Lester & Rosalie Anixter Center

Lester & Rosalie Anixter Center, doing business as Anixter Center, is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization that operates as both a prime recipient and sub-recipient of federal grants, with a recent footprint dominated by facility services, translation and interpretation work, and community social services directed at individuals with disabilities. The organization received a $599,016 prime grant from the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women on August 1, 2026, under the Education, Training, and Enhanced Services to End Violence Against and Abuse of Women with Disabilities program (CFDA 16.529), running through July 31, 2029. That award funds training and technical assistance to shelters and victim service providers, outreach and education to deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing victims, and relationship-building among service providers, law enforcement, and deaf-led organizations. Anixter Center's federal footprint spans 273 awards across 23 customer agencies, with a split nearly even between prime recipients (51% of awards) and sub-recipients (49%).

The organization's customer concentration is heavily weighted toward the Department of Health and Human Services. The Administration for Children and Families accounts for 82 awards in the top-customers-by-count ranking, with the Administration's sub-office appearing again with 34 awards, reflecting deep penetration of HHS grant programs. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration adds 13 awards. In terms of dollar concentration, however, the General Services Administration Public Buildings Service Region 5 dominates the top-customers-by-potential-value ranking with 3 awards valued at $1.8 million combined, anchoring about 12% of total potential value in the source data. The Department of the Army Reserve Command contributes $527 thousand across 2 awards, and the Department of Transportation's Immediate Office of the Secretary Transportation holds $367 thousand across 4 awards.

Anixter Center's work profile centers on facility services and support operations. The top NAICS categories are Janitorial Services (56 awards), Translation and Interpretation Services (18 awards), and Other Services to Buildings and Dwellings (13 awards). Corresponding PSC coding aligns with housekeeping and custodial janitorial work (53 awards), administrative translation and interpreting support (20 awards), and snow removal and salt services (20 awards). Sub-recipient work flows through the Illinois Department of Human Services across multiple federal grant programs, including Block Grants for Community Mental Health Services, Social Service Block Grants, and Family Violence Prevention and Services awards. A University of Illinois sub-award from June 2025 engaged Anixter for employment support services — one-on-one meetings with students to assess interests and skills, job interview preparation, mock interviewing, resume development, and on-site job coaching. A sub-award from June 2025 included provision of a paratransit minivan. Activity peaked in 2023 with 69 awards, then declined to 59 awards in 2024 and 4 awards in 2025; the most recent 2026 award marks the recent upturn in the violence-against-women program. Anixter Center places task orders under GSA Blanket Purchase Agreement GS05P03GAC0022 (41 task orders, $223 thousand combined potential value) and GS05P98GAC0067 (11 task orders), along with HHS Blanket Purchase Agreement HSSCCG12A00006 (6 task orders, $31 thousand combined potential value).