If you are planning to mail a check by the end of the year, please note that the U.S. Postal Service has updated its rules, and machine postmarks will now be applied when mail is processed at regional processing centers (not at the local drop off point). To ensure your check is postmarked in time to be eligible for a 2025 charitable deduction, we recommend requesting a manual postmark in person at a post office or using certified/registered mail. Click here for more details on giving dates and deadlines.
Annie Sweeney is the communications director for the Illinois Justice Project.
She joined the organization in December 2022 after covering crime, violence and policing at both the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune.
Annie has reported and written about individuals and neighborhoods most deeply impacted by violence, including community efforts to respond to gun violence. She explored gun trafficking routes to better understand the flow of firearms and exposed flaws in the state’s gun permitting systems. Her most recent work at the Tribune included stories on incarcerated women and analyses of the Chicago Police Department’s work force allocation and deployments.
Annie has a journalism degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a master’s degree in peace studies from Trinity College Dublin.
