GROW YOUR OWN ILLINOIS

What GROW YOUR OWN ILLINOIS does

GROW YOUR OWN ILLINOIS (GYO-IL) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) teacher preparation organization headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, and the state-designated administrator of the Grow Your Own Teacher Education Initiative under Illinois law. Founded in 2006 from two Chicago grassroots organizations (Palenque LSNA and Action Now), GYO-IL recruits community-connected, racially diverse individuals — paraprofessionals, school staff, parents, career changers, and men of color — to pursue initial teacher licensure and commit to five years of teaching in hard-to-staff Illinois schools. The organization does not develop a technology product; its core operational capability lies in program design, candidate support services, consortium coordination, and advocacy for a diverse teacher workforce.

GYO-IL's product portfolio includes the Forgivable Loan Program (up to $25,000 in tuition assistance, forgiven after five years of service in a hard-to-staff school), the Diverse Male Teacher Initiative (DMTI, up to $10,000/year in scholarships plus advising and mentorship at 16 community colleges), and the statewide "We See the Teacher in You" recruitment campaign. These programs are delivered through seven regional consortia — Central, Chicago/Lake County, Eastern, Northern, Peoria, Southern, and Western — each led by a university partner (UIS, EIU, NIU, SIU, WIU, etc.) and supported by 22 partner universities/community colleges, 80+ school districts, Regional Offices of Education, and grassroots community organizations. Wraparound services (transportation stipends, childcare, laptop loans, tutoring) supplement the financial support.

The organization's revenue model is funded primarily through state grants from the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE), which GYO-IL administers as the pass-through entity to its consortia, supplemented by philanthropic donations from individuals and partner organizations (e.g., the FHLBank Chicago/United Credit Union COVID-19 relief grant). Pricing to candidates takes the form of forgivable loans and scholarships rather than tuition charges. In FY2020–2025, GYO-IL programs graduated 300 licensed classroom teachers, with continued expansion into Central and Northern Illinois in 2024 indicating a recovery trajectory from a 2015–2017 program shutdown during the Illinois state budget crisis.

Name

GROW YOUR OWN ILLINOIS

Legal name

Grow Your Own Teachers

Website

https://growyourownteachers.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GROW YOUR OWN ILLINOIS is a Chicago-based non-profit and the state-designated administrator of Illinois's Grow Your Own Teacher Education Initiative, recruiting and supporting community-connected, racially diverse candidates to earn teaching licenses through seven university-led regional consortia statewide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Teacher Preparation and Workforce Development

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits (BPAGADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Teacher Professional Development & In-Service Training Institutes (EDAHAFAM), Online Teacher Education Universities (Licensure & M.Ed.) (EDAHALAG), Inclusion, Special Needs & Early Intervention Training (IEPs/IFSPs, Neurodiversity) (EDACAIAF)

Keywords

• Teacher preparation programs
• Forgivable loan scholarships
• Educator recruitment services
• Diverse teacher workforce
• Community-based education

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

Revenue model

1. State Grant Administration: GYO-IL administers state-funded grants from the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) to support its consortium programs. The organization distributes forgivable loans to teacher candidates, which are state-funded and forgiven upon completion of teaching service obligations.
2. Individual Consortium Grants: Individual consortium sites receive grants from GYO-IL (as the state administrator) to operate regional programs. Each consortium site is funded to support teacher candidates in their region.
3. Philanthropic Donations: GYO-IL accepts tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations to fund wraparound services such as transportation stipends, childcare, laptop loans, and tutoring that are not covered by state appropriations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Grow Your Own Illinois (GYO-IL) is a non-profit teacher preparation organization that recruits, supports, and funds community-connected individuals to earn initial teacher licensure in Illinois. Through seven regional consortiums, it provides forgivable loans (up to $25,000), scholarships (up to $10,000), wraparound services, and academic advising, while partnering with universities, community colleges, school districts, and community organizations to address teacher shortages in hard-to-staff schools.

Product overview

Grow Your Own Illinois (GYO-IL) is a nonprofit teacher recruitment and preparation organization that operates as a unified program portfolio. The core offerings include the Forgivable Loan Program providing up to $25,000 in tuition assistance to diverse, community-connected candidates pursuing teaching licenses, and the Diverse Male Teacher Initiative (DMTI) providing up to $10,000 in scholarships specifically for men of color at community colleges. These programs are delivered through seven regional consortia (Central, Chicago/Lake County, Eastern, Northern, Peoria, Southern, and Western), each partnering with local universities, community colleges, school districts, and community organizations to address specific regional teacher shortages. The programs support candidates pursuing various teaching licenses including elementary education, special education, secondary education, early childhood education, bilingual education, and subject-specific areas. GYO-IL also runs the 'We See the Teacher in You' outreach campaign to recruit underrepresented individuals into teaching pathways.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Forgivable Loan Program: GYO-IL consortium programs implementing forgivable loans for racially diverse and community-connected individuals to enroll in and persist through an initial teacher licensure program in exchange for teaching in hard-to-staff schools.
• Diverse Male Teacher Initiative (DMTI)

Products and services

• Forgivable Loan Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 300 licensed classroom teachers graduated over FY2020–2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

40 partnerships are on record, tiered foundational, core, secondary and minor.

• Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE)foundationalOthers · 1 January 2005ISBE originally administered the GYO grant program. In FY2011, the Illinois Board of Higher Education took over administration from ISBE. In 2019, GYO-IL was named the direct state administrator of the GYO Teacher Education Initiative grant program.
• Eastern Illinois University (EIU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEIU leads the GYO-Eastern consortium, preparing future elementary and special education teachers to serve rural communities across central Illinois. EIU provides academic programming, licensure pathways, and campus resources for GYO candidates across 21 counties.
• Northern Illinois University (NIU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNIU leads the GYO-Northern consortium in partnership with Rockford Public Schools. NIU offers an accelerated elementary education licensure program at its Rockford campus, enabling paraprofessionals to earn licenses while continuing to work.
• Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSIU leads GYO-Southern, supporting nontraditional teacher candidates in Early Childhood Education and Special Education. The program launched in 2018 with a planning grant from IBHE and serves rural and minority communities in Southern Illinois.
• Western Illinois University (WIU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWIU leads GYO-Western, addressing teacher shortages in rural and underserved communities across western Illinois. WIU offers pathways including the Paraeducator Pathway and Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program.
• University of Illinois Springfield (UIS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUIS was awarded a $145,000 GYO-IL grant to develop a Central Illinois regional consortium beginning in fall 2024. The consortium includes Richland Community College, Springfield District 186, Decatur District 61, and other partners, funding up to $25,000 per candidate.
• Palenque LSNA (Logan Square Neighborhood Association)foundationalStrategic or Co-development PartnerPalenque LSNA was one of the two original grassroots organizations (alongside Action Now) that co-founded GYO. LSNA trained Black and Latina mothers in classroom leadership roles to become bilingual teachers, which inspired the GYO model.
• Action NowfoundationalStrategic or Co-development PartnerAction Now was one of the two original grassroots organizations that co-founded GYO. Action Now addressed high teacher turnover in North Lawndale schools where teachers lacked local community connections, which catalyzed the GYO model.
• Chicago Public Schools (CPS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCPS is a key partner district in the GYO-Chicago consortium. GYO graduates commit to teaching in hard-to-staff CPS schools for five years, creating a pipeline of community-connected licensed teachers.
• Rockford Public Schools District 205coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRockford Public Schools partners with NIU and GYO-IL on GYO-Northern. RPS paraprofessionals and support staff can earn teaching licenses through NIU's Rockford campus while continuing to work. RPS covers tuition through a state Teacher Vacancy Grant.
• ONE Northside (ONS)secondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity organization partner in the GYO-Chicago consortium. ONE Northside works with GYO-IL to recruit and support candidates from the Northside Chicago community.
• ENLACE ChicagosecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity organization partner in the GYO-Chicago consortium focused on Latino community engagement and recruitment of bilingual teacher candidates.
• Swope (Southwest Organizing Project)secondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity organization partner in the GYO-Chicago consortium serving the Southwest Chicago community.
• Teamwork EnglewoodsecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity organization partner in the GYO-Chicago consortium serving the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago.
• YMCA of Rock River ValleysecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partner in the GYO-Northern consortium supporting Rockford candidates with wraparound services and community engagement.
• Wabongo Leadership CouncilsecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partner in the GYO-Northern consortium engaged in recruiting and supporting Rockford-area teacher candidates.
• SIU Head StartsecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner in the GYO-Southern consortium providing early childhood education focus and candidate support for Southern Illinois.
• Rural Schools CollaborativesecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerNational partner supporting GYO-Western's rural education initiatives in western Illinois.
• Northeastern Illinois UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPriority university partner for GYO-Chicago candidates seeking teacher preparation programs in the Chicago area. One of several preferred institutions for tuition assistance.
• Chicago State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPriority university partner for GYO-Chicago candidates. CSU is a historically Black university in Chicago that prepares teachers for urban education settings.
• National Louis UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPriority university partner for GYO-Chicago candidates. National Louis offers multiple teacher preparation pathways relevant to GYO candidate needs.
• Truman College (City Colleges of Chicago)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity college partner in the GYO-Chicago consortium, providing an entry point for paraprofessionals and community members to begin their teacher preparation pathways.
• College of Lake CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity college partner for GYO-Lake County candidates, providing teacher preparation pathways and prerequisite coursework.
• Rock Valley CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity college partner in the GYO-Northern consortium. Rock Valley College provides prerequisite courses for Rockford paraprofessionals before they enter NIU's licensure program.
• Bradley UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal university partner in the GYO-Peoria consortium offering teacher preparation pathways for Peoria-area candidates.
• Illinois Central CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity college partner in the GYO-Peoria consortium providing teacher preparation entry pathways.
• Illinois State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner in the GYO-Peoria consortium offering teacher preparation programs for Peoria-area candidates.
• John A. Logan CollegesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity college partner in the GYO-Southern consortium serving Southern Illinois communities.
• Rend Lake CollegesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity college partner in the GYO-Southern consortium serving Southern Illinois communities.
• Shawnee Community CollegesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity college partner in the GYO-Southern consortium serving the Shawnee region of Southern Illinois.
• Black Hawk CollegesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity college partner in the GYO-Western consortium serving western Illinois.
• Spoon River CollegesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity college partner in the GYO-Western consortium serving the Spoon River region of western Illinois.
• Kaskaskia CollegesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity college partner in the GYO-Western consortium serving the Kaskaskia region of Illinois.
• Western Illinois DreamerssecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity organization partner in the GYO-Western consortium supporting undocumented and DACAmented students pursuing teaching careers.
• Effingham Public LibraryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity organization partner in the GYO-Eastern consortium, supporting candidate recruitment and community engagement in the Effingham area.
• Rural School CollaborativesecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerNational partner supporting rural education initiatives and GYO-Eastern's work in eastern Illinois rural communities.
• Regional Offices of Education (ROEs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerROEs 3, 9, 11, 12, and 54 are key institutional partners across GYO-Eastern's 21-county service area, coordinating with districts and supporting candidate placement.
• Lake County Regional Office of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner for the GYO-Lake County consortium, coordinating district partnerships and candidate placement across Lake County schools.
• Association of Illinois Rural and Small SchoolssecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerStatewide organization partnering with GYO-Southern and GYO-Western to support rural and small school communities across Illinois.
• Umoja Student Health Corp (Ucenter)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partner in the GYO-Chicago consortium focused on student health and wellness services that complement teacher preparation.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• TNTP (The New Teacher Project): National nonprofit focused on teacher preparation, policy, and training programs for high-need schools. Comparable to GYO-IL in its mission to expand the teacher pipeline and improve teacher quality in underserved schools, though TNTP operates more through alternative certification and policy work.
• Teach For America: National nonprofit that recruits and trains recent college graduates and career-changers to teach in low-income communities. Directly comparable to GYO-IL as a teacher pipeline nonprofit focused on addressing teacher shortages, though TFA targets recent graduates while GYO-IL targets community-rooted non-traditional candidates.
• Urban Teachers: National nonprofit that recruits and trains career-changers to become teachers in urban schools through a residency model. Comparable to GYO-IL in targeting non-traditional candidates for hard-to-staff urban schools, though Urban Teachers operates in select cities rather than statewide.
• National Center for Teacher Residencies (NCTR): National nonprofit that supports teacher residency programs pairing year-long clinical training with master's degree coursework. Directly comparable to GYO-IL as a nonprofit teacher preparation pipeline organization addressing teacher shortages through structured preparation pathways.

