Skip to content

Illinois · Private foundation

Gendell Family Foundation

Its FY2025 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$55k
Granted FY2025(still arriving)
21
Grants FY2025
27
Organizations funded FY2024
52%
First-time grantees FY2024
Read the full brief
Median grant, FY2025
$1,000
Largest grant, FY2025
$12,120
Organizations funded a year
9 to 33
FY2018 to FY2024
States reached, FY2025
6
Total assets, FY2025
$43k
Applications
Preselected organizations only
Per its most recent filing; check its own site

How open it is to new grantees

In FY2024, 52% of the organizations Gendell Family Foundation funded were first-time grantees, receiving 37% of its grant dollars.

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 63% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $9k went to new ones.

50%100%’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
Arts & CultureInternationalHealthEducationPhilanthropyCivil RightsOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.
The numbers by year
Fiscal yearOrganizations fundedTo those organizationsFirst-time grantees
FY2025still arriving19$55k16%
FY202427$25k52%
FY202326$54k35%
FY202212$20k50%
FY202118$37k39%
FY20209$29k11%
FY201933$46k48%
FY201833$55k58%
94% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

International$133kReligion$56kArts & Culture$56kPhilanthropy$54kHealth$53kEducation$49kCrime & Legal$26kCivil Rights$22kOther$0

Where its grants go

Grant dollars by states, across the years we hold.

Which US states its grants reach

IL
NY
MA
IA
IN
NJ
CT
CA
KS
SC
DC
AL
GA
TX
FL

Top grantees

Largest recipients by total granted, FY2017 to FY2025, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.

Show all 54 grantees
All grantees of Gendell Family Foundation by total granted
GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago$50,49850%
Holocaust Memorial Foundation of Illinois Inc$36,37580%
North Shore Congregation Israel$30,5709n/a
Elyssas Mission NFP$25,95572%
Israel Cancer Research Fund Inc$14,68870%
National Multiple Sclerosis Society$12,99130%
North Shore Center for the Performing Arts Foundation$10,60661%
University of Illinois Foundation$9,95030%
American Friends of the Israel Sport Center for the Disabled$9,42050%
American Jewish Committee$8,78060%
Refugeeone$6,52640%
American Friends of Hebrew University Inc$4,60030%
Keshet$4,50020%
100 Thousand Foundation$3,00031%
Bright Star Community Outreach Corp$3,0001n/a
Friends of United Hatzalah Inc$2,80020%
Build Inc$2,68010%
Gastro Intestinal Research Foundation Inc$2,50030%
Bright Promises Foundation$2,36040%
Israel Emergency Alliance$2,25020%
Friends of the Israel Defense Forces$2,00010%
Greater Chicago Food Depository$1,98510%
Chicago Festival of Israeli Cinema NFP$1,88521%
Friends of Elnet$1,80010%
Breakthrough T1d$1,80010%
Better Government Association Inc$1,50020%
Rett Syndrome Research Trust Inc$1,50030%
Shalva Inc$1,36010%
Carole Robertson Center for Learning$1,25030%
Chicago Bulls Charities$1,20820%
Writers Theatre Inc$1,20010%
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum$1,00010%
Mishkan Chicago$1,0001n/a
City Year Inc$1,00010%
Simon Wiesenthal Center Inc$1,00010%
The Jewish Pocet$1,00028%
Chabad of Champaign-Urbana Nfp$1,0001n/a
Tap Cancer Out Inc$50010%
Opendor Media Inc$50010%
Ne Eman Foundation USA$50010%
Wolcott School$50010%
American Friends of Polin Museum of the History of Polish Jews Inc$50010%
For Autistic Kids Foundation$40020%
Southern Poverty Law Center Inc$35050%
Lupus Society of Illinois$30010%
Lewy Body Dementia Association Inc$25010%
The Robert H Levine Foundation$2501n/a
Chicago Police Memorial Foundation$25010%
Hebrew Theological College$2501n/a
Lincoln Presidential Foundation$15010%
President Lincoln's Cottage at the Soldiers Home$14810%
International Churchill Society$10010%
St Baldrick's Foundation Inc$10010%
Foundation to Combat Anti-Semitism Inc$1810%

What it could do for these grantees

Plus 46 recipients with no EIN on record ($93k), not named here.

Where it is load-bearing

Each grantee by its size and the share of its budget Gendell Family Foundation supplied at peak.

