Tardy Government Payments Hit Illinois Nonprofits Hardest

Illinois is ranked first among states in late payments to charities that are struggling amid already shrinking government funds, according to a new report by the Urban Institute, writes the Chicago Tribune.

While many charities across the county have frozen salaries and cut programs, almost 41 percent of human-service groups reported late payments from state, federal, and local government sources in 2009, and in Illinois, that number climbed to 72 percent.

In Illinois, 31 percent of nonprofit groups said they cut services and programs last year.

Laurel O’Sullivan, vice president of Donors Forum, in Chicago, said many human-service groups are struggling because of the Illinois’s financial woes. “The Land of Lincoln has really become the land of late payments,” said Ms. O’Sullivan.

Read about the state-budget woes facing charities in Illinois in this article from The Chronicle’s archive, and read our coverage of the nationwide findings from the Urban Institute report issued on Thursday.