history

Bright Promises Foundation formerly known as the Illinois Humane Society (IHS), was chartered by the state of Illinois as the first agency to provide a voice and assistance to vulnerable children in Chicago and the surrounding communities.  

For the organization’s first 100 years, it provided direct services that ranged from erecting public drinking fountains to running settlement houses to helping secure for some of the earliest child welfare legislation in the nation. Beginning in the late 1950’s, the organization dedicated its efforts solely to support programs and agencies that address the needs of children and youth.

In 2008, in partnership with experts in the field of child and family services, the Foundation identified a lack of and need for investing in timely, focused social innovation and set out to fill this gap. The organization was officially renamed Bright Promises Foundation in 2009.