How do I find funders for a philanthropy nonprofit in Illinois?

Start with the funders already giving to philanthropy in Illinois, currently PERT Foundation, Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan, Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund. Then look at who funds the philanthropy organizations on this page that resemble yours, and add the national funders reaching into Illinois from out of state.

Who is the largest philanthropy funder in Illinois?

PERT Foundation gives the most to philanthropy organizations in Illinois, $321M across the 2022 and 2023 filings.

How much grant money goes to philanthropy in Illinois?

$1.5B reached 638 philanthropy organizations in Illinois, from 1,944 funders. 73% came from funders also based in Illinois.

How recent is this data?

It is read from IRS Form 990 and 990-PF e-file filings for fiscal years 2022 and 2023, the two years with complete coverage. US charity filings lag 12 to 24 months.

Funding · Illinois · Philanthropy

Who funds philanthropy in Illinois

$1.5B reached 638 philanthropy organizations in Illinois, from 1,944 funders, with no single one dominating.

$1.5B

granted

638

organizations

73%

from in-state

The short version

1,944 funders gave $1.5B to 638 philanthropy organizations in Illinois across the FY2022 and FY2023 IRS filings.
73% of that came from funders also based in Illinois; the rest reached in from out of state.
The largest funder of philanthropy in Illinois is PERT Foundation, at $321M.
The philanthropy organization drawing the most is The Chicago Community Foundation, at $501M.

Largest funders of philanthropy in Illinois

The funders giving the most to philanthropy organizations in Illinois, in-state and out. Pick one for its dossier.

1PERT Foundation$321M 2Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan$84M 3Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund$79M 4John D and Catherine T Macarthur$76M 5Jewish Federation of Metropolitan$71M 6The Chicago Community Trust$57M 7Crown Family Foundation$56M 8Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany Inc$43M 9William P Ingersoll Trust Xxxxx8005$24M 10Albert & Lucille Delighter & Marcella$23M

Philanthropy organizations in Illinois that draw the most

Sized by grant dollars received. Pick one to see exactly who funds it.

The Chicago Community Foundation$501M

628 other philanthropy organizations$386M

Jewish Federation of Metropolitan$198M Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan$156M The Chicago Community Trust$74M

How to find philanthropy funders in Illinois

1
Start with the funders already active in Illinois
The funders giving the most to philanthropy in Illinois are PERT Foundation, Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan, Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund. A funder already writing philanthropy checks in your state is the warmest place to begin.
2
See who funds organizations like yours
Open the philanthropy organizations on this page that resemble yours in size or work, and look at who funds them. Shared funders are the strongest signal of fit.
3
Add the out-of-state funders reaching in
27% of philanthropy money in Illinois comes from funders elsewhere, so national philanthropy funders are worth approaching even if they are not based in Illinois.

Questions and answers

How do I find funders for a philanthropy nonprofit in Illinois?: Start with the funders already giving to philanthropy in Illinois, currently PERT Foundation, Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan, Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund. Then look at who funds the philanthropy organizations on this page that resemble yours, and add the national funders reaching into Illinois from out of state.
Who is the largest philanthropy funder in Illinois?: PERT Foundation gives the most to philanthropy organizations in Illinois, $321M across the 2022 and 2023 filings.
How much grant money goes to philanthropy in Illinois?: $1.5B reached 638 philanthropy organizations in Illinois, from 1,944 funders. 73% came from funders also based in Illinois.
How recent is this data?: It is read from IRS Form 990 and 990-PF e-file filings for fiscal years 2022 and 2023, the two years with complete coverage. US charity filings lag 12 to 24 months.

More from the funding graph

The regranting layer

51% of grant dollars pass through an intermediary

The DAF merry-go-round

$9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds

Strange bedfellows

the named clusters of US funding

The camps

funders cluster by geography, not ideology

State money flows

the interactive map of money crossing state lines

Giving abroad

which US foundations fund each country

Cause is the recipient's NTEE classification in the IRS Business Master File; location is the recipient's state on its most recent filing. Grant figures are read from IRS Form 990 and 990-PF e-file XML for fiscal years 2022 and 2023, among recipients resolved by EIN. Source: IRS Form 990 downloads.