280 private foundations reported education grants in Illinois on their IRS Form 990-PF filings for tax years 2022–2025. Historical giving records — not an open application portal.
Themes are derived from the free-text purpose each foundation wrote on its own Part XV filing, so a grant is classified by what the funder said it was for. Grants paid directly to named individuals are excluded from recipient counts and tables.
Across tax years 2022–2025, 280 private foundations reported 620 grants for education totaling $61,986,192 to 485 organizations in Illinois. The most-funded Illinois communities were Chicago, Evanston, Elgin. SUE Ling GIN Foundation Trust reported the most education giving — $10,000,000 across 1 grant. The median grant was $10,000.
Foundation filings are a record of past giving. The UseGrants eligibility check matches you to federal and state opportunities accepting applications today.
| Foundation | Grants | Total |
|---|---|---|
| SUE Ling GIN Foundation Trust | 1 | $10,000,000 |
| State Farm Companies Foundation | 3 | $7,947,972 |
| Gates Foundation | 15 | $6,458,713 |
| Conagra Brands Foundation | 1 | $4,846,288 |
| Clara Abbott Foundation | 1 | $4,453,538 |
| Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation | 9 | $4,147,000 |
| Wolfe and Gita Churg Foundation | 2 | $2,198,238 |
| Lumina Foundation for Education Inc | 5 | $1,352,500 |
| Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation | 3 | $1,033,250 |
| Hunter Family Foundation | 8 | $985,000 |
| Kaminski Family Foundation | 4 | $780,000 |
| Cless Family Foundation | 9 | $715,000 |
| Recipient | Grants | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial Club Foundation | 1 | $10,000,000 |
| Matching Gift Program | 1 | $5,633,847 |
| University of Chicago | 19 | $4,945,244 |
| Scholarship Grants SEE Statement 15 | 1 | $4,453,538 |
| Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois | 1 | $3,454,000 |
| Northwestern University | 11 | $2,162,746 |
| National Merit Scholarship Corporation | 1 | $1,887,625 |
| Braven Inc | 4 | $1,350,000 |
| Onegoal | 1 | $1,100,000 |
| National Association of Charter School Authorizers | 3 | $898,000 |
| The University of Chicago | 5 | $827,206 |
| Illinois Board of Higher Education | 1 | $750,000 |
| Northwestern Memorial Foundation | 1 | $635,000 |
| Northern Illinois University Foundation | 6 | $584,983 |
| University of Illinois Foundation | 10 | $481,527 |
280 private foundations reported education grants in Illinois on their IRS Form 990-PF filings, totaling $61,986,192. The largest by reported dollars were SUE Ling GIN Foundation Trust, State Farm Companies Foundation, Gates Foundation. These are historical filings, not open application portals — check each foundation's own guidelines before approaching them.
485 distinct organizations appear as recipients in Illinois, led by Commercial Club Foundation, Matching Gift Program, University of Chicago. Grants paid directly to named individuals are excluded from these figures.
The median reported education grant in Illinois was $10,000, and the largest single reported grant was $10,000,000. Amounts are as reported by the filing foundation for a historical tax year.
The UseGrants feed tracks federal and state opportunities that are open today, each with the eligibility explained in plain English.
Source: public IRS Form 990-PF Part XV filings (tax years 2022–2025). Theme classification is derived from the funder’s own purpose text and is a summary, not a legal categorization. UseGrants is an independent aggregator, not affiliated with any foundation listed.
