Metropolitan and ACT Now Announce Partnership

Metropolitan Family Services and Afterschool for Children and Teens Now (ACT Now) are excited to announce their new partnership. Metropolitan is serving as ACT Now’s fiscal sponsor, effective January 2017.

The ACT Now Coalition is a statewide organization that works to ensure that young people in Illinois have access to quality and affordable afterschool and youth development programs. ACT Now is a diverse group of stakeholders supported by Illinois families, educators, business leaders, community advocates, youth organizations and policymakers from across the state. The Coalition believes that an increased commitment to young people beyond the traditional school day is a crucial part of their growth into healthy and productive individuals.

“ACT Now’s initiatives have benefitted thousands of youth throughout Illinois,” says Ric Estrada, President and CEO of Metropolitan Family Services. “As one of the first organizations that launched community schools in Chicago we at Metropolitan value their important work and are honored to work together.”

ACT Now is the C. S. Mott Foundation-funded statewide afterschool network and has a counterpart in all fifty states. The Coalition’s work serves a broad array of needs for the afterschool community, including policy and advocacy support, professional development, and quality assurance resources.

As a Coalition, ACT Now is not its own taxable entity and relies on the support of a fiscal sponsor for financial management, human resources and administrative services. ACT Now has found a strong partner in Metropolitan Family Services, a human services agency that prioritizes strong management and service provision. Metropolitan also provides strong mission alignment through its focus on family and community empowerment. Both organizations are excited to build this relationship with the goal of ensuring that youth in the Chicago area and throughout the state have access to quality and affordable afterschool and youth development programs.

For more information about ACT Now and its activities, contact Susan Stanton, Network Lead, stantons@metrofamily.org, or Shallie Pittman, Youth Development Associate, pittmans@metrofamily.org.