Family Resources Center on Disabilities

What Family Resources Center on Disabilities does

Family Resources Center on Disabilities (FRCD), founded in 1969 and headquartered at 11 E. Adams St. Suite 615 in Chicago, Illinois, is a nonprofit organization that provides information, training, and assistance to parents of children with disabilities navigating the Illinois special education system. The organization serves families across eight Illinois counties—Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will—delivering free services in English and Spanish via individual consultations with experienced Parent Trainers, live and recorded webinars, in-person presentations, and curated resource libraries covering IDEA rights, IEP navigation, dispute resolution, early intervention, and transition to adulthood.

FRCD's portfolio comprises several core programs: the Dissecting the IEP 6-Part Webinar Series for IEP comprehension and advocacy, the Parent Advocacy Leadership (PAL) Program for systemic parent training, the Illinois Partners in Policymaking (IL PIP) leadership program for adults with developmental disabilities and family members, the IEP Support Services offering for individual case guidance, and a Special Education Resources hub covering assistive technology, disability laws, financial resources, guardianship, and transition services. The organization relies on a website (frcd.org), social media channels (Facebook, X/Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest), and a Constant Contact mailing list as its primary engagement surfaces, with no proprietary technology platform described. The organization self-attests to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 compliance.

FRCD historically operated as Illinois' federally designated Parent Training and Information Center (PTIC), funded through grants administered by the Illinois State Board of Education. As of October 1, 2025, this PTIC designation transfers to Family Matters PTIC, removing the organization's primary federal funding stream and statewide standing. With only eight employees and no disclosed parent company, institutional investors, or replacement funding mechanisms, the future operating scope of FRCD is described as 'not yet fully defined' by the organization's Board of Directors, while the group continues to serve families in the Chicago Metropolitan Area.

Name

Family Resources Center on Disabilities

Legal name

Family Resource Center on Disabilities

Website

https://frcd.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Family Resources Center on Disabilities is a Chicago-based nonprofit that provides free information, training, and advocacy support to parents of children with disabilities navigating the Illinois special education system across eight Illinois counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Special Education Advocacy Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Parent & Caregiver Training for LD/Dyslexia Support (EDAKAJAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interagency Coordination & Case Management (VR, DD, Medicaid Waivers) (EDAKANAM), Regional Education Service Agencies (ESAs/BOCES/Intermediate Units) (EDADABAC)

Keywords

• Special education advocacy
• Parent training services
• IEP support
• Disability parent information
• Special education resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: As a Parent Training and Information Center (PTIC), FRCD was federally funded through grants administered by the Illinois State Board of Education. As of October 1, 2025, this PTIC role transfers to Family Matters PTIC, indicating the organization relied on government grant funding for operations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Family Resources Center on Disabilities (FRCD) provides free information, training, and assistance to parents of children with disabilities navigating the special education system in Illinois. Core offerings include the Dissecting the IEP 6-Part Webinar Series, the Parent Advocacy Leadership (PAL) Program, Partners in Policymaking leadership training, comprehensive special education resources, IEP support services, and webinars covering IDEA rights, transition planning, and dispute resolution. All services are delivered at no charge across eight Illinois counties in the Chicago Metropolitan Area, in both English and Spanish.

Product overview

Family Resource Center on Disabilities (FRCD) is a nonprofit organization serving as Illinois' Parent Training and Information Center (PTIC) through October 1, 2025. The organization offers a unified portfolio of advocacy and educational services including the Dissecting the IEP 6-Part Webinar Series for understanding Individualized Education Programs, the Parent Advocacy Leadership (PAL) Program for parent training, and the Partners in Policymaking program for leadership development. These core offerings are complemented by comprehensive special education resources covering topics from assistive technology to transition services. All services are delivered through in-person training, virtual webinars, and individual consultations to empower parents of children with disabilities across eight Illinois counties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dissecting the IEP 6-Part Webinar Series

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Family Matters PTICcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025Family Matters PTIC will become the official Parent Training and Information Center for Illinois as of October 1, 2025, replacing FRCD in this federally-funded role. The organizations have worked side by side supporting families across Illinois.
• Illinois State Board of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 August 2025The Illinois State Board of Education administers the Educational Surrogate Parent (ESP) Program and partners with Family Matters PTIC to provide training. ISBE previously partnered with FRCD as the Parent Training and Information Center.
• University of Illinois Chicago Division of Specialized Care for ChildrenmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 July 2025UIC Division of Specialized Care for Children partners with FRCD to deliver a Transition to Adulthood Webinar Series for families of youth with disabilities. Session topics include adult guardianship, health insurance, benefits, and support circles.
• Access LivingmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccess Living offers youth programs for individuals with disabilities including virtual programs for learning, growth, community building, and future preparation. FRCD features their programs in webinar content.
• Midwest Asian Health AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMAHA's Smart Match Employment Program helps individuals with disabilities find employment matching their skills and interests. FRCD shares this resource with families.
• Equip For EqualitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEquip for Equality administers the federally mandated Protection & Advocacy System for Illinois, serving as a legal advocate for people with disabilities.
• Partners in PolicymakingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIllinois Partners in Policymaking is a leadership training program for adults with developmental disabilities, parents, siblings, and guardians. FRCD helps recruit and promote this program focused on advocacy and systems change.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Access Living: Chicago-based disability advocacy and services organization that operates youth programs and serves people with disabilities in the same Chicago Metropolitan Area where FRCD operates.

Direct peers

• PEAK Parent Center: Colorado Parent Training and Information Center providing parent training, IEP navigation, and transition support - structurally identical PTIC peer offering the same core services as FRCD.
• The Arc of Illinois: Statewide Illinois disability advocacy organization serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families, with overlapping parent education and advocacy functions.
• Federation for Children with Special Needs: Massachusetts-based Parent Training and Information Center providing family support, training, and advocacy for children with disabilities - a sister PTIC with the same federal mandate and operating model as FRCD.
• Equip for Equality: Federally-mandated Protection & Advocacy System for Illinois serving as legal advocate for people with disabilities; an existing FRCD partner operating in the same Illinois disability advocacy space.
• UIC Division of Specialized Care for Children: Illinois Title V care coordination agency that partners with FRCD to deliver transition webinars; provides case coordination for children with special healthcare needs, a function adjacent to FRCD's family support work.
• Family Matters PTIC: Illinois' new federally-designated Parent Training and Information Center as of October 1, 2025, directly replacing FRCD in the same role serving the same Illinois families navigating special education.
• Parents Place of Maryland: Maryland Parent Training and Information Center offering family support, IEP navigation, and parent training programs mirroring FRCD's service model and federal funding structure.
• Disability Rights Illinois: Illinois' designated Protection and Advocacy organization providing legal advocacy for people with disabilities; complements FRCD's education advocacy with legal services in the same state and population.

Others

• Illinois State Board of Education: State education agency that administered the PTIC grant previously held by FRCD and continues to oversee the Educational Surrogate Parent Program; a key funder/regulator relationship for FRCD.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FRCDPTI
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/frcd1231
• Facebookfacebook.com/frcd.org
• Pinterestpinterest.com/frcdpti
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/family-resources-center-on-disabilities

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Family Resources Center on Disabilities