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Illinois · Private foundation

The Grainger Foundation Inc

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.

$17M
Granted FY2023
118
Itemized grants FY2023
107
Organizations funded FY2023
36%
First-time grantees FY2023
Read the full brief
Itemized, FY2023
$15M
The rest is grants the schedule does not break out
Median grant, FY2023
$25,000
Largest grant, FY2023
$2,000,000
Organizations funded a year
99 to 107
FY2022 to FY2023
States reached, FY2023
17
Total assets, FY2023
$172M
Applications
Preselected organizations only
Per its most recent filing; check its own site

How open it is to new grantees

In FY2023, 36% of the organizations The Grainger Foundation Inc funded were first-time grantees, receiving 41% of its grant dollars.

The numbers by year
Fiscal yearOrganizations fundedTo those organizationsFirst-time grantees
FY2023107$14M36%
FY202299$43Mn/a
95% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2019 to 2025.

Education$19MPhilanthropy$18MArts & Culture$6.5MHealth$5.3MReligion$1.7MEnvironment$1.7MAnimals$1.0MScience & Tech$1.0MOther$0

Top grantees

Largest recipients by total granted, FY2022 to FY2023, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.

GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
University of Wisconsin Foundation$9,987,16821%
Chicago Community Foundation$9,795,6001n/a
The Art Institute of Chicago$5,051,12121%
Geneva Foundation of Presbyterian Homes$3,086,000217%
University of Illinois Foundation$2,010,00010%
Rush University Medical Center$2,010,00020%
Erie Family Health Foundation Inc$1,900,00028%
Kenilworth Union Church$1,620,0002n/a
Music and Dance Theater Chicago Inc$1,000,000112%
Lincoln Park Zoological Society$1,000,00012%
Show all 113 grantees
All grantees of The Grainger Foundation Inc by total granted
GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
University of Wisconsin Foundation$9,987,16821%
Chicago Community Foundation$9,795,6001n/a
The Art Institute of Chicago$5,051,12121%
Geneva Foundation of Presbyterian Homes$3,086,000217%
University of Illinois Foundation$2,010,00010%
Rush University Medical Center$2,010,00020%
Erie Family Health Foundation Inc$1,900,00028%
Kenilworth Union Church$1,620,0002n/a
Music and Dance Theater Chicago Inc$1,000,000112%
Lincoln Park Zoological Society$1,000,00012%
Miami University$1,000,0001n/a
Lake Forest College$1,000,00011%
The Newberry Library$1,000,00017%
National Ability Center$600,00023%
Northern Illinois Food Bank$570,00020%
National Academy of Engineering Fund$500,00016%
The Salvation Army$300,0002n/a
Chicago Horticultural Society$260,00020%
Mhub$250,00011%
Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center$250,00014%
Alight$200,00020%
Mercy Corps$200,00020%
The Josselyn Center Nfp$200,00021%
United States Olympic and Paralympic Foundation$160,00020%
The Beacon Place NFP$150,000211%
Ieee Foundation Inc$150,00021%
Youth and Family Counseling$140,00025%
Window to the World Communications Inc$100,00010%
Friends of Fisher House - Illinois Inc$100,000216%
Homes for Our Troops Inc$100,00020%
The Night Ministry$100,00020%
Arden Shore Child and Family Services$100,00011%
