Foundations that fund organizations in Evanston, Illinois
Worked out from where the grants went, not where the foundations sit.
Funding landscape for Evanston nonprofits
1,180 private foundations gave $303M to Evanston organizations in their latest filings; 28 of the 100 that say either way accept applications.
1,840 grants in total, with a typical foundation's median grant to Evanston around $300K. 42 of these funders are based in Illinois; the rest give here from elsewhere.
- Foundations giving here
- 1,180
- Accept applications
- 28
- of 100 that state a policy
- Dollars to Evanston
- $303M
- latest filings
- Grants
- 1,840
- Typical median grant
- $300K
- Based in IL
- 42%
- of funders listed
Funders, by dollars given to Evanston organizations
| Foundation | Based in | Grants here | Dollars here | Median | Accepts applications | Typical purposes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gates Foundation | Seattle, WA | 2 | $126M | $63M | Yes | Polio; Malaria |
| Zell Family Foundation | Chicago, IL | 1 | $25M | $25M | Preselected only | General support |
| Lilly Endowment Inc | Indianapolis, IN | 4 | $16M | $3.0M | Yes | Pathways for tomorrow initiative; Christian faith&life storytellg init |
| Pritzker Family Foundation C/O Pritzker Group | Chicago, IL | 1 | $10M | $10M | Preselected only | Law school operations |
| The Benificus Foundation | San Carlos, CA | 1 | $8.1M | $8.1M | Preselected only | General purpose |
| Sherman Fairchild Foundation Inc | Chevy Chase, MD | 1 | $7.5M | $7.5M | Preselected only | Cryoelectron Microscopy Advancement |
| Hevolution Foundation US | Boston, MA | 1 | $6.9M | $6.9M | Preselected only | Develop the proteostasis index of healthy aging (piha) |
| Eleven Eleven Foundation | Highland Park, IL | 1 | $6.6M | $6.6M | Preselected only | Unrestricted charitable gift |
| Wayfarer Foundation | Highland Park, IL | 5 | $6.5M | $150K | Preselected only | General operating support |
| Otto & Fran Walter Foundation Inc | Boothbay Harbor, ME | 3 | $3.5M | $469K | Preselected only | To fund otto and fran walter rotary peace center in middle… |
| Encourage Inc | Evanston, IL | 1 | $2.5M | $2.5M | Preselected only | To support general operation |
| Founders Pledge Inc | New York, NY | 1 | $2.3M | $2.3M | Preselected only | General support |
| Bergstrom Foundation | Key Colony Beach, FL | 1 | $2.0M | $2.0M | Preselected only | General operating support - medical |
| K5 Foundation Co Pacific Foundation Services | San Francisco, CA | 1 | $2.0M | $2.0M | Preselected only | to support creation of an integrated program to ensure enha… |
| Alonzo Mather Foundation Trust C/O the Chicago Trust Company Na | Grayslake, IL | 1 | $2.0M | $2.0M | Preselected only | General operating purposes |
| State Farm Companies Foundation | Bloomington, IL | 1 | $1.9M | $1.9M | Yes | Education Award |
| Lewis-Sebring Family Foundation | Evanston, IL | 20 | $1.8M | $7,500 | Preselected only | In support of organization's mission |
| The Negaunee Foundation | Northbrook, IL | 6 | $1.7M | $150K | Preselected only | Restricted use; Unrestricted use; Unrestricted |
| Wm Keck Foundation | Los Angeles, CA | 1 | $1.3M | $1.3M | Yes | To test for violation of quantum linearity due to gravity |
| Grandy Foundation | Buffalo Grove, IL | 2 | $1.2M | $603K | Preselected only | Support organizations programs; Endowment in support of general operations |
| Gordon E and Betty I Moore Foundation | Palo Alto, CA | 3 | $1.1M | $167K | Preselected only | To support the vibrio2024 meeting, supporting scientists st…; In support of the data science fellowship program, whose mi…; To support efforts to develop an open-access state-of-the-a… |
| Sacks Family Foundation C/O Michael Sacks | Highland Park, IL | 2 | $1.1M | $564K | Preselected only | To further the exempt purpose of the organization |
| Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Inc | New York, NY | 1 | $1.1M | $1.1M | Yes | To support research, mentorship, and capacity building for… |
