• Medical humanities publishing
• Nonprofit grant management
• Public health programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Administration Services: Hektoen serves as a healthcare fiscal administrator for externally funded research programs. They manage budgeting, invoicing, payments, payroll, human resources, pre-and post-award grant administration, and fiscal compliance for grant-funded programs from county, city, state, and federal entities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hektoen Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that serves as a healthcare fiscal administrator and grant management intermediary for externally funded research and public health programs. It manages pre- and post-award grant administration, budgeting, invoicing, payroll, human resources, and fiscal compliance for grant-funded programs on behalf of investigators, institutions, community-based organizations, and government entities. In parallel, it operates the Hektoen International medical humanities journal and runs public health initiatives in infection control, antibiotic stewardship, domestic violence, early intervention, and HIV care.

Product overview

Hektoen Institute is a nonprofit healthcare grant management and research organization founded in 1943. It operates as a platform of interconnected programs and services rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include: (1) Grant Management Services for managing externally funded research as a healthcare fiscal administrator; (2) Educational programs including Hektoen International Journal (online medical humanities journal), Nurses and the Humanities, and the Morris T. Friedell Mentorship Program; and (3) Public health initiatives addressing infection control, antibiotic stewardship, domestic violence, early intervention, and COVID-19 response. These services are delivered through partnerships with government entities (CDC, Illinois Department of Public Health, Cook County) and are funded through grant administration rather than product sales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grant Management Services Fiscal and administrative management services for grant-funded healthcare programs, including budgeting, invoicing, payments, payroll, human resources, pre- and post-award grant administration, and fiscal compliance. Delivered to investigators, institutions, community-based organizations, and government entities.
• Hektoen International Journal Free-access online medical humanities journal distributed to 100,000+ healthcare professionals worldwide. Contains 3,000+ articles and 4,000+ images and receives 1M+ annual page views. Covers art, ethics, literature, history, anthropology, philosophy, religion, and sociology as they intersect with medicine.
• Nurses and the Humanities Program Educational program featuring lectures, workshops, classes, and excursions covering art, literature, history, philosophy, music, theater, and dance for nurses and caregivers. Operates with 25 program members and a mailing list of 500+ supporters. Awarded the 2024 AMSN President's Award.
• Project Firstline Infection prevention and control training program for frontline healthcare workers, staff, and public health workforce, delivered in partnership with the CDC and Illinois Department of Public Health.
• Antibiotic Stewardship Program Program promoting judicious antibiotic use in outpatient healthcare facilities, providing resources and education to healthcare providers on antibiotic stewardship best practices.
• Infection Prevention and Control Services Educational and consulting services for long-term care infection preventionists, including training videos, infection control assessment tools, outbreak response resources, and hand hygiene monitoring materials.
• National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, and Mental Health (NCDVTMH) Center providing training, consultation, and resources on domestic violence, trauma, and mental health, building capacity of systems to address the traumatic effects of abuse and facilitate healing and justice.
• Early Intervention Chicago Early intervention program providing public awareness, child find efforts, and provider recruitment for children ages 0-3 with disabilities and their families in the Illinois Early Intervention system.
• COVID-19 Contact Tracing Community Supports Program COVID-19 contact tracing program with contract management and oversight for the Suburban Cook County COVID-19 Contact Tracing Community Supports Program, administering nearly $5.5 million awarded to 40+ community-based organizations.
• Foxglove Alliance A Chicago coalition of 14 member organizations dedicated to promoting healthcare through community health programs, education, research, and advocacy. Operated by Hektoen Institute since 2015.
• Community College Scholarship Contest Scholarship essay contest launched in 2025 for community college students, providing financial support to mitigate educational barriers. Includes annual Grand Prix essay contest and international writing contests run since 2012.
• Morris T. Friedell Mentorship Program Mentorship program since 1993 encouraging promising minority high school students to enter health science careers through laboratory work and interaction with scientists.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly $5.5 million awarded to CBOs for COVID-19 contact tracing
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

