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Illinois Environmental Council General Fund at a glanceMostly funded, not a grantmaker: see who funds it →

· Public charity

Illinois Environmental Council General Fund

To be a steadfast force throughout illinois fighting to limit pollution and protect the states natural heritage.

$198k
Granted FY2023
5
Grants FY2023
2
States reached
$50k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0186% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2018 to 2023.

Environment$401kCommunity Improvement$105kReligion$73kCivil Rights$10kPublic Benefit$9kEmployment$8kOther$0
02FY2023 · 5 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 5 grants below total $148,000, the rows itemized in this filing. The $198,000 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $50,000 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2023

  • $10k–50k4 grants · $98k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $50k
$26,000
Median grant
2
States reached
$1.8M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
ILLINOIS PUBLIC INTEREST RESEARCH GROUP INC$50,000
CITIZEN'S UTILITY BOARD$26,000
SIERRA CLUB$26,000
FAITH IN PLACE ACTION FUND$26,000
BUILDING DECARBONIZATION COALITION$20,000
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY18–23) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 9%. 95% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 9%BUILDING DECARBONIZATION COALITION: $20k → 9%SIERRA CLUB: $26k → 10%FAITH IN PLACE ACTION FUND: $15k → 7%ILLINOIS ENVIRONEMENTAL COUNCIL EDU: $10k → 11%SAMUEL DEWITT PROCTOR CONFERENCE: $10k → 14%UNITED CONGREGATIONS OF METOR EAST: $73k → 16%PRAIRIE RIVERS: $53k → 19%VOTE SOLAR: $7k → 10%BLACKS IN GREEN: $50k → 14%PRAIRIE RIVERS: $40k → 19%CHICAGO JOBS COUNCIL: $8k → 14%PRAIRIE RIVERS: $15k → 19%ELEVATE ENERGY: $10k → 14%FAITH IN PLACE ACTION FUND: $26k → 14%UNITED WORKING FAMILIES: $86k → 14%THE PEOPLE'S LOBBY: $9k → 14%ILLINOIS PUBLIC INTEREST RESEARCH GROUP INC: $50k → 14%CITIZEN'S UTILITY BOARD: $26k → 14%SIERRA CLUB: $50k → 14%SIERRA CLUB: $30k → 14%SOUTHEAST ENVIRONMENTAL TASK FORCE: $45k → 14%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

32%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$229k · 3 repeat orgs$484k to everyone else

3 repeat relationships: 1 still active in FY2023, 2 since wound down; 4 grantees were first funded in FY2023 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

3
11

Total granted

$229k
$362k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

-34%
+59%

Still filing today

33%
82%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2023, 18% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $122k went to new ones.

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

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

’18’19’20’21’22’23
EnvironmentReligionCommunity ImprovementHousing & ShelterOther
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.

Backed again, and grew

  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    3× · 2019–2021 · $108k
  • SC
    SIERRA CLUB
    2× · 2018–2021 · $80k
  • FI
    FAITH IN PLACE ACTION FUND
    2× · 2021–2023 · $41k · revenue -34%

Funded once

  • UW
    UNITED WORKING FAMILIES
    one grant, 2022 · $86k · revenue -26%
  • UC
    UNITED CONGREGATIONS OF METRO EAST
    one grant, 2021 · $73k · revenue +20%
  • IP
    ILLINOIS PEOPLES ACTIONgraduated
    one grant, 2021 · $55k · revenue +141%
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Chicago United for Equity

Connecting and amplifying the power of individuals to build a just, equitable, and inclusive city.

Civil Rights
2
Illinois Environmental Council General Fund

To be a steadfast force throughout illinois fighting to limit pollution and protect the states natural heritage.

—
3
United for Clean Power

United for Clean Power is focused on public policies that build a 21st century energy future.

Environment
4
Chicago's Environmental Fund
—
5
Citizen Action Illinois Education Fund

Public education on current public policy issues

Public Benefit
6
Grassroots Collaborative

Grassroots Collaborative unites eight membership-based organizations in order to create policy change on local and statewide levels. The organization's multi-racial coalition spans a variety of organizing networks; including low-wage…

Education
7
Illinois Environmental Council Education

To educate the public about environmental issues.

Environment
8
Plant Chicago Nfp

Plant Chicago's mission is to cultivate local circular economies. We envision a paradigm shift in production, consumption, and waste driven at the local level, generating equity and economic opportunity for all residents.

Food & Nutrition
9
United Power for Action and Justice Inc

Advocacy for social justice, common good, and housing opportunity.

Community Improvement
10
Energy Education Council

Enhancing lives by promoting the safe & efficient use of electricity.

Education
11
Us Green Building Council-Illinois

To advance buildings and communities that are sustainable, prosperous and health through education, advocacy and collaboration

Environment
12
Climate Jobs Illinois Inc

To educate and advocate for a pro-climate agenda that prioritizes policies in support of current and future illinois workers.

Environment
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Illinois State Public Interest Research Group Inc; the most unlike its peers is Sierra Club. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

15 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 15 of the 18 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
4
Early backer (in before they grew)
14/15
Grantees still filing
7/15
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Individual grant recipient: $108,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipientUNITED WORKING FAMILIES: $86,000 · OtherUNITED WORKING FAMILIESSIERRA CLUB: $80,000 · OtherSIERRA CLUBILLINOIS STATE PUBLIC INTEREST RESEARCH GROUP INC: $50,000 · OtherILLINOIS STATE PUBLIC INTEREST RESEARCH GROUP INCCITIZENS UTILITY BOARD: $26,000 · OtherCITIZENS UTILITY BOARDSIERRA CLUB: $26,000 · OtherSIERRA CLUB+3 more: $26,536 · Other+3 moreSOUTHEAST ENVIRONMENTAL TASK FORCE: $45,000 · EnvironmentSOUTHEAST ENVIRONME…FAITH IN PLACE ACTION FUND: $41,000 · EnvironmentFAITH IN PLACE ACTI…BUILDING DECARBONIZATION COALITION: $20,000 · EnvironmentBUILDING DECARBONIZ…Elevate Energy: $10,000 · EnvironmentElevate EnergyVote Solar: $6,500 · EnvironmentUNITED CONGREGATIONS OF METRO EAST: $73,390 · ReligionUNITED CONGRE…SAMUEL DEWITT PROCTOR CONFERENCE INC: $10,000 · ReligionSAMUEL DEWITT…ILLINOIS PEOPLES ACTION: $55,000 · Community ImprovementBIG NFP DBA Blacks in Green: $50,000 · Housing & Shelter
Other$402,536Environment$122,500Religion$83,390Community Improvement$55,000Housing & Shelter$50,000

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetUNITED WORKING FAMILIES: $86,000 over 1y, 8.6% of budgetUNITED CONGREGATIONS OF METRO EAST: $73,390 over 1y, 13% of budgetILLINOIS PEOPLES ACTION: $55,000 over 1y, 19% of budgetILLINOIS STATE PUBLIC INTEREST RESEARCH GROUP INC: $50,000 over 1y, 9.1% of budgetBIG NFP DBA Blacks in Green: $50,000 over 1y, 4.2% of budgetSOUTHEAST ENVIRONMENTAL TASK FORCE: $45,000 over 1y, 7.5% of budgetFAITH IN PLACE ACTION FUND: $41,000 over 2y, 21% of budgetCITIZENS UTILITY BOARD: $26,000 over 1y, 5.3% of budgetSIERRA CLUB: $26,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBUILDING DECARBONIZATION COALITION: $20,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetElevate Energy: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSAMUEL DEWITT PROCTOR CONFERENCE INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetTHE PEOPLE'S LOBBY: $9,036 over 1y, 1.0% of budgetChicago Jobs Council: $7,500 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetVote Solar: $6,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

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.

United States Energy …Illinois Environmenta…Builders Vision Found…The Energy FoundationArie and Ida Crown Me…The Chicago Community…Energy Action FundNatural Resources Def…The McKnight Foundati…National Philanthropi…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
United States Energy FoundationCA23.7× affinity9 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: United States Energy Foundation · Illinois Environmental Council Education · Builders Vision Foundation · The Energy Foundation · Arie and Ida Crown Memorial · The Chicago Community Trust · Energy Action Fund · Natural Resources Defense Council Inc · The McKnight Foundation · National Philanthropic Trust · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Amazonsmile 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.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization Illinois Environmental Council General Fund funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Illinois Environmental Council General Fund. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%2%6%14%25%funder's share of their income ↑0%4%8%11%15%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    1get no government money at all
    5report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–15%
    typical government reliance, FY20–25
    How this is measured
    Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.

    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 18 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 e-file return for fiscal year 2023, released 2023. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Possibly out of date. A more recent filing (FY2024) is on record and reports no grant expense, so the figures above are from FY2023, the most recent year this funder made grants.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Illinois Environmental Council General’s filings →

    More from the funding graph

    The unnamed billions
    grants reported with no recipient in the public record
    The regranting layer
    51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
    The DAF merry-go-round
    $9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
    The endowment market
    who holds foundation money, and what just moved
    The camps
    funders cluster by geography, not ideology
    By state
    where grant money is based, and what stays home