| Beard Scholarship Fund | Pennington, NJ | 1 | $1.1M | $1.1M | Preselected only | Unrestricted general |
| The Allstate Foundation | Northbrook, IL | 10 | $1.1M | $1,000 | Yes | Employee helping hands; Honorarium grant for heather greenwell; 2024 nonprofit management essentials |
| Cless Family Foundation | Northbrook, IL | 7 | $1.0M | $35K | Preselected only | Charitable; Education; Chartibale |
| Leducq Foundation for Cardiovascular Research | Houston, TX | 1 | $1.0M | $1.0M | Preselected only | General support |
| The Future Wanxiang Foundation Inc | South Barrington, IL | 1 | $1.0M | $1.0M | Yes | General support |
| J Christopher and Anne N Reyes Foundation | West Palm Beach, FL | 1 | $1.0M | $1.0M | Preselected only | 2024 pledge payment |
| Freedom Together Foundation | New York, NY | 1 | $1.0M | $1.0M | Preselected only | Molecular and cellular mechanisms of parkinson's disease |
| P Kent Hawryluk Charitable Trust | Carmel, IN | 1 | $1.0M | $1.0M | Preselected only | Education |
| Cele H & William B Rubin Family Fund | Wellesley Hills, MA | 2 | $989K | $494K | Preselected only | General |
| Knight Impact Partners C/O Rlk Partners LLC | Lake Forest, IL | 5 | $980K | $150K | Preselected only | General support; Knight scholars fund |
| The Andrew W Mellon Foundation | New York, NY | 3 | $950K | $300K | Yes | To support programming and organizational capacity; To support for scientific studies in the arts (nu-access):…; To support organizational capacity building |
| John S and James L Knight Foundation | Miami, FL | 2 | $929K | $465K | Yes | To build americas most comprehensive database of local news…; To drive responsible adoption of generative artificial inte… |
| National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is Trust U/W O Z Whitehead | New York, NY | 1 | $901K | $901K | Preselected only | General support |
| Chicago Cred Inc | Chicago, IL | 1 | $864K | $864K | Preselected only | General Support |
| J Landis and Sharon Martin Family Foundation | Denver, CO | 1 | $835K | $835K | Preselected only | To further program services |
| Bobbie and Stanton Cook Family Foundation | Winnetka, IL | 1 | $825K | $825K | Preselected only | Mary beth richard scholarship fund ($75k)kellogg veterans s… |
| Trott Family Philanthropies Inc | Chicago, IL | 3 | $775K | $200K | Preselected only | To Support The Tina Trott Chair in Integrative Hea; Stars College Network Program; To support The Aux |
| Karin Bain and John Kukral Foundation | Old Greenwich, CT | 1 | $752K | $752K | Preselected only | $76,666 to ryan field project; $100,000 to water systems re… |
| Is15 Foundation | Wilmington, DE | 1 | $750K | $750K | Preselected only | The Fund shall be used to support a professorship within th… |
| Franklin Square Foundation | Evanston, IL | 6 | $725K | $23K | Preselected only | Grant - general operating expenses; Grant - summer program operating; Donation - evanston twp high sch |
| Patten John L-Charitable | Dallas, TX | 1 | $718K | $718K | Preselected only | Unrestricted general |
| Finnegan Family Foundation | Chicago, IL | 22 | $696K | $25K | Preselected only | Unrestricted; Health science center; Aspire community healthcare workforce development program,… |
| Pepper Family Foundation | Chicago, IL | 4 | $694K | $153K | Preselected only | Operating funds |
| Lasater Family Charitable Trust | Evanston, IL | 1 | $690K | $690K | Yes | Unrestricted |
| Circle of Service Foundation | Chicago, IL | 17 | $671K | $30K | Yes | Community services; Match/discretionary; Medical research |
| Massey Family Foundation | Durant, OK | 1 | $640K | $640K | Preselected only | General operations |
| The David and Lucile Packard Foundation | Los Altos, CA | 4 | $613K | $175K | Yes | Environment and Science; Fellowships for Science and Engineering |
| Rainwater Charitable Foundation | Fort Worth, TX | 5 | $600K | $125K | Preselected only | Medical research |
| Jean Paul Ohadi Memorial Foundation | Northbrook, IL | 1 | $600K | $600K | Yes | Humanitarian |