Broad incumbents

• Relay Graduate School of Education: Graduate school of education preparing teachers and school leaders for high-need schools. Comparable to GYO-IL as an alternative teacher preparation provider, though Relay operates as a degree-granting institution with a national footprint rather than a regional pipeline nonprofit.
• Associated Colleges of Illinois Teacher Preparation Programs: Illinois-focused nonprofit supporting private colleges and universities in teacher preparation. Comparable to GYO-IL as an Illinois-based teacher workforce development organization, though ACI focuses on institutional capacity rather than direct candidate recruitment.

Others

• Illinois Education Association: Illinois teachers union representing educators statewide. Comparable as an Illinois education ecosystem stakeholder affecting teacher policy, working conditions, and retention — directly relevant to GYO-IL's mission to place and retain teachers in Illinois schools.
• Illinois State Board of Education: State agency overseeing K-12 education policy and teacher licensure in Illinois. Comparable as the key Illinois state stakeholder that originally administered the GYO grant program and continues to influence teacher pipeline policy affecting GYO-IL's regulatory environment.

Emerging players

• Grow Your Own Colorado: Colorado-based teacher preparation initiative supporting community members to become licensed educators. Comparable to GYO-IL in mission and structure as a GYO-style state pipeline, though operating at smaller scale and with Colorado-specific funding.
• Grow Your Own Minnesota: Minnesota-based GYO-style teacher pipeline initiative modeled on similar community-rooted recruitment strategies. Comparable to GYO-IL as a state-level Grow Your Own nonprofit with similar community-recruitment and teacher diversity missions, though Minnesota-specific.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gyo-il

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

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 GROW YOUR OWN ILLINOIS