North Chicago Public Education Foundation$87,000220%
Growing Healthy People$85,000276%
United Way of Lake County Inc$80,00021%
Songs by Heart Foundation$75,000215%
College Bound Opportunities$75,00025%
Nicasa Nfp$65,00021%
Gpf Foundation$55,000224%
Elawa Farm Foundation$55,00022%
Elyssas Mission NFP$55,00024%
Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association$55,00022%
Habitat for Humanity Lake County$50,00011%
Depaul University$50,00010%
Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods$50,00022%
History Center of Lake Forest-Lake Bluff$50,00024%
PADS Lake County Inc$50,00021%
State University of Iowa Foundation$50,00010%
Ragdale Foundation$50,00021%
Mosaic House Ministries$50,00027%
Field Museum of Natural History$50,00020%
Chicago History Museum$50,0002n/a
Openlands$50,00020%
Willow House$50,00025%
Lake Forest Open Lands Association$50,00020%
North Chicago Community Partners$50,00011%
Navy Seal Foundation Inc$50,00020%
Reading Power Inc$45,00022%
Mothers Trust Foundation$45,00023%
Spirit of 67 Foundation$40,00026%
Lake Forest High School Foundation$40,000212%
Heart of the City$35,00012%
Gilda's Club Chicago$35,00021%
Alliance for Human Services$35,000138%
Canine Companions for Independence Inc$30,00020%
The Howard University$30,00010%
Safe Families for Children Alliance$25,00010%
Caestecker Public Library Foundation, Inc.$25,000228%
Plant Based Nutrition Movement$25,0001n/a
Family Service of Lake County$25,0001n/a
The Chicago Academy of Sciences$25,00010%
Boys & Girls Club of Lake County$25,00011%
Lake County Regional Office of Education Foundation Inc$25,000147%
Community Youth Network Inc$25,00011%
Allendale Association$25,00010%
Council on Foreign Relations Inc$25,00020%
Music Institute of Chicago$25,00010%
American Cancer Society Inc$25,00010%
The Center for Enriched Living Inc$25,00011%
Infant Welfare Society of Chicago$25,00010%
Fenix Family Health Center$25,00011%
La Rabida Children's Hospital$25,00010%
Greentown Grows Inc$23,0001n/a
Friends of Lake Forest Library Inc$20,00027%
Starbase Victory Inc$20,00024%
Ucan$20,00020%
MedGlobal Inc$20,00020%
Art Impact Project Not for Profit$20,000114%
Christopher D Redding Youth Asthma Foundation$20,000115%
Green Lake Conservancy Inc$20,000210%
Candid$19,75020%
Barrington Area Animal Rescue & Kennels$10,00018%
Wikimedia Foundation Inc$10,00020%
Prairie State Legal Services Inc$10,00010%
Brennan Rehabilitation Foundation$10,000127%
American Inst of Indian Studies$10,00020%
Green Lake Festival of Music Inc$10,00022%
Evanston Art Center$10,00020%
Restore Justice Foundation$10,00010%
Glenwood Academy$10,00010%
The Willow Domestic Violence Center Inc$10,00020%
Solidarity Bridge Inc$10,00010%
Millennium Park Foundation$10,00010%
Grant Park Orchestral Association$10,00020%
Lake County Honor Flight$10,00015%
Refugeeone$10,00010%
Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block Inc$10,00010%
Northern Sky Theater Inc$10,00010%
Metropolitan Planning Council$10,00010%
Homestretch Inc$5,00010%
The Chicago Council on Global Affairs$5,00010%
Jumpstart for Young Children Inc$5,00010%
Youthage Culinary Program Inc$5,00016%

