The success of the program in the early days led to the creation of a nonprofit in 2010 under the name of the Illinois Currency Exchange Charitable Foundation. During the next five years, the school supplies program continued to expand, reaching more and more children from low-income families. As the program evolved, supplies were distributed in the form of Back 2 School kits, each containing the core supplies that students need to succeed in the classroom. To facilitate the distribution of these kits, partnerships were developed with a numerous community organizations and government agencies. In 2015, a Build-A-Kit initiative, which allows companies to purchase school supplies in bulk and assemble them into kits, as part of a team building exercise, helped to accelerate the growth of the Back 2 School program. That same year, the organization changed its name to Back 2 School Illinois to better reflect the work being done.
In 2018, a couple of existing sponsors inquired about funding Back 2 School kits outside of Illinois. To address the interest in providing school supplies to across the country, Back 2 School America was launched. In 2022, Back 2 School Illinois was officially absorbed into B2SA.
While the Back 2 School program remains the main thrust of B2SA’s efforts, the organization also offers other programs that fit within the guidelines of our mission. Back 2 School America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to create and support educational opportunities that enrich the lives of children across the USA.
