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Illinois · Private foundation

Meyer and Raena Hammerman 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.

$68k
Granted FY2025(still arriving)
116
Grants FY2025
129
Organizations funded FY2024
23%
First-time grantees FY2024
Read the full brief
Median grant, FY2025
$500
Largest grant, FY2025
$3,834
Organizations funded a year
66 to 129
FY2020 to FY2024
States reached, FY2025
18
Total assets, FY2025
$378k
Applications
Preselected organizations only
Per its most recent filing; check its own site

How open it is to new grantees

In FY2024, 23% of the organizations Meyer and Raena Hammerman Foundation funded were first-time grantees, receiving 19% of its grant dollars.

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 81% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $13k went to new ones.

50%100%’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’21’22’23’24
Arts & CultureEducationCivil RightsHuman ServicesAnimalsEnvironmentOther
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 arriving116$68k8%
FY2024129$68k23%
FY2023102$20k10%
FY202293$20k15%
FY202195$80k38%
FY202066$20kn/a
97% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2020 to 2025.

Health$46kArts & Culture$41kEnvironment$28kEducation$17kPhilanthropy$16kInternational$15kHuman Services$13kCivil Rights$12kOther$0

Where its grants go

Grant dollars by states, across the years we hold.

Which US states its grants reach

WA
IL
WI
MI
NY
MA
OR
IA
IN
OH
NJ
CT
CA
CO
KY
VA
MD
TN
DC
HI
AL
TX
FL

Top grantees

Largest recipients by total granted, FY2020 to FY2025, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.

Show all 131 grantees
All grantees of Meyer and Raena Hammerman Foundation by total granted
GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
Planned Parenthood of Illinois$10,17560%
Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago$8,00020%
The Foundation Fighting Blindness Inc$7,48030%
The Art Institute of Chicago$7,23540%
Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas Inc$6,66710%
Americares Foundation Inc$6,00060%
Greater Chicago Food Depository$5,35260%
Build Inc$4,95050%
The Wetlands Initiative$4,84060%
Puppies Behind Bars Inc$4,80760%
Hearing Health Foundation$4,60060%
Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence$4,20050%
Paws Chicago$4,04360%
University of Wisconsin Foundation$4,00060%
St Jude Children's Research Hospital Inc$3,83360%
Alliance for the Great Lakes$3,74060%
Ocean Conservancy$3,65830%
Project on Government Oversight Inc$3,40060%
The Conservation Fund a Nonprofit Corporation$3,30050%
Waterkeeper Alliance Inc$3,30050%
Feeding America$3,15050%
Northern Illinois Food Bank$3,06620%
Just Detention International$2,94060%
Field Museum of Natural History$2,92160%
World Central Kitchen Inc$2,90040%
Hias Inc$2,87060%
The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund$2,75050%
Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association$2,6515n/a
Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness$2,57560%
Death With Dignity National Center$2,55050%
Finca International Inc$2,50060%
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press$2,37550%
Environmental Law and Policy Center of the Midwest$2,37560%
The Blue Card Inc$2,34060%
Chicago Symphony Orchestra$2,30030%
Lawyers for the Creative Arts$2,27560%
National Council on Aging Inc$2,25050%
Human Rights First$2,24060%
Northern Illinois University Foundation$2,20040%
Northwestern University$2,20040%
The Trust for Public Land$2,20040%
American Bird Conservancy$2,19060%
Equal Justice Initiative$2,15050%
The Salk Institute for Biological Studies$2,02050%
Harvard Club of Chicago$2,00112%
Medecins Sans Frontieres USA Inc$1,95030%
African Parks Foundation of America$1,88540%
Khan Academy Inc$1,80020%
Advance Illinois Nfp$1,80020%
Guiding Eyes for the Blind Inc$1,67060%
The American Humanist Association$1,64250%
Museum of Contemporary Art$1,61060%
St John's College$1,50020%
Center for Disaster Philanthropy Inc$1,50040%
Chicago History Museum$1,5006n/a
Hawaii Institute for Music Enrichment and Learning Experience Inc$1,50030%
Chicago Horticultural Society$1,42440%
Milwaukee Art Museum Inc$1,40060%
Common Cause Education Fund$1,40040%
Electronic Frontier Foundation Inc$1,40060%
Wikimedia Foundation Inc$1,34160%
Shalva Inc$1,27060%
Chicago Public Media Inc$1,24030%
Accessible Contemporary Music$1,20050%
Pro Publica Inc$1,20030%
Chicago International Film Festival Inc Cinema-Chicago$1,20030%
Charity Global Inc$1,15020%
Ort America Inc$1,10060%
National Center for Learning Disabilities Inc$1,10060%
Diabetes Action Research and Education Foundation$1,09040%
Lyric Opera of Chicago$1,00010%
National Parks Conservation Association$1,00020%
Block Club Chicago Nfp$1,00020%
American Library Association$1,00020%
Direct Relief$1,00020%
The National Mentoring Partnership Inc$90010%
Mentor Inc$9001n/a
Chicago Opera Theater$90020%
Metropolitan Family Services$89430%
World Resources Institute$89430%
Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind Inc$87040%
Holocaust Memorial Foundation of Illinois Inc$81660%
Third Coast Percussion Nfp$80260%
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum$80050%
Habitat for Humanity Lake County$80030%
Blind Service Association Inc$78540%
Americans United for Separation of Church and State$75010%
Life After Hate Inc$75050%
The Morton Arboretum$74030%
Marine Toys for Tots Foundation$70050%
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation$63060%
Chicago Architecture Foundation$63030%
Charity Navigator$60020%
Chicago Ornithological Society$54050%
Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Charitable Service Trust$53060%
Lampo Inc$52060%
K9s for Warriors Inc$50010%
Humane World for Animals Inc$50010%
Internet Archive$50020%
Prevent Child Abuse America$50010%
Grant Park Orchestral Association$50050%
Injustice Watch NFP$50020%
Partners for Progress Nfp$50010%
American Civil Liberties Union Foundation Inc$50010%
First Nations Development Institute$50010%
University of Chicago$50020%
Lincoln Park Zoological Society$49260%
International College of Surgeons$40560%
Glessner House Museum$36060%
The Chicago Lighthouse for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired$30010%
Start Early$28510%
Greater Good Charities$28010%
The Richard H Driehaus Museum$28010%
The Chicago Council on Global Affairs$25010%
Chicago Zoological Society$2401n/a
International Crane Foundation Inc$24060%
Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum Inc$24040%
Evanston History Center$20020%
American Birding Association$20020%
Opera America Inc$20020%
Camp Nicolet Foundation Inc$20060%
Institute for Shipboard Education$20020%
The Chicago Academy of Sciences$15910%
The Frick Collection$15010%
The American Writers Museum$15010%
Steppenwolf Theatre Company$10010%
Evanston Roundtable Media Nfp$1001n/a
Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois$10010%
Media Matters for America$10010%
Xerces Society Inc$10010%
George Eastman Museum$7010%

