Juvenile Protective Association
Juvenile Protective Association is a Chicago-based nonprofit founded in 1901 by Jane Addams that delivers trauma-informed mental health therapy, teacher consultation, and child welfare services to children and families in underserved neighborhoods across 22 schools.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1901
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Juvenile Protective Association does
Juvenile Protective Association (JPA) is a 120-year-old Illinois nonprofit, founded in 1901 by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jane Addams, that delivers trauma-informed mental health services to children and the adults who support them in Chicago's underserved neighborhoods. Its core platform comprises eight interconnected programs: school-based therapy (individual and small-group), the Connect to Kids (C2K) teacher consultation program, child welfare consulting for Illinois DCFS and courts, professional development for educators, a graduate social work internship pipeline, the Grandparent Circle intergenerational mentorship program, the New Light fee-for-service therapy clinic (in-person and telehealth), and neighborhood-based community clinics. The underlying clinical technology consists of established trauma-informed modalities — psychodynamic talk therapy, play therapy, EMDR, and cognitive behavioral therapy — delivered by LCSW and LCPC-credentialed staff with deep child welfare expertise.
JPA's revenue model is a hybrid of philanthropic and fee-for-service streams. The majority of funding comes from charitable donations and grants across a tiered donor base that includes A Better Chicago and Cook County Health (both $250,000+), Steans Family Foundation ($150K-$249,999), and corporate foundations (CME Group, Crown Family Philanthropies, MacArthur Foundation, Wintrust). Fee-for-service revenue is generated through the New Light Therapy Clinic, which accepts Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO, Cigna PPO, Aetna PPO, United Healthcare PPO, and Medicaid (including YouthCare), with a sliding scale for uninsured clients. Planned giving and signature fundraising events (Spring Benefit, Casino Night, Golf Outing) supplement revenue. Go-to-market is community-led: services are embedded directly in 22 Chicago schools across 14 neighborhoods, with auxiliary access through New Light and neighborhood clinics.
The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and led by President & CEO Karen G. Foley, MBA, with an executive team including EVP Stephen Budde, PhD, LCSW, and VP & Senior Clinical Director Sally Herschman, LCSW. JPA has earned a Charity Navigator Four-Star rating, a GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency, and the 2025 American Psychiatric Association Foundation Award for Advancing Minority Mental Health, reinforcing its institutional credibility within Chicago's social services ecosystem.
Juvenile Protective Association firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Juvenile Protective Association
- Legal name
- Juvenile Protective Association
- Website
- https://jpachicago.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1901
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Juvenile Protective Association is a Chicago-based nonprofit founded in 1901 by Jane Addams that delivers trauma-informed mental health therapy, teacher consultation, and child welfare services to children and families in underserved neighborhoods across 22 schools.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Juvenile Protective Association industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Children's Mental Health Services
- NAICS
- Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Individual and Family Services (6241)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Behavioral Health for Children & Adolescents (Youth Services) (HLAFACAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Mental Health Counseling & Therapy Services (K–12) (EDAJALAG), Family Engagement & Caregiver Support Programs (SEL/Mental Health) (EDAKAMAK)
Keywords
Where Juvenile Protective Association is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Juvenile Protective Association business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Grants: JPA relies on charitable donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. The organization receives significant support from major donors including A Better Chicago, Steans Family Foundation, and various corporate foundations.
- Fee-for-Service Therapy: New Light Therapy Clinic provides in-person and telehealth therapy services for children, families, and adults on a fee-for-service basis. Accepts insurance (Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO, Cigna PPO, Aetna PPO, United Healthcare PPO) and Medicaid.
- Planned Giving: Planned giving programs allow donors to make larger impacts through estate planning and legacy gifts.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Insuranceaccepted therapy services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Juvenile Protective Association product offering
Product offeringCore offering
JPA provides trauma-informed mental health therapy and child welfare services to Chicago children and families. Core offerings include school-based individual and group therapy, the Connect to Kids (C2K) teacher consultation program, the New Light fee-for-service therapy clinic (in-person and telehealth), child welfare consulting for courts and DCFS, professional development for educators, social work internships, and the Grandparent Circle intergenerational mentorship program. Services reach over 4,000 children, teachers, and caretakers annually across 22 Chicago schools in 14 neighborhoods.
Product overview
JPA provides a comprehensive suite of mental and emotional health programs for Chicago's children and the adults who support them. The organization operates as a platform of interconnected services centered around school-based delivery, including Connect to Kids (C2K) teacher consultation, School-Based Therapy, and Professional Development for educators. These are complemented by the New Light Therapy Clinic for in-person and telehealth services, Child Welfare consulting, the Building the Field of Social Work internship program, Grandparent Circle intergenerational mentorship, and Neighborhood Clinics for community-based support. Together, these programs serve over 4,000 children, families, and educators annually across 22 schools in 14 Chicago neighborhoods.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- New Light Therapy Clinic: JPA's group therapy practice providing in-person and telehealth therapy for children, families, and adults. Founded to extend impact beyond the school setting.