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetJewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago: $50,498 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetHolocaust Memorial Foundation of Illinois Inc: $36,375 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetElyssas Mission NFP: $25,955 over 7y, 1.5% of budgetIsrael Cancer Research Fund Inc: $14,688 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetNational Multiple Sclerosis Society: $12,991 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetNorth Shore Center for the Performing Arts Foundation: $10,606 over 6y, 1.5% of budgetUniversity of Illinois Foundation: $9,950 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetAmerican Friends of the Israel Sport Center for the Disabled: $9,420 over 5y, 0.3% of budgetAmerican Jewish Committee: $8,780 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetRefugeeone: $6,526 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetAmerican Friends of Hebrew University Inc: $4,600 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetKeshet: $4,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budget100 Thousand Foundation: $3,000 over 3y, 1.1% of budgetFriends of United Hatzalah Inc: $2,800 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetBuild Inc: $2,680 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetGastro Intestinal Research Foundation Inc: $2,500 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetBright Promises Foundation: $2,360 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetIsrael Emergency Alliance: $2,250 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetFriends of the Israel Defense Forces: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGreater Chicago Food Depository: $1,985 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetChicago Festival of Israeli Cinema NFP: $1,885 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetFriends of Elnet: $1,800 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBreakthrough T1d: $1,800 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBetter Government Association Inc: $1,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetRett Syndrome Research Trust Inc: $1,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetShalva Inc: $1,360 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCarole Robertson Center for Learning: $1,250 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetChicago Bulls Charities: $1,208 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetWriters Theatre Inc: $1,200 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetThe United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCity Year Inc: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSimon Wiesenthal Center Inc: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetThe Jewish Pocet: $1,000 over 2y, 7.9% of budgetTap Cancer Out Inc: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetOpendor Media Inc: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNe Eman Foundation USA: $500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetWolcott School: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAmerican Friends of Polin Museum of the History of Polish Jews Inc: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFor Autistic Kids Foundation: $400 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSouthern Poverty Law Center Inc: $350 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetLupus Society of Illinois: $300 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLewy Body Dementia Association Inc: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetChicago Police Memorial Foundation: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLincoln Presidential Foundation: $150 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPresident Lincoln's Cottage at the Soldiers Home: $148 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetInternational Churchill Society: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSt Baldrick's Foundation Inc: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFoundation to Combat Anti-Semitism Inc: $18 over 1y, 0.0% of budget

Tap a dot to name the grantee.

How this is measured
Share of budget is the funder’s grant in a year over the grantee’s total revenue that year, at its highest across the years we hold; revenue is from all sources. Only grantees confirmed against their own filings, whose grants do not exceed their revenue, are plotted: the largest 48.

Nonprofits that may fit its grantmaking

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

Jewish Federation of Metropolitan ChicagoIL32.8× affinity14 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago · The Chicago Community Trust · Circle of Service Foundation · Jarvis Foundation · The Bill Bass Foundation · Crain-Maling Foundation · Lachman Foundation · The Bluhm Family Foundation · Hochberg Family Foundation · Dr Scholl Foundation · Arie and Ida Crown Memorial · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

Compare Gendell Family Foundation with peer funders

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to Gendell Family Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Gendell Family Foundation through trustees and officers whose names appear on both boards. Search for your organization and Plinth traces the shortest route it can evidence.

Each link is a name appearing on two organizations’ public IRS 990 filings, matched on that name and, where the filings support it, on location. A same-state match has geographic support, which is a second matching feature rather than confirmation that the two are one person; a cross-state one is the likeliest to be two people who share a name. Every hop shows its tier, low-confidence and distant paths are held back rather than guessed, and it is worth confirming the person before you use the introduction.

About Gendell Family Foundation

How much does Gendell Family Foundation give?
Gendell Family Foundation reported 21 grants totaling $55,469 in its FY2025 IRS filing. It funded between 9 and 33 organizations a year over FY2018 to FY2024.
What does Gendell Family Foundation fund?
By grant dollars over FY2017 to FY2025, its largest causes are International (27%), Religion (11%), Arts & Culture (11%).
Who are Gendell Family Foundation's largest grantees?
By total granted over FY2017 to FY2025: Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago ($50k), Holocaust Memorial Foundation of Illinois Inc ($36k), North Shore Congregation Israel ($31k).
Does Gendell Family Foundation fund new organizations?
In FY2024, 52% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
Does Gendell Family Foundation accept unsolicited applications?
Its most recent filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and does not take unsolicited requests. Check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.
Which funders back the same organizations as Gendell Family Foundation?
Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, The Chicago Community Trust, Circle of Service Foundation.
Where is Gendell Family Foundation based?
Gendell Family Foundation is based in IL.

On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 102 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

How this is measured
Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

Generated from the IRS Form 990-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Gendell Family’s filings →

More from the funding graph