Lumity is a nonprofit organization that provides science, technology, engineering, and mathematics career preparation programs in distressed neighborhoods of the Chicago area, partnering with local businesses and high schools. It also is the founder of NPO.net, a job listings website for Chicago-area nonprofit organizations. ¹

History

The organization began as IT Resource Center (ITRC), formed by The Chicago Community Trust in 1984 as a consulting firm for nonprofits. In 1995, ITRC launched NPO.net to provide technology resources for nonprofits, and by 2004 ITRC had created 22 Community Technology Centers in Chicago through the use of an Elizabeth Morse Genius Grant. ²

In 2006, ITRC acquired Nonprofit Finance Center and in 2008 changed its name to Lumity. ³

In 2013, Lumity partnered with the city of Chicago and received funding to create Community Technology Centers that offered technology training services to community organizations. ^{4 5}

In 2019, Lumity started an apprenticeship program using funding from Chicago Cred, a Chicago nonprofit that offers education services, job training, therapy, and counseling to at-risk Chicagoans aimed at reducing gun violence. ^{6 7} That same year it also received a five-year $3.7 million grant from the Department of Education to measure the effectiveness of STEM career preparation programs. ⁸

Programs

Lumity provides offers career preparation programs for STEM careers and, as of April 2023, reports having over 600 students enrolled. It also has partner businesses to help program graduates receive job placement. ⁹

Since 1995, Lumity, originally under the name IT Resource Center, has operated NPO.net (also known as Nonprofit Opportunities). NPO.net is a job listings website for people seeking to work for nonprofit organizations in the Chicago area. ¹⁰

Funding

According to its 2021 tax returns, Lumity reported receiving $1.5 million in contributions and over $200,000 in program revenue. ¹¹ Also in 2021, it spent over $842,000 on salaries and compensation and reported total expenditures of $1.6 million. ¹²

1. 4, Maggie ChristFebruary. “How Lumity’s Creating a Better Chicago.” Built In Chicago, February 4, 2014. https://www.builtinchicago.org/blog/how-lumitys-creating-better-chicago
2. “Our Story.” Lumity. Accessed April 17, 2023. https://lumity.org/about-lumity/our-story/
3. “Our Story.” Lumity. Accessed April 17, 2023. https://lumity.org/about-lumity/our-story/.
4. “Our Story.” Lumity. Accessed April 17, 2023. https://lumity.org/about-lumity/our-story/.
5. “CTC Connect.” Smart Chicago Collaborative. Accessed April 17, 2023. https://smartchicagocollaborative.org/projects/ctc-connect/.
6. “Our Story.” Lumity. Accessed April 17, 2023. https://lumity.org/about-lumity/our-story/.
7. “Our Approach.” Chicago CRED, April 11, 2023. https://www.chicagocred.org/our-approach/.
8. “Our Story.” Lumity. Accessed April 17, 2023. https://lumity.org/about-lumity/our-story/.
9. “Building STEM Career Awareness.” Lumity. Accessed April 17, 2023. https://lumity.org/stem-programs/what-we-do/.
10. “Nonprofit Job Opportunities.” NPO, October 12, 2022. https://www.npo.net/nonprofit-job-opportunities/.
11. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Lumity. 2021. Part I, Lines 8-12.
12. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Lumity. 2021. Part II, Lines 13-18.