27 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cook County Department of HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Collaboration in COVID-19 Contact Tracing Program. Hektoen provided contract management and oversight for the Suburban Cook County COVID-19 Contact Tracing Community Supports Program, administering nearly $5.5 million awarded to CBOs.
• Illinois Department of Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Collaboration in COVID-19 Contact Tracing Program alongside Cook County Department of Health. Hektoen participated in the COVID-19 Contact Tracing Program providing program oversight.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject Firstline partnership with CDC and Illinois Department of Public Health, providing engaging and effective infection prevention and control training to frontline workers, staff, and public health workforce members.
• National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, and Mental Health (NCDVTMH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHektoen works with NCDVTMH to seek funding opportunities, provides coordination and technical support for pre-award application process, executes contracts, manages payroll and HR, tracks expenditures, and ensures compliance.
• Child and Family Connections #9coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for over 20 years providing public awareness, child find efforts, provider recruitment and collaboration for children (ages 0-3) with disabilities and families in the Illinois Early Intervention Program.
• Institute of Medicine of ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member of Foxglove Alliance in 2015, dedicated to promoting healthcare through community health programs, education & research, and advocacy.
• Michael Reese Education & Research FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member of Foxglove Alliance in 2015. The alliance focuses on engaging community health programs, education & research activities, and advocacy.
• Portes FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member of Foxglove Alliance in 2015, working on healthcare promotion through community programs and strategic collaborations.
• Public Health Institute of Metropolitan ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member of Foxglove Alliance in 2015, contributing to healthcare promotion initiatives in Chicago.
• Access to CareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of Foxglove Alliance, a Chicago coalition dedicated to promoting healthcare through community health programs and advocacy.
• The Health Care Council of ChicagominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of Foxglove Alliance working on healthcare promotion and community health initiatives.
• The I Am Abel FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership focusing on exposing Chicago minority youth to humanities and helping them enter healthcare careers. Hektoen supports monetarily and is developing educational partnership.
• Illinois Association of Free & Charitable ClinicsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of Foxglove Alliance dedicated to improving public healthcare in Chicago.
• Illinois Medical DistrictminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of Foxglove Alliance, contributing to healthcare promotion initiatives.
• The Lead Abatement Resource CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of Foxglove Alliance focused on public healthcare improvement.
• T.H.E.N. – the Trauma, Health Equity and Neurobiology CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of Foxglove Alliance, contributing to healthcare education and research.
• West Side UnitedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of Foxglove Alliance working on community health programs.
• Youth GuidanceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChicago organization with similar educational missions that Hektoen has supported monetarily.
• LuminartsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChicago organization with similar educational missions that Hektoen has supported monetarily.
• Lebanese American School of MedicineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperative writing contest program developed by Dr. Sally Metzler in May 2021. School community members contributed essays on 'The Glory of Lebanon' with monetary prizes for winners.
• American School of London (ASL)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partnership with ASL spearheaded by Dr. Sally Metzler in Spring 2021. Juliana Menegakis selected as first Hektoen International – ASL journal intern.
• Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (Chicago Chapter)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership with AMSN Chicago chapter where Nurses and Humanities program works to advance medical surgical nursing in Chicago.
• Illinois Department of Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-provider of Illinois Summit on Antimicrobial Stewardship along with Chicago Department of Public Health, DuPage County Health Department, and multiple healthcare organizations.
• Chicago Department of Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-provider of Illinois Summit on Antimicrobial Stewardship focused on antimicrobial stewardship best practices.
• Loyola University Medical CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-provider of Illinois Summit on Antimicrobial Stewardship.
• Northwestern MedicineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-provider of Illinois Summit on Antimicrobial Stewardship.
• University of Illinois at Chicago, College of PharmacyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-provider of Illinois Summit on Antimicrobial Stewardship.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CDC Foundation: Independent nonprofit created by Congress to mobilize philanthropic and private resources to support CDC's mission. Directly comparable to Hektoen as a fiscal intermediary managing restricted public health funding, with closer alignment to federal emergency response work.
• Health Research & Educational Trust (HRET): AHA-affiliated nonprofit conducting health services research and managing hospital-focused grant programs. Comparable as a healthcare-focused fiscal intermediary and research organization.
• NORC at the University of Chicago: Independent research organization affiliated with the University of Chicago that administers large public health and social science research grants. Comparable as a Chicago-based nonprofit research and grant administration intermediary serving federal health agency clients.
• Public Health Institute: Large Oakland-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit fiscal intermediary and grant administrator for public health programs. Direct comparable to Hektoen in administering pass-through funding for government and foundation health grants, with a similar multi-state scope.

Broad incumbents

• Westat: Employee-owned research corporation providing statistical research, technical assistance, and survey work for federal health and education agencies. Comparable as a large-scale fiscal and program administration intermediary for federal health clients.
• American Institutes for Research (AIR): Large nonprofit behavioral and social science research organization administering federal contracts in health, education, and workforce. Comparable as a multi-program federal grant administrator.
• Research Triangle Institute (RTI International): Large nonprofit research institute providing research, technical assistance, and grant administration for federal health agencies. Comparable at a much larger scale as a public health fiscal and program administration intermediary.
• Mathematica: National nonprofit research and data analytics firm managing large federal health and human services program evaluations. Comparable as a fee-for-service research and program administration organization serving HHS, CMS, and state Medicaid programs.

Regional players

• Illinois Public Health Institute: Illinois-based nonprofit working to improve public health systems through policy, partnership, and program administration. Directly comparable as a state-level peer in the Illinois public health funding ecosystem alongside Hektoen.
• National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO): National nonprofit representing local health departments and providing grant administration and capacity-building support for public health programs. Comparable as an intermediary managing public health program funding for government entities, but at national association scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hekint
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hektoen-institute-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hektoen Institute