Illinois lawmakers push $20M grant for after‑school programs hit by fed cut

By Sean Reed | The Center Square contributor
The Center Square

(The Center Square) – A state House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee heard testimony on a pair of bills poised to fund the after-school programs of community schools across the state. Schools part of a federally funded program have had roughly $18.5 million in federal grant funding revoked over Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion concerns.

The bills, HB5362 and HB5363, propose to allocate $20 million from the Illinois General Revenue Fund to be provided as a grant to the Afterschool for Children and Teens Now, or ACT Now, Coalition to support full-service community schools.

The first bill sets requirements for the disbursement of the funds to the 32 partner schools in the state.

Executive director of the coalition, Susan Stanton, spoke of positive impact programs in community schools across the state, in both urban and rural settings, which included improved educational outcomes.

“Members of this committee, this is not about creating a new system. It’s about strengthening and sustaining one that already delivers results across Illinois.,” Stanton said.

Funding for the programs was abruptly pulled by the U.S. Department of Education, citing a July 2025 memo from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, which guided federal agencies to revoke grants over language relating to DEI, which the memo classified as discriminatory.

State Rep. Blaine Wilhour, R-Louisville, questioned proponents on whether the program is a DEI program, to which proponents said it was not.

“Just get rid of the DEI language. Just get rid of it and you probably won’t have a problem,” Wilhour said.

Multiple proponents testified that it would not be as simple as removing such language from their grant application, citing that there are no new applications being taken and saying the program’s application did not include DEI language. Instead, advocates said the program helps to solve issues from the community level.

The subcommittee did not hold a vote on the bills, but they could move to the House Appropriations Committee, where they could be amended, for a vote based on Wednesday’s testimony and any future hearings.