Chicago and Great Lakes
Nine Ways the W. Clement & Jessie V. Stone Foundation Supports Chicago
Since 1958, the W. Clement & Jessie V. Stone Foundation has sought to honor its founders' vision for making the world a better place. W. Clement Stone grew up on Chicago's South Side, where he began selling newspapers at the age of six and … [Read more...] about Nine Ways the W. Clement & Jessie V. Stone Foundation Supports Chicago
How the Field Foundation of Illinois Supports Community Power-Building Throughout Chicago
In 2023, the MacArthur Foundation and the Chicago-based Field Foundation of Illinois, which distributes more than $10 million annually and works to address systemic issues in historically marginalized areas of Chicago, launched a new grantmaking … [Read more...] about How the Field Foundation of Illinois Supports Community Power-Building Throughout Chicago
Merging Trust-Based Philanthropy and VC-Style Support to Help Communities Bloom
Say you’re a nice boy from New York who’s made it big and you want to start giving back in earnest. How do you get started? You might ask your friends for advice. This was the approach taken by Peter Levine, a tech sales and marketing executive … [Read more...] about Merging Trust-Based Philanthropy and VC-Style Support to Help Communities Bloom
A Look at the John W. Anderson Foundation’s Broad Support for Northwest Indiana
Just across the state line from Chicago and known for its sand dunes and steel mills, northwest Indiana is home to the John W. Anderson Foundation. Aside from some exceptions like the Foundations of East Chicago, few funders focus on this part of the … [Read more...] about A Look at the John W. Anderson Foundation’s Broad Support for Northwest Indiana
How This Accessible Chicago-Based Funder Targets Entrepreneurship, Health and Disabilities
We periodically publish quick overviews of grantmakers on our radar, looking at recent developments and key details about how they operate. Today, we’re taking a look at the Coleman Foundation, which supports organizations in the Chicago metropolitan … [Read more...] about How This Accessible Chicago-Based Funder Targets Entrepreneurship, Health and Disabilities
A Look Inside the F. R. Bigelow Foundation’s Minnesota Grantmaking
Many Minnesota foundations focus on the St. Paul area, including the F. R. Bigelow Foundation. This funder is committed to supporting a vibrant East Metro region. It is the legacy of Frederic Russell Bigelow, former president of the Saint Paul Fire … [Read more...] about A Look Inside the F. R. Bigelow Foundation’s Minnesota Grantmaking
A Family Foundation’s Refreshingly Accessible Approach to Funding Research and Education
At the risk of overgeneralizing, a lot of family foundations tend to be fairly opaque, without much in the way of a public-facing profile. Many do not have websites, post their grants online, publish annual reports and founder’s statements, or accept … [Read more...] about A Family Foundation’s Refreshingly Accessible Approach to Funding Research and Education
Who Created the Argosy Foundation, and How Does It Support Wisconsin?
Although the Argosy Foundation works across the U.S. and abroad, its home base is Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a primary place of interest for the funder. Argosy can be a challenging grantmaker to get to know, but it’s worth it for nonprofits in the area. … [Read more...] about Who Created the Argosy Foundation, and How Does It Support Wisconsin?
How the Columbus Foundation Serves Its Region of Ohio
As the largest city in Ohio, it should come as little surprise that Columbus is a major center for philanthropy in the state. The Columbus Foundation is the community foundation that serves the city and the broader central Ohio region, and it’s an … [Read more...] about How the Columbus Foundation Serves Its Region of Ohio
A Glimpse Inside Brian and Julie Simmons’ Chicago Grantmaking
Just because a foundation has no significant public presence, that doesn’t mean it isn’t accessible to local grantseekers. A good example of this is the Brian and Julie Simmons Foundation, which does not have a website but may be open to receiving … [Read more...] about A Glimpse Inside Brian and Julie Simmons’ Chicago Grantmaking
Big Change Requires Bold Funding: Why We’re Upping Our Annual Grantee Payout to 11%
“It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains.” — Assata Shakur, “Assata: An Autobiography”In June last year, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned … [Read more...] about Big Change Requires Bold Funding: Why We’re Upping Our Annual Grantee Payout to 11%
Six Questions for Michelle Morales, President of Woods Fund Chicago
Born in Yonkers, New York, Michelle Morales was a self-described “military brat,” spending her childhood moving around the country before settling in Chicago in 1993 to attend DePaul University. For most of her professional career, Morales worked in … [Read more...] about Six Questions for Michelle Morales, President of Woods Fund Chicago
A Look at the Sacks Family Foundation’s Chicago-Area Giving
With deep roots in the financial industry and in the Chicago area, Michael and Cari Sacks are philanthropists based in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park. In 2001, the couple created the Sacks Family Foundation to conduct grantmaking and fund local … [Read more...] about A Look at the Sacks Family Foundation’s Chicago-Area Giving
This Illinois-Based Tech Billionaire Is Moving Big Sums With a Unique Faith-Based Approach
My colleague Sue-Lynn Moses and I recently took a deep dive into how major donors carry out their giving through their private foundations. Our analysis of Candid data from 2017 to 2019 confirmed what we had long suspected — that wealthy donors often … [Read more...] about This Illinois-Based Tech Billionaire Is Moving Big Sums With a Unique Faith-Based Approach
Getting to Know Chicago Philanthropists Patrick and Shirley Ryan