Products and services
- Connect to Kids (C2K) A teacher consultation program in which mental health consultants work one-on-one with teachers to help them understand social, emotional, and mental health issues facing students, the impact of trauma, and how to build positive teacher/student relationships. Includes weekly meetings, classroom observations, support plans, and Social Emotional Learning (SEL) classroom groups. Delivered in Chicago public schools.
- School-Based Therapy Individual and small-group therapy for children affected by trauma, including parent and caregiver support, drop-in and crisis counseling services delivered directly in Chicago schools across 14 neighborhoods.
- Child Welfare Services
Quantifiable outcome
- 100% of teachers report that JPA has a positive impact on the entire school
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Juvenile Protective Association
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Juvenile Protective Association technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Juvenile Protective Association partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Cook County Healthcore$250,000+ donor. Healthcare system partner providing support for mental health services.
- The Grandmother ProjectcoreJPA is the first Chicago-based partner of The Grandmother Project. Through this partnership, JPA works with community elders to provide intergenerational mentorship to middle school students.
- New Life Church Humboldt ParkcoreCommunity partner in the Neighborhood Clinic initiative. Partner in extending child therapy and educator resources into the Humboldt Park community.
- Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS)coreState agency partner. JPA clinical staff assist DCFS, foster care organizations, and courts in determining appropriate placements for children in care.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Juvenile Protective Association competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- UCAN (Uhlich Children's Advantage Network): Chicago-based nonprofit providing child welfare, mental health, and trauma-informed services to youth and families. Direct peer given overlapping school-based and child welfare service delivery in the same Chicago geography.
- Thresholds: Chicago-based nonprofit providing mental health, substance use, and recovery services, including youth programs. Shares Chicago geography, mental health focus, and community-based delivery model.
- Metropolitan Family Services: Chicago social services nonprofit offering counseling, youth, and family support programs. Comparable in operating model (multi-service, community-rooted, school partnerships) and donor-funded structure.
- Brightpoint (formerly Children's Home & Aid): Illinois-based social services organization providing child welfare, family support, and behavioral health services. Directly comparable in child welfare + family mental health focus and Illinois footprint.
- Aunt Martha's Health & Wellness: Illinois-based nonprofit providing integrated health, mental health, and child welfare services. Comparable in combining health/mental health delivery with child welfare and school-based work in Illinois.
Broad incumbents
- Heartland Alliance: Large Chicago-based human services nonprofit serving vulnerable populations across health, housing, and child welfare. Broader and larger than JPA, but overlapping in Chicago social services space and donor ecosystem.
- La Rabida Children's Hospital: Chicago pediatric specialty hospital providing medical and behavioral health services to children with chronic and complex conditions. Relevant comparable for pediatric mental health services in Chicago, though hospital-based rather than school-based.
- Lurie Children's Hospital (Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute): Major Chicago children's hospital with a robust behavioral health and child welfare portfolio. Overlaps with JPA on trauma-informed pediatric mental health and child welfare consultations.
Emerging players
- Hazel Health: School-based telehealth mental health provider serving K-12 students. Partial overlap with JPA's school-based therapy model but uses a tech-enabled, multi-state telehealth approach rather than in-person Chicago schools.
Others
- Erikson Institute: Chicago-based graduate school and research center focused on early childhood development. Adjacent rather than competitive; shares Chicago geography, child development focus, and overlapping funder/partner ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Juvenile Protective Association social profiles
Digital presenceJuvenile Protective Association financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Juvenile Protective Association leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Juvenile Protective Association funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Juvenile Protective Association M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Juvenile Protective Association
What does Juvenile Protective Association do?
JPA provides trauma-informed mental health therapy and child welfare services to Chicago children and families. Core offerings include school-based individual and group therapy, the Connect to Kids (C2K) teacher consultation program, the New Light fee-for-service therapy clinic (in-person and telehealth), child welfare consulting for courts and DCFS, professional development for educators, social work internships, and the Grandparent Circle intergenerational mentorship program. Services reach over 4,000 children, teachers, and caretakers annually across 22 Chicago schools in 14 neighborhoods.
Is Juvenile Protective Association a public or private company?
Juvenile Protective Association is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Juvenile Protective Association founded?
Juvenile Protective Association was founded in 1901. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Juvenile Protective Association based?
Juvenile Protective Association is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Juvenile Protective Association make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Donations and Grants are the primary driver. The others are fee-for-Service Therapy and planned Giving.
Who are Juvenile Protective Association's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are UCAN (Uhlich Children's Advantage Network), Thresholds, Metropolitan Family Services, Brightpoint (formerly Children's Home & Aid) and Aunt Martha's Health & Wellness. Broad incumbents are Heartland Alliance, La Rabida Children's Hospital and Lurie Children's Hospital (Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute). Hazel Health is listed as an emerging player. Erikson Institute is listed as an others.
Does Juvenile Protective Association have an API?
No public API is recorded for Juvenile Protective Association.
What industry is Juvenile Protective Association in?
Juvenile Protective Association's product category is Children's Mental Health Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAFACAL, Behavioral Health for Children & Adolescents (Youth Services), with a secondary code of EDAJALAG, Mental Health Counseling & Therapy Services (K–12). Its NAICS code is 62411 and its SIC code is 8300.