| Alfred P Sloan Foundation | New York, NY | 5 | $599K | $75K | Yes | Transfer of an alfred p. sloan research fellowship for juan…; To enhance the integration of contemporary energy economics…; Alfred p. sloan research fellowship for daniel lecoanet in… |
| Chuck and Dee Howey Family Foundation | Flat Rock, MI | 1 | $585K | $585K | Preselected only | General purpose |
| Julie & Frank Cohen Family Foundation C/O Cypress Advisory LLC | Boca Raton, FL | 1 | $533K | $533K | Preselected only | To further the exempt purpose of the organization |
| John R Flanagan Charitable Foundation | Chicago, IL | 1 | $525K | $525K | Preselected only | For general charitable purposes |
| Carnegie Corporation of New York | New York, NY | 2 | $516K | $258K | Yes | As a final grant for a project on media studies in the Arab…; For one-time funding for a project to analyze the role of c… |
| The Huntsman Foundation | Salt Lake City, UT | 1 | $500K | $500K | Preselected only | General support |
| Hsjk Foundation Inc | Boston, MA | 1 | $500K | $500K | Preselected only | general support |
| Fulk Family Foundation Inc | Lincoln, NE | 3 | $465K | $65K | Preselected only | Project #60056374 under the direction of maryann mason; To manage and conduct a not-for-profit leadership training…; Study impact of fulk family foundation gifts by kellogg sch… |
| Vivo Foundation | Northbrook, IL | 4 | $455K | $83K | Preselected only | To further the mission of the donee |
| Tinberg Foundation | Winnetka, IL | 2 | $450K | $225K | Yes | General support |
| The Canning Foundation | Chicago, IL | 2 | $450K | $225K | Preselected only | To further program services of the biochemistry & molecular…; To further program services of the canning inspire fund |
| Owen L Coon Foundation | Chicago, IL | 3 | $450K | $75K | Preselected only | Owen l coon debate tournament; Division of integrative medicine; Group medicine visits program |
| Eleanor Crook Foundation | San Marcos, TX | 1 | $449K | $449K | Preselected only | Power of nutrition power 4 scaling |
| John and Kathleen Schreiber Foundation D/B/A Schreiber Philanthropy | Lake Forest, IL | 2 | $440K | $220K | Preselected only | General Operating |
| Arie and Ida Crown Memorial | Chicago, IL | 8 | $408K | $30K | Yes | General operating; Program |
| Minow Family Foundation | Cambridge, MA | 2 | $400K | $200K | Yes | Unrestricted |
| The Chantal and Tommy Bagwell Foundation Inc | Cumming, GA | 1 | $400K | $400K | Preselected only | General fund |
| Research Corporation Dba Research Corporation for Science Advancement | Tucson, AZ | 4 | $380K | $66K | Yes | Developing Mathematical Models for the Formation of New Col…; Structure Identification in Complex Chemical Mixtures using…; Understanding the multiple timescales of neuromodulation us… |
| Dr Ralph & Marian Falk Medical Research Tr | Dallas, TX | 2 | $379K | $189K | Yes | Therapy for chronic kidney; Antibodies treatment of |
| Foundation to Promote Open Society | New York, NY | 1 | $375K | $375K | Preselected only | To support bringing together expertise in public internatio… |
| Whirled Peas Foundation Inc | Evanston, IL | 11 | $351K | $5,000 | Preselected only | General fund raising |
| John D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation | Chicago, IL | 2 | $350K | $175K | Preselected only | In support of the national symposium for state and local re…; In support of its center for neighborhood engaged research… |
| The Pritzker Pucker Family Foundation | Chicago, IL | 1 | $350K | $350K | Preselected only | General operating support |
| John Templeton Foundation | West Conshohocken, PA | 2 | $330K | $165K | Yes | Quantum-limited detection of one-quantum transitions of one…; Multiscale organizational principles in active matter and l… |
| Wellspring Philanthropic Fund Inc | New York, NY | 2 | $318K | $159K | Preselected only | General operating support |
| Willens Family Foundation | Short Hills, NJ | 1 | $302K | $302K | Preselected only | Endowment |
