Dupage Policy Journal

Democrat DuPage County Chairman Deb Conroy has given a $30,000 DuPage taxpayer grant to "Naperville Neighbors United," a Democrat party advocacy group run by Democrat Naperville City Council member and former mayoral candidate Benny White.

Conroy announced the grant on Tuesday June 24.

Naperville Neighbors United (NNU) celebrates and promotes the activities of non-whites and non-Christians in Naperville, also hosting campaign events attended by Naperville Democrat politicians.

Benny White | Facebook / Benny White for Naperville

They include an annual Naperville celebration for Juneteenth, co-sponsored this month by the campaign committees of Illinois State Rep. Anne Stava-Murray (D-Naperville) and Illinois State Sen. Laura Ellman (D-Naperville) and City of Naperville taxpayers.

Last October, White's group hosted an "anti-racist" film festival, promoting "Imagining the Indian," a film documentary that argues against the use of whites using Indian terms in naming sports teams, like the Kansas City Chiefs.

NNU "engaged over 1,200 students in discussions on cultural appropriation, racism, and activism," it posted on X.com. 

Last September, NNU hosted a tent at "Naper Pride Fest," an event to promote homosexuality in the city.

Conroy's $30,000 grant marks the largest ever for White's group, which he founded in 2020 and had raised less than $50,000 total in its first four years of operation.

Annual U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) 990 filings by NNU report the group had $477 in revenue in 2020, $4,747 in 2021, $21,251 in 2022 and $22,494 in 2023.

Funded by Naperville taxpayers, Democrat politicians

City of Naperville taxpayers have been the primary funder of NNU, city records show.

In 2021, Naperville taxpayers gave NNU $4,100, or 86 percent of its reported revenue, according to the city's Annual Treasurer's Report.

In 2022, NNU received $6,203 from Naperville taxpayers, and, in 2023, $9,260 from Naperville taxpayers, or nearly half its reported revenue.

In 2024, Naperville taxpayers granted NNU more than $33,000--- $8,280 to host the anti-racist film festival, $12,243 to fund its annual Juneteenth celebration and $12,500 to host a "Youth World Cafe" at Neuqua Valley H.S., where students are offered "service hours" if they read a book and listen to a lecture on "a racist social media account."

DuPage County Democrat elected officials also have been primary financial backers of White's Naperville Neighbors United, making a total of $5,750 in grants to the group out of their campaign committees, Illinois State Board of Elections filings show.

Democrats Stava-Murray ($1,000 in two donations) and Ellman ($1,750 in three donations) have backed the group, dating back to June 2022.

Also, Illinois State Rep. Janet Yang-Rohr (D-Naperville) has donated $1,750 to Naperville Neighbors United in four donations dating back to June 2022. And Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker gave Naperville Neighbors United $1,000 in June 2022, when he was running for re-election.

White founded the "Naperville Neighbors United" non-profit in 2020, as he was planning to run for re-election to the Naperville City Council.

In applying for 501(c)(3) status, he told the IRS the group "efforts to unite the diverse citizens of Naperville, IL thoough (sic) dialogue, education and community events."

Conroy supported White's run for Naperville Mayor in 2023, donating $1,000 to his campaign, ISBE filings show.

In 2023, DuPage Policy Journal reported that he wasn't paying any property taxes on his 3,752 square-foot, $1.2 million south Naperville home. 

White, who served in the U.S. Army from 1987 to 2008, claims a "Disabled Veterans Property Tax Exemption" which allows him to skip his property tax bill, saving him approximately $25,000 per year.

A Kansas City native and self-described longtime fan of the Kansas City Chiefs, White moved to Naperville in 2005. He was elected to the Indian Prairie School District 204 Board of Education in 2012, serving until 2017, when he ran for Naperville City Council.

White is serving his third term on the Naperville City Council, having been re-elected in 2021 and again in 2025. His current term ends in 2029.

NNU's executive director is "diversity" consultant Saily Joshi of Naperville.