What it could do for these grantees

Plus 25 recipients with no EIN on record ($10M), not named here.

Where it is load-bearing

The Grainger Foundation Inc supplied at least a quarter of the budget for 5 of its grantees at some point. The chart plots its 105 largest grantees; load-bearing ones sit top left.

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetUniversity of Wisconsin Foundation: $9,987,168 over 2y, 0.8% of budgetThe Art Institute of Chicago: $5,051,121 over 2y, 1.2% of budgetGeneva Foundation of Presbyterian Homes: $3,086,000 over 2y, 17% of budgetUniversity of Illinois Foundation: $2,010,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetRush University Medical Center: $2,010,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetErie Family Health Foundation Inc: $1,900,000 over 2y, 7.5% of budgetMusic and Dance Theater Chicago Inc: $1,000,000 over 1y, 12% of budgetLincoln Park Zoological Society: $1,000,000 over 1y, 2.1% of budgetLake Forest College: $1,000,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetThe Newberry Library: $1,000,000 over 1y, 6.9% of budgetNational Ability Center: $600,000 over 2y, 3.5% of budgetNorthern Illinois Food Bank: $570,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetNational Academy of Engineering Fund: $500,000 over 1y, 6.1% of budgetChicago Horticultural Society: $260,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetMhub: $250,000 over 1y, 1.3% of budgetChicagoland Entrepreneurial Center: $250,000 over 1y, 4.0% of budgetAlight: $200,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetMercy Corps: $200,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetThe Josselyn Center Nfp: $200,000 over 2y, 0.7% of budgetUnited States Olympic and Paralympic Foundation: $160,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetThe Beacon Place NFP: $150,000 over 2y, 11% of budgetIeee Foundation Inc: $150,000 over 2y, 0.8% of budgetYouth and Family Counseling: $140,000 over 2y, 4.9% of budgetWindow to the World Communications Inc: $100,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetFriends of Fisher House - Illinois Inc: $100,000 over 2y, 16% of budgetHomes for Our Troops Inc: $100,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetThe Night Ministry: $100,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetArden Shore Child and Family Services: $100,000 over 1y, 1.3% of budgetNorth Chicago Public Education Foundation: $87,000 over 2y, 20% of budgetGrowing Healthy People: $85,000 over 2y, 76% of budgetUnited Way of Lake County Inc: $80,000 over 2y, 0.6% of budgetSongs by Heart Foundation: $75,000 over 2y, 15% of budgetCollege Bound Opportunities: $75,000 over 2y, 4.9% of budgetNicasa Nfp: $65,000 over 2y, 0.7% of budgetGpf Foundation: $55,000 over 2y, 24% of budgetElawa Farm Foundation: $55,000 over 2y, 1.6% of budgetElyssas Mission NFP: $55,000 over 2y, 3.9% of budgetGreat Lakes Adaptive Sports Association: $55,000 over 2y, 2.2% of budgetHabitat for Humanity Lake County: $50,000 over 1y, 1.5% of budgetDepaul University: $50,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBrushwood Center at Ryerson Woods: $50,000 over 2y, 1.8% of budgetHistory Center of Lake Forest-Lake Bluff: $50,000 over 2y, 3.7% of budgetPADS Lake County Inc: $50,000 over 2y, 0.6% of budgetState University of Iowa Foundation: $50,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetRagdale Foundation: $50,000 over 2y, 1.1% of budgetMosaic House Ministries: $50,000 over 2y, 7.3% of budgetField Museum of Natural History: $50,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetOpenlands: $50,000 over 2y, 0.3% 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 105.

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.

John and Kathleen Sch…The Gorter Family Fou…The Lake County Commu…The Chicago Community…Northwestern Memorial…Trustmark FoundationCircle of Service Fou…AbbVie FoundationHealthcare Foundation…United Way of Lake Co…The Buchanan Family F…Clarks Fork Foundation
John and Kathleen Schreiber Foundation D/B/A Schreiber PhilanthropyIL59.2× affinity26 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: John and Kathleen Schreiber Foundation D/B/A Schreiber Philanthropy · The Gorter Family Foundation · The Lake County Community Foundation · The Chicago Community Trust · Northwestern Memorial HealthCare Group · Trustmark Foundation · Circle of Service Foundation · AbbVie Foundation · Healthcare Foundation of Northern Lake County · United Way of Lake County Inc · The Buchanan Family Foundation · Clarks Fork 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 The Grainger Foundation Inc with peer funders

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to The Grainger Foundation Inc?

Find your warmest path to The Grainger Foundation Inc 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 The Grainger Foundation Inc

How much does The Grainger Foundation Inc give?
The Grainger Foundation Inc reported 118 itemized grants totaling $14,913,000, out of $16,693,000 in total grant expense reported on the return in its FY2023 IRS filing. It funded between 99 and 107 organizations a year over FY2022 to FY2023.
What does The Grainger Foundation Inc fund?
By grant dollars over FY2022 to FY2023, its largest causes are Education (5%), Philanthropy (5%), Arts & Culture (2%).
Who are The Grainger Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
By total granted over FY2022 to FY2023: University of Wisconsin Foundation ($10.0M), Chicago Community Foundation ($9.8M), The Art Institute of Chicago ($5.1M).
Does The Grainger Foundation Inc fund new organizations?
In FY2023, 36% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
Does The Grainger Foundation Inc 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 The Grainger Foundation Inc?
Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include John and Kathleen Schreiber Foundation D/B/A Schreiber Philanthropy, The Gorter Family Foundation, The Lake County Community Foundation.
Where is The Grainger Foundation Inc based?
The Grainger Foundation Inc 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 142 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 2023, released 2023. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Possibly out of date. A more recent filing (FY2025) is on record and reports $22M of grant expense with no grantee named in the published copy. A private foundation itemizes every grant it makes, so a return carrying none has filed its list as an attachment that the public copy does not include. The figures above are therefore from FY2023, the most recent year this funder’s grantee list reached the public record.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Grainger’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