| The Dr M Lee Pearce Foundation Inc | Miami Beach, FL | 1 | $300K | $300K | Preselected only | Scholarship support |
| The Ford Foundation | New York, NY | 1 | $300K | $300K | Yes | Core support for the center on disability and racial justice |
| The Rogue Willow Foundation Co Lerman Sweeney and Co Llp | Northbrook, IL | 1 | $300K | $300K | Preselected only | Educational |
| Root Arthur Tw | Chicago, IL | 1 | $281K | $281K | Preselected only | Program support |
| The Phil & Gerry Rominger Foundatio | Efland, NC | 1 | $281K | $281K | Preselected only | Organization support funding |
| The Heising-Simons Foundation | Los Altos, CA | 2 | $275K | $138K | Preselected only | For the code/astro software engineering workshops for astro…; To investigate spectroscopic signatures of planet formation |
| The IV Fund | Folsom, CA | 4 | $275K | $55K | Preselected only | President's fund; Center on wrongful convictions; Positive emotion & health research fund |
| The Joyce Foundation | Chicago, IL | 2 | $272K | $136K | Yes | Gun violence prevention & justice reform; Culture |
| Walter and Karla Goldschmidt Foundation | Glencoe, IL | 3 | $263K | $7,900 | Yes | Activities of the organization to which money was donated |
| The Spencer Foundation | Chicago, IL | 4 | $263K | $77K | Yes | Indigenous education salons; Human learning and social change; Indigenous education initiative |
| John Ruan Foundation Trust | Urbandale, IA | 2 | $260K | $130K | Yes | Schools, Colleges and Related Activities; Sports, Athletic |
| Mitchell Kapor Foundation | Oakland, CA | 1 | $250K | $250K | Yes | Gift to support programs |
| The Caitlin Bull Foundation C/O Keith Jackson | River Forest, IL | 1 | $250K | $250K | Preselected only | Health Service Charitable Organization |
| Buehler Family Foundation | Dallas, TX | 1 | $250K | $250K | Preselected only | Unrestricted general |
| The Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Family Foundation | Wilmington, DE | 3 | $250K | $100K | Preselected only | General & Unrestricted; Interplay fund; Shapiro Hall fund |
| Peak6 Foundation | Chicago, IL | 1 | $250K | $250K | Preselected only | For Aux Donation |
| Adolph Frederick Lange Fund | Dallas, TX | 1 | $247K | $247K | Preselected only | Unrestricted general |
| Alonzo Clark Mather Trust | Dallas, TX | 1 | $246K | $246K | Preselected only | Unrestricted general |
| The Meyer Family Charitable Trust Ua 12-17-13 | Darien, CT | 1 | $229K | $229K | Preselected only | General donation |
| Michael Gross Family Foundation | New York, NY | 1 | $225K | $225K | Yes | Contribution |
| Reynolds Family Foundation | Wilmington, DE | 2 | $225K | $113K | Preselected only | Full Circle Campaign - Center for Enlightened Disagreement; The Kellogg Dean's Fund |
| The Evans Family Foundation | Chicago, IL | 1 | $200K | $200K | Preselected only | To further charity's purpose |
Source: IRS Form 990-PF Part XV, latest electronic return per foundation (2026-10-28). "Accepts applications" reflects the foundation's own checkbox on Part XV line 2. Grants to individuals excluded.
Common questions
Which foundations give to nonprofits in Evanston, Illinois?
Gates Foundation, Zell Family Foundation, Lilly Endowment Inc, Pritzker Family Foundation C/O Pritzker Group, The Benificus Foundation and 95 others reported grants to Evanston organizations on their latest Form 990-PF.
How do I approach a foundation that doesn't accept applications?
A foundation that checks "contributes only to preselected organizations" on its 990-PF won't review a cold proposal. Look at who it funds, find a shared board member, grantee or advisor, and ask for an introduction. Foundations that accept applications usually list a contact and deadlines in Part XV; we show that text on each foundation's page.
Is this list complete?
No. It covers private foundations (Form 990-PF filers) whose latest electronic return lists at least one grant to an organization in Evanston. Community foundations and corporate giving programs file different forms and are not included yet.