Skip to content

Illinois · Nonprofit

FOREFRONT

FOREFRONT (Illinois) receives grants from 125 organizations whose IRS filings report $65,535,114 to it, the largest being The Chicago Community Trust ($23,192,275). 79 of them have funded it in more than one year.

Revenue FY2025
$16M
Funders on record
125
Grants received
$66M
Net assets
$16M
79/125 repeat fundersgrants exceed reported revenue in one year
01What it does

What Forefront does

Mission

We mobilize our members to work collectively around issues that are important to them and to the sector by enhancing the effectiveness of (a) the organizations and individuals who are the members of the corporation and (b) all nonprofit organizations in the state of illinois through development of educational programs and informational resources and through the provision of technical assistance; identifying and promoting the role of philanthropy in the state of illinois; providing opportunities for interaction and communication among the members of the corporation and all nonprofit charitable, religious, literary, scientific and educational organizations in the state of illinois; fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in the nonprofit sector, and providing support, training and fiscal sponsorship to advance the growth, management and impact of mission driven organizations to more effectively address social challenges with sustainable solutions.

As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.

Programs

On its FY2023 return the organization reported a significant change in how it conducts a program.

During the year, the fiscal sponsorship agreement with illinois black advocacy initiative (ibai) terminated, and the net assets of that program were released to ibai.

Its own explanation, from Schedule O of that return (Part III, line 3).

  1. Fresh taste is a sponsored project of Forefront. It is a staffed funder initiative formed in 2002 by a group of illinois-based foundations and chicago city officials interested in changing how food is produced for, and processed and consumed in the chicago region.

    $11,707,105 spentof which $11,425,600 as grants$55,928 earned by the program
    66% of program spending
  2. Forefront leverages the collective power of philanthropy and nonprofits to improve lives and strengthen communities. Founded in 1974, Forefront is the only membership association in illinois for funders and nonprofits of all kinds, as well as their advisors and consultants. Some 1,100 individuals and institutions belong to Forefront, and thousands more benefit from its resources, some of which are free. Forefront is based in chicago but serves the entire state. It is a hub for connection and collaboration as well as a source of research, programs, publications, and other tools, including a free library, that strengthen the effectiveness of philanthropy and nonprofits. Through public policy advocacy and media relations, Forefront also serves as a leader and voice for philanthropy and nonprofits, protecting and promoting their critical missions and work.

    $4,712,254 spentof which $1,126,060 as grants
    27% of program spending
  3. Converge consulting is a social enterprise owned and managed by Forefront that delivers financial, accounting, and administrative solutions to nonprofits and foundations so that they can focus on their mission. We work with organizations to address their specific needs onan interim or continuing basis.

    $460,184 spent$519,152 earned by the program
    3% of program spending
  4. Public policy, illinois black advocacy initiative (ibai), entrepreneurship leadership development institute (edli), chicago african americans in philanthropy (caaip), others.

    $771,962 spent
    4% of program spending

The 4 programs described on its FY2023 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $17,651,505.

02The organization over time

The organization over time

Each line starts at 100 in 2019, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2019, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.

100 = 20192019 Revenue 100 ($5.8M) Expenses 100 ($5.8M) Net assets 100 ($3.4M)2020 Revenue 167 ($9.6M) Expenses 132 ($7.6M) Net assets 151 ($5.1M)2021 Revenue 154 ($8.9M) Expenses 187 ($11M) Net assets 99 ($3.4M)2022 Revenue 251 ($14M) Expenses 163 ($9.4M) Net assets 249 ($8.4M)2023 Revenue 391 ($23M) Expenses 173 ($10.0M) Net assets 621 ($21M)2024 Revenue 159 ($9.2M) Expenses 331 ($19M) Net assets 289 ($9.8M)2025 Revenue 279 ($16M) Expenses 164 ($9.5M) Net assets 481 ($16M)
2019202020212022202320242025
Revenue (279)Expenses (164)Net assets (481)Peer revenue range

Balance sheet

Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2022 to 2023, from $9.4M to $26M (+178%).

$3.7M
$6.0M
$3.6M
$9.4M
$26M
$13M
$19M
2019202020212022202320242025
Total assetsTotal liabilities

How it's funded, over time

Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.

2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
ContributionsProgram revenueInvestmentOther

Government-grant reliance: 2020 6% · 2021 6% · 2022 3% · 2023 0% · 2024 5% · 2025 2%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.

94% of FOREFRONT’s revenue is contributions — more donation-reliant than the typical peer (80% for the typical peer).

This organization
Typical peer · 874 orgs

Surplus & reserves

Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 2 of the last 7 reported years ran a deficit.

$4k
’19
$2.0M
’20
−$1.9M
’21
$5.1M
’22
$13M
’23
−$9.9M
’24
$6.6M
’25
13
months of
reserve

Leadership and staff

The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.

2019202020212022202320242025
Listed29303126293128
Joined·+10+4+3+8+5+6
No longer listed·938539
03Who funds it

Who funds it, year by year

2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 26 funders to 43 funders, grant income rose $791k → $12M.

15 of 125 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 46% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.

From the IRS filings of FOREFRONT’s funders (the co-funder graph). Top 30 of 125 funders by total. Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.

How concentrated its funding is

FOREFRONT leans on a few funders — its largest provides 35% of grant income and the top three 62%; half comes from just 2 funders.

the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 2 funders to its left

46% of the income these shares are computed over arrives through pass-through sponsors or from payers whose filings do not say what kind of payment it is. Concentration is still measured over all of it, because the money is real; what it does not support is a claim about how many institutions have chosen to fund FOREFRONT.

35%
largest funder
62%
top three
~6
effective funders

Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 19% · 2018 35% · 2019 37% · 2020 55% · