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Mendelson-Wolff Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Mendelson-Wolff 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.

$126k
Granted FY2025still arriving
17
Grants FY2025still arriving
5
States reached
$50k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0191% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2022 to 2025.

Arts & Culture$64kReligion$63kEducation$59kPhilanthropy$53kInternational$28kYouth Development$7kHealth$6kCivil Rights$6kOther$0
02FY2025 · 17 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k14 grants · $32k
  • $10k–50k2 grants · $44k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $50k
$2,000
Median grant
5
States reached
$1.6M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO$50,000
JEWISH UNITED FUND USA$28,712
SPERTUS INSTITUTE FOR JEWISH LEARNING$15,000
SKYART$9,308
TEMPLE SHOLOM$5,155
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO BOOTH$5,000
Individual grant recipient$4,128
GRANT PARK MUSIC FEST$2,500
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS - CHAMPAIGN$2,000
RAGDALE$1,000
BABY2BABYORG$1,000
MARFAN FOUNDATION$1,000
RESTORE JUSTICE FOUNDATION$512
US HOLOCAUST MUSEUM$500
WBEZ$250
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:

Its human-services grants (FY24–24, $500) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%THE RED TENT FUND: $500 → 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.

72%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$202k · 19 repeat orgs$79k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +21% since the first grant, against 0% for those funded once.

19 repeat relationships: 10 still active in FY2025, 9 since wound down; 7 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

19
22

Total granted

$202k
$35k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+21%
0%

Still filing today

63%
41%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 66% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $43k went to new ones.

50%100%’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’22’23’24’25
Arts & CultureEducationInternationalPublic BenefitFood & NutritionCivil 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.

Backed again, and grew

  • University of Chicago
    3× · 2023–2025 · $53k · revenue +21%
  • SN
    SkyArt NFP
    4× · 2022–2025 · $28k · revenue +11%
  • JU
    JEWISH UNITED FUND OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO
    3× · 2022–2024 · $21k · revenue +30%

Funded once

  • SI
    SPERTUS INSTITUTE FOR JEWISH LEARNING AND LEADERSHIP
    one grant, 2022 · $9k · revenue -4%
  • CA
    CHICAGO ABORTION FUNDgraduated
    one grant, 2023 · $5k · revenue +208%
  • RF
    RUN FOR SOMETHING ACTION FUND
    one grant, 2023 · $2k · revenue -16%
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
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago

Federation amplifies our collective strength to make the world a better place for everyone. we assist people in need, impact chicagoans of all faiths; support israel and the jewish people worldwide; respond swiftly to crises; cultivate…

Philanthropy
2
University of Judaism Foundation
—
3
The Adler Planetarium

The adler planetarium ('adler') is a not-for-profit cultural institution whose mission is to connect people to the universe and each other under the sky we all share. it aspires to be the world's premier center for engaging in astronomy…

Arts & Culture
4
The Jewish Museum

The mission of the jewish museum is to collect, preserve, exhibit and interpret art and jewish culture. see schedule o for more information.

Arts & Culture
5
The Richard H Driehaus Foundation
Philanthropy
6
True Chicago
Arts & Culture
7
Chicago's Environmental Fund
—
8
The Chicago Innovation Foundation
Philanthropy
9
The Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life Inc
Religion
10
Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History

The weitzman national museum of american jewish history, on independence mall in philadelphia, presents educational programs and experiences that preserve, explore, and celebrate the history of jews in america. its purpose is to connect…

Arts & Culture
11
Bar Ilan University in Israel Inc

Biu produces students who excel in the sciences, humanities, law, engineering, business & the arts.

