Aquinas Literacy Center
Aquinas Literacy Center is a Chicago nonprofit founded in 1996 that provides free, one-on-one English tutoring to adult immigrants in the McKinley Park neighborhood using a conversational 'English from English' curriculum, supported by donations, grants, and trained volunteers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Aquinas Literacy Center does
Aquinas Literacy Center is a community-based nonprofit organization founded in 1996 in Chicago's McKinley Park neighborhood, operating from a single site at 1751 W 35th St. It provides free, individualized English-language instruction to adult immigrants with limited English proficiency, serving over 200 learners annually through weekly 90-minute one-on-one tutoring sessions, small group classes, Conversation Cafe (Zoom), a Digital Literacy Lab, writing workshops, and a book club. Its core methodology is the proprietary 'English from English' conversational curriculum, which teaches English using English (no translation) and prioritizes listening and speaking with a target ratio of 75% student talk-time to 25% tutor talk-time.
The organization is sponsored by the Adrian Dominican Sisters, affiliated with ProLiteracy, and operates with a small staff of approximately 6 employees supplemented by trained volunteer tutors who commit to a 14-hour initial training workshop. It runs a two-sided digital infrastructure — a Student Portal and a Tutor Portal — to give learners and volunteers access to resources and administrative tools, and has extended programming into a Saturday satellite at McKinley Park Library. All tutoring is delivered free of charge; students pay only a $25 textbook fee.
The revenue model is donation- and grant-driven rather than commercial. Funding sources include individual donations at tiered levels ($25-$1,000) with monthly recurring options, institutional grants from the Illinois Secretary of State through the Illinois State Library and the Helen Brach Foundation, sponsor contributions from the Adrian Dominican Sisters, and ancillary fees from tutor workshops and textbook sales. The center maintains a waiting list of 20-40 prospective learners, indicating demand exceeds current capacity.
Aquinas Literacy Center firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Aquinas Literacy Center
- Legal name
- Aquinas Literacy Center
- Website
- https://aquinasliteracycenter.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Aquinas Literacy Center is a Chicago nonprofit founded in 1996 that provides free, one-on-one English tutoring to adult immigrants in the McKinley Park neighborhood using a conversational 'English from English' curriculum, supported by donations, grants, and trained volunteers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Aquinas Literacy Center industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Adult Literacy / ESL Instruction
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (61171), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- English for Citizenship, Civics & Integration (EDAAACAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Foundational Reading & Writing Literacy (EDAAAAAA), Literacy, Reading & Writing Tutoring (Native & Second-Language) (EDANACAL)
Keywords
Where Aquinas Literacy Center is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Aquinas Literacy Center business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Donations and Contributions: Individual and corporate donations received through online forms, mail-in checks, and Amazon registries. The organization accepts monetary contributions at various levels ($25, $50, $100, $250, $500, $1000) with options for monthly recurring donations.
- Foundation and Institutional Funding: Funding from institutional partners including Adrian Dominican Sisters (sponsor), Illinois Secretary of State through Illinois State Library, Helen Brach Foundation, and community partners that support operations and program delivery.
- Tutor Workshop Fees: Prospective volunteer tutors pay workshop fees for the initial fourteen-hour training program. Fees can be paid online through the website.
- Textbook Sales: Students pay $25 for textbooks as a nominal cost contribution to the program.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | One time/ perpetual license | Free tutoring service |
| Other | Monthly | Donation tiers |
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | Tutor training workshop fee |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Aquinas Literacy Center product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Aquinas Literacy Center provides free, individualized English-language instruction to adult immigrants in Chicago's McKinley Park neighborhood through weekly 90-minute one-on-one tutoring sessions delivered by trained volunteer tutors. Core instruction uses an "English from English" conversational curriculum that emphasizes listening and speaking over translation, and is supplemented by small group classes, online conversation groups, writing workshops, book clubs, and digital literacy training. All tutoring services are provided at no cost to learners, with a $25 textbook fee and donations funding operations.
Product overview
Aquinas Literacy Center is a non-profit ESL (English as a Second Language) instruction organization offering a single, integrated program built around individualized one-on-one tutoring supplemented by group classes and digital literacy offerings. The core service consists of weekly 90-minute one-on-one tutoring sessions using the 'English from English' conversational curriculum. This is supported by add-on modules including Small Group Classes, Conversation Cafe (online video sessions), Digital Literacy Lab (computer instruction), Writing Workshops, and Book Club. The organization also provides two web-based portals—the Student Portal and Tutor Portal—for stakeholders to access learning materials and administrative tools. All instruction is provided free of charge to adult learners, with textbooks available for a $25 fee.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- One-on-One Tutoring
Quantifiable outcome
- 200+ learners served annually with over 25 years of continuous operation
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Aquinas Literacy Center
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Aquinas Literacy Center technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Aquinas Literacy Center partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered major and supporting.
