Illinois · Private foundation
Thomas W Dower Foundation
Its FY2026 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.
- $429k
- Granted FY2026(still arriving)
- 72
- Grants FY2026
- 72
- Organizations funded FY2025
- 7%
- First-time grantees FY2025
- Median grant, FY2026
- $5,000
- Largest grant, FY2026
- $25,000
- Organizations funded a year
- 65 to 78
- FY2019 to FY2025
- States reached, FY2026
- 14
- Total assets, FY2026
- $12M
- Applications
- Preselected organizations only
- Per its most recent filing; check its own site
How open it is to new grantees
In FY2025, 7% of the organizations Thomas W Dower Foundation funded were first-time grantees, receiving 4% of its grant dollars.
New vs renewed · share of each year
In FY2025, 96% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $17k went to new ones.
Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant
How this is measured
The numbers by year
| Fiscal year | Organizations funded | To those organizations | First-time grantees |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026still arriving | 70 | $423k | 11% |
| FY2025 | 72 | $387k | 7% |
| FY2024 | 70 | $373k | 11% |
| FY2023 | 78 | $426k | 17% |
| FY2022 | 69 | $316k | 14% |
| FY2021 | 72 | $339k | 19% |
| FY2020 | 65 | $340k | 29% |
| FY2019 | 72 | $339k | 21% |
What it funded, over time
Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.
Where its grants go
Grant dollars by states, across the years we hold.
Which US states its grants reach
Top grantees
Largest recipients by total granted, FY2017 to FY2026, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.
| Grantee | Total granted | Years | Share of their budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steppenwolf Theatre Company | $310,000 | 10 | 0% |
| St Rita of Cascia High School Corporation | $140,000 | 10 | n/a |
| St Coletta of Wisconsin Inc | $124,000 | 10 | 0% |
| De Lasalle Institute | $120,000 | 9 | n/a |
| St Malachy School | $104,000 | 9 | n/a |
| Piven Theatre Workshop | $85,000 | 10 | 4% |
| The Art Institute of Chicago | $75,000 | 3 | 0% |
| Anderson Ranch Arts Center | $74,500 | 7 | 0% |
| Trilogy Inc | $72,500 | 10 | 0% |
| Brain Research Foundation | $71,500 | 10 | 0% |
Show all 69 grantees
What it could do for these grantees
Plus 101 recipients with no EIN on record ($1.4M), not named here.
Where it is load-bearing
Each grantee by its size and the share of its budget Thomas W Dower Foundation supplied at peak.
Tap a dot to name the grantee.
How this is measured
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.
Open a dossier: The Chicago Community Trust · Helen V Brach Foundation · AbbVie Foundation · John D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation · Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago · Charles H and Beverly E Shaw Foundation · Carol Bernick Family Foundation · Dr Scholl Foundation · Robert R McCormick Foundation · Motorola Solutions Foundation · The Canning Foundation · Big Shoulders Fund
How this is measured
About Thomas W Dower Foundation
- How much does Thomas W Dower Foundation give?
- Thomas W Dower Foundation reported 72 grants totaling $429,000 in its FY2026 IRS filing. It funded between 65 and 78 organizations a year over FY2019 to FY2025.
- What does Thomas W Dower Foundation fund?
- By grant dollars over FY2017 to FY2026, its largest causes are Arts & Culture (29%), Education (21%), Philanthropy (14%).
- Who are Thomas W Dower Foundation's largest grantees?
- By total granted over FY2017 to FY2026: Steppenwolf Theatre Company ($310k), St Rita of Cascia High School Corporation ($140k), St Coletta of Wisconsin Inc ($124k).
- Does Thomas W Dower Foundation fund new organizations?
- In FY2025, 7% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
- Does Thomas W Dower 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 Thomas W Dower Foundation?
- Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include The Chicago Community Trust, Helen V Brach Foundation, AbbVie Foundation.
- Where is Thomas W Dower Foundation based?
- Thomas W Dower Foundation is based in IL.
Play a game based on Thomas W Dower’s filings →