—
12
Students Run Chicago
Health
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Grant Park Orchestral Association; the most unlike its peers is The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. 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

24 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. 24 of the 50 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)
1
Early backer (in before they grew)
24/24
Grantees still filing
13/24
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

SPERTUS INSTITUTE FOR JEWISH LEARNING: $37,500 · OtherSPERTUS INSTITUTE FOR JEWISH LEARNINGJEWISH UNITED FUND USA: $28,712 · OtherJEWISH UNITED FUND USAMISHKAN CHICAGO: $9,967 · OtherMISHKAN CHICAGOIndividual grant recipient: $9,176 · OtherIndividual grant recipientSPERTUS INSTITUTE FOR JEWISH LEARNING AND LEADERSHIP: $8,500 · OtherSPERTUS INSTITUTE FOR JEWISH LEARNING AND LEADERSHI…Storycatchers: $5,500 · OtherTEMPLE SHOLOM OF CHICAGO: $5,155 · OtherCHICAGO ABORTION FUND: $5,025 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO BOOTH: $5,000 · Other+26 more: $24,906 · Other+26 moreSkyArt NFP: $28,064 · Arts & CultureSkyArt NFPLOOKINGGLASS THEATRE COMPANY: $15,500 · Arts & CultureLOOKINGGLASS THEATRE …Chicago Humanities Festival: $7,500 · Arts & CultureChicago Humanities Fe…GRANT PARK ORCHESTRAL ASSOCIATION: $5,000 · Arts & CultureGRANT PARK ORCHESTRAL…3ARTS INC: $2,000 · Arts & Culture+1 more: $1,500 · Arts & CultureUniversity of Chicago: $53,000 · EducationUniversity of Chicag…University of Illinois Foundation: $2,000 · EducationOPEN BOOKS LTD: $2,000 · EducationJEWISH NATIONAL FUND (KEREN KAYEMETH LEISRAEL) INC: $25,968 · InternationalJEWISH NAT…FRIENDS OF THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES: $1,000 · International+1 more: $500 · InternationalJEWISH UNITED FUND OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO: $21,000 · PhilanthropyRUN FOR SOMETHING ACTION FUND: $2,000 · Public BenefitFJC: $2,000 · Crime & Legal
Other$139,441Arts & Culture$59,564Education$57,000International$27,468Philanthropy$21,000Public Benefit$2,000Crime & Legal$2,000

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

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetUniversity of Chicago: $53,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetSkyArt NFP: $28,064 over 4y, 0.5% of budgetJEWISH NATIONAL FUND (KEREN KAYEMETH LEISRAEL) INC: $25,968 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetJEWISH UNITED FUND OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO: $21,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetLOOKINGGLASS THEATRE COMPANY: $15,500 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetSPERTUS INSTITUTE FOR JEWISH LEARNING AND LEADERSHIP: $8,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetChicago Humanities Festival: $7,500 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetStorycatchers: $5,500 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetCHICAGO ABORTION FUND: $5,025 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetGRANT PARK ORCHESTRAL ASSOCIATION: $5,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetRUN FOR SOMETHING ACTION FUND: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetUniversity of Illinois Foundation: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFJC: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE MARFAN FOUNDATION INC: $2,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetOPEN BOOKS LTD: $2,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budget3ARTS INC: $2,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetThe United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: $1,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetFRIENDS OF THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY: $750 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetRESTORE JUSTICE FOUNDATION: $512 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAMERICAN FRIENDS OF MAGEN DAVID ADOM: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetRED TENT FUND: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMAZON A Jewish Response to Hunger: $433 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetCHICAGO JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY: $216 over 2y, 0.4% 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.

John D and Catherine …The Chicago Community…Arie and Ida Crown Me…Jewish Federation of …Lloyd a Fry FoundationArkes Family Foundati…Joseph & Bessie Feinb…Reva and David Logan …Field Foundation of I…The Goldman Sachs Cha…The Allstate Foundati…National Philanthropi…
John D and Catherine T Macarthur FoundationIL23× affinity9 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: John D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation · The Chicago Community Trust · Arie and Ida Crown Memorial · Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago · Lloyd a Fry Foundation · Arkes Family Foundation · Joseph & Bessie Feinberg Foundation · Reva and David Logan Foundation · Field Foundation of Illinois · The Goldman Sachs Charitable Gift Fund · The Allstate Foundation · National Philanthropic Trust

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 Mendelson-Wolff Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Mendelson-Wolff Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%0%1%3%5%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
    0get no government money at all
    7report 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 50 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 Mendelson-Wolff Family’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