Among Chicago’s prominent philanthropic power couples are Patrick and Shirley Ryan, who gained substantial wealth through the insurance industry and made the single largest gift in Northwestern University’s history. The Ryans launched their … [Read more...] about Getting to Know Chicago Philanthropists Patrick and Shirley Ryan
Funding for Fathers: A Chicago-based Family Foundation Shines a Light on Fatherhood
The Joseph and Bessie Feinberg Foundation recently gave a three-year, $300,000 donation to The Dovetail Project, a Chicago-based nonprofit that educates and supports Black and Hispanic fathers aged 17 to 24. This is a rare gift for a father-focused … [Read more...] about Funding for Fathers: A Chicago-based Family Foundation Shines a Light on Fatherhood
Getting to Know the J. Christopher and Anne N. Reyes Foundation’s Philanthropy in Chicago
Although the J. Christopher and Anne N. Reyes Foundation is headquartered in West Palm Beach, Florida, this funder focuses a significant part of its grantmaking on the city of Chicago. That’s because the Reyes family has deep roots in the Chicago … [Read more...] about Getting to Know the J. Christopher and Anne N. Reyes Foundation’s Philanthropy in Chicago
A Quick Look at John and Paula Lillard’s Giving through the Red Bird Foundation
Based in the Chicago suburb of Lake Forest, Illinois, the Red Bird Foundation is a low-key funder with broad interests. John and Paula Lillard created this foundation in 1991 to channel their family philanthropy. Now retired, John Lillard was a real … [Read more...] about A Quick Look at John and Paula Lillard’s Giving through the Red Bird Foundation
A Look at a Former Illinois Governor’s Low-Profile Philanthropic Foundation
From 2015 to 2019, Bruce Rauner served as the governor of Illinois. However, much of his wealth comes from his work with a private equity firm, Golder Thomas Cressey Rauner. Bruce Rauner and his wife, Diana, launched their own philanthropic … [Read more...] about A Look at a Former Illinois Governor’s Low-Profile Philanthropic Foundation
Backed by a Billionaire Couple, a Chicago Nonprofit Takes a Community-Led Approach to Youth Equity
Philanthropy isn’t moving as fast as its most forward-thinking leaders might hope — Marguerite Casey Foundation CEO Carmen Rojas once told me she envisions a world where foundations no longer need to exist. But a section of philanthropy is … [Read more...] about Backed by a Billionaire Couple, a Chicago Nonprofit Takes a Community-Led Approach to Youth Equity
A Conversation with Jeffreen Hayes, Executive Director of Chicago-Based Arts Funder Threewalls
Dr. Jeffreen Hayes is the executive director of Threewalls, a Chicago-based organization that “fosters contemporary art practices that respond to lived experiences, encouraging connections beyond art.” Founded in 2003 as a brick-and-mortar gallery, … [Read more...] about A Conversation with Jeffreen Hayes, Executive Director of Chicago-Based Arts Funder Threewalls
How the Pritzker Pucker Family Foundation Gives in the Chicago Area
Here at IP, we have covered lots of Pritzker philanthropies over the years — which is understandable, considering this is one of the wealthiest families in America. Although organizations all over the world receive Pritzker money, the family’s home … [Read more...] about How the Pritzker Pucker Family Foundation Gives in the Chicago Area
The Logan Legacy: Three Brothers Carry on the Philanthropic Work Their Parents Started
At a time when billionaire donors are looming ever larger in philanthropy, it can be easy to overlook the accomplishments of more modest foundations whose founders rarely draw media attention. If anybody had been watching six years ago, when two … [Read more...] about The Logan Legacy: Three Brothers Carry on the Philanthropic Work Their Parents Started
An Overview of the Haslam Family’s Local Giving
Anyone who has taken a cross-country road trip is probably familiar with the Pilot Flying J brand of travel centers with gas station pumps and convenience stores. This is where the fortune of the Haslam family comes from, a family that has been named … [Read more...] about An Overview of the Haslam Family’s Local Giving
How the Frank E. Payne and Seba B. Payne Foundation Supports Chicago
Although many Chicago-area nonprofits may not have heard of the Frank E. Payne and Seba B. Payne Foundation, this funder has been on the local philanthropy scene since 1962. This is a low-key foundation with very little public information available … [Read more...] about How the Frank E. Payne and Seba B. Payne Foundation Supports Chicago
How the Osa Foundation Backs Education in Chicago
Education has consistently been a top issue for philanthropists in Chicago (and elsewhere), and Robin and Jack Lavin are no exception. The Lavins created the Osa Foundation in 2005, and they exclusively focus on local education in their grantmaking. … [Read more...] about How the Osa Foundation Backs Education in Chicago
A Look at the Giving Circles and Councils of the Chicago Foundation for Women
In a recent year, the Chicago Foundation for Women (CFW) worked with almost 3,000 donors and partners to fund over 160 projects and serve more than 70,000 women, girls, transgender people and gender non-binary people in the Chicago area. It does this … [Read more...] about A Look at the Giving Circles and Councils of the Chicago Foundation for Women
A Quick Look at an Anti-Poverty Funder Focused on Chicago
The New Coast Foundation is one of the newer philanthropic organizations in Chicago, and has only been operating for a few years. Following his success with a venture capital fund called New Coast Ventures, Alex Ross created the foundation in 2016 … [Read more...] about A Quick Look at an Anti-Poverty Funder Focused on Chicago
This Chicago Journalism Merger Is a Breakthrough for Local News—and Funders Are Taking Note
In his 1954 autobiography, the great Chicago newspaperman-turned-screenwriter Ben Hecht wrote, “I have lived in other cities but been inside only one. I once wore all the windows of Chicago and all its doorways on a key ring. Saloons, mansions, … [Read more...] about This Chicago Journalism Merger Is a Breakthrough for Local News—and Funders Are Taking Note