What it could do for these grantees

Plus 34 recipients with no EIN on record ($43k), not named here.

Where it is load-bearing

Each grantee by its size and the share of its budget Meyer and Raena Hammerman Foundation supplied at peak.

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetPlanned Parenthood of Illinois: $10,175 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetJewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago: $8,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetThe Foundation Fighting Blindness Inc: $7,480 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetThe Art Institute of Chicago: $7,235 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetPlanned Parenthood of Greater Texas Inc: $6,667 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAmericares Foundation Inc: $6,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetGreater Chicago Food Depository: $5,352 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetBuild Inc: $4,950 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetThe Wetlands Initiative: $4,840 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetPuppies Behind Bars Inc: $4,807 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetHearing Health Foundation: $4,600 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetGiffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence: $4,200 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetPaws Chicago: $4,043 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetUniversity of Wisconsin Foundation: $4,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetSt Jude Children's Research Hospital Inc: $3,833 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetAlliance for the Great Lakes: $3,740 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetOcean Conservancy: $3,658 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetProject on Government Oversight Inc: $3,400 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetThe Conservation Fund a Nonprofit Corporation: $3,300 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetWaterkeeper Alliance Inc: $3,300 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetFeeding America: $3,150 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetNorthern Illinois Food Bank: $3,066 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetJust Detention International: $2,940 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetField Museum of Natural History: $2,921 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetWorld Central Kitchen Inc: $2,900 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetHias Inc: $2,870 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetThe Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund: $2,750 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetChicago Coalition to End Homelessness: $2,575 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetDeath With Dignity National Center: $2,550 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetFinca International Inc: $2,500 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetThe Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press: $2,375 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetEnvironmental Law and Policy Center of the Midwest: $2,375 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetThe Blue Card Inc: $2,340 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetChicago Symphony Orchestra: $2,300 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetLawyers for the Creative Arts: $2,275 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetNational Council on Aging Inc: $2,250 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetHuman Rights First: $2,240 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetNorthern Illinois University Foundation: $2,200 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetNorthwestern University: $2,200 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetThe Trust for Public Land: $2,200 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetAmerican Bird Conservancy: $2,190 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetEqual Justice Initiative: $2,150 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetThe Salk Institute for Biological Studies: $2,020 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetHarvard Club of Chicago: $2,001 over 1y, 2.3% of budgetMedecins Sans Frontieres USA Inc: $1,950 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetAfrican Parks Foundation of America: $1,885 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetKhan Academy Inc: $1,800 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetAdvance Illinois Nfp: $1,800 over 2y, 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 126.

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.

The Chicago Community TrustIL28× affinity19 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Chicago Community Trust · John D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation · Ncrc Community Development Fund Inc · Tawani Charitable Distribution Fund · Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation · AbbVie Foundation · The Andrew W Mellon Foundation · Metzner Family Foundation · Lloyd a Fry Foundation · Field Foundation of Illinois · Polk Bros Foundation Inc · 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 Meyer and Raena Hammerman Foundation with peer funders

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to Meyer and Raena Hammerman Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Meyer and Raena Hammerman 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 Meyer and Raena Hammerman Foundation

How much does Meyer and Raena Hammerman Foundation give?
Meyer and Raena Hammerman Foundation reported 116 grants totaling $68,000 in its FY2025 IRS filing. It funded between 66 and 129 organizations a year over FY2020 to FY2024.
What does Meyer and Raena Hammerman Foundation fund?
By grant dollars over FY2020 to FY2025, its largest causes are Health (17%), Arts & Culture (15%), Environment (10%).
Who are Meyer and Raena Hammerman Foundation's largest grantees?
By total granted over FY2020 to FY2025: Planned Parenthood of Illinois ($10k), Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago ($8k), The Foundation Fighting Blindness Inc ($7k).
Does Meyer and Raena Hammerman Foundation fund new organizations?
In FY2024, 23% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
Does Meyer and Raena Hammerman 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 Meyer and Raena Hammerman Foundation?
Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include The Chicago Community Trust, John D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation, Ncrc Community Development Fund Inc.
Where is Meyer and Raena Hammerman Foundation based?
Meyer and Raena Hammerman 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 165 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

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