- Chicago Public LibrarymajorCommunity partner providing resources and programming support. Collaboration includes hosting satellite programs like the Saturday Digital Literacy Lab at McKinley Park Library location.
- Cook County Commissioner Alma AnayasupportingCommunity partner providing governmental support and advocacy for the McKinley Park community literacy initiatives.
- Illinois State Representative Theresa MahsupportingCommunity partner providing legislative support and community advocacy for immigrant literacy services.
- McKinley Park Development CouncilsupportingCommunity development organization partner supporting neighborhood initiatives and community programming.
- ProLiteracymajorAquinas Literacy Center is an affiliate member of ProLiteracy, a national organization that champions adult literacy and basic education. This affiliation provides access to resources, best practices, and a broader network of literacy organizations.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Aquinas Literacy Center competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Erie Neighborhood House: Chicago community organization providing ESL, adult education, and immigrant integration services on a tuition-free or low-cost basis, directly comparable in target population (immigrant adults), service mix (ESL plus supplemental classes), and nonprofit funding structure.
- RefugeeOne: Chicago-based refugee and immigrant services organization that provides ESL and adult education alongside resettlement support; comparable in serving adult English learners and in operating a donor- and grant-funded community service model.
- Howard Area Community Center: Chicago community center offering adult ESL classes and immigrant integration support, comparable in neighborhood-based service model, free or low-cost adult ESL offerings, and reliance on a mix of donations and grants.
- Instituto del Progreso Latino: Chicago-based nonprofit offering adult education, ESL, and citizenship preparation for Latino immigrant communities, with a comparable mix of in-person instruction, community-rooted programming, and donor-supported free tuition model.
- Chinese Mutual Aid Association: Chicago-area nonprofit delivering ESL, citizenship, and adult education programs for immigrant communities, with overlapping methodology (classroom plus tutoring), immigrant-civic integration use cases, and community-based service delivery.
- Greater West Town Training Partnership: Chicago-based adult education and workforce training nonprofit serving immigrant and underrepresented adults, with overlapping adult ESL, digital literacy, and workforce-readiness programming in a community-anchored model.
- Literacy Volunteers of Illinois: Chicago-based nonprofit that recruits and trains volunteer tutors to provide free adult literacy and ESL instruction to immigrants and other adults, directly comparable in mission, volunteer-based delivery model, and service geography.
Broad incumbents
- International Institute of Chicago: Established Chicago immigrant services organization providing adult education, ESL, and refugee resettlement; comparable in target population and ESL service mix but operates at broader scope and scale than Aquinas.
- Heartland Alliance: Large Chicago-based human services nonprofit whose programming includes adult education and ESL for immigrants and refugees; relevant as a broader incumbent operating multiple programs (including education) at a significantly larger scale than Aquinas.
Others
- ProLiteracy: National adult literacy network of which Aquinas is an affiliate member; not a direct competitor but a peer/ecosystem organization that provides curriculum resources, training, and a shared network of similar volunteer-based adult literacy programs across the U.S.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Aquinas Literacy Center social profiles
Digital presenceAquinas Literacy Center financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Aquinas Literacy Center leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Aquinas Literacy Center funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Aquinas Literacy Center 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 Aquinas Literacy Center
What does Aquinas Literacy Center do?
Aquinas Literacy Center provides free, individualized English-language instruction to adult immigrants in Chicago's McKinley Park neighborhood through weekly 90-minute one-on-one tutoring sessions delivered by trained volunteer tutors. Core instruction uses an "English from English" conversational curriculum that emphasizes listening and speaking over translation, and is supplemented by small group classes, online conversation groups, writing workshops, book clubs, and digital literacy training. All tutoring services are provided at no cost to learners, with a $25 textbook fee and donations funding operations.
Is Aquinas Literacy Center a public or private company?
Aquinas Literacy Center is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Aquinas Literacy Center founded?
Aquinas Literacy Center was founded in 1996. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Aquinas Literacy Center based?
Aquinas Literacy Center is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Aquinas Literacy Center make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Donations and Contributions are the primary driver. The others are foundation and Institutional Funding, tutor Workshop Fees and textbook Sales.
Who are Aquinas Literacy Center's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Erie Neighborhood House, RefugeeOne, Howard Area Community Center, Instituto del Progreso Latino, Chinese Mutual Aid Association, Greater West Town Training Partnership and Literacy Volunteers of Illinois. Broad incumbents are International Institute of Chicago and Heartland Alliance. ProLiteracy is listed as an others.
Does Aquinas Literacy Center have an API?
No public API is recorded for Aquinas Literacy Center.
What industry is Aquinas Literacy Center in?
Aquinas Literacy Center's product category is Adult Literacy / ESL Instruction. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAACAG, English for Citizenship, Civics & Integration, with a secondary code of EDAAAAAA, Foundational Reading & Writing Literacy. Its NAICS code is 61171 and its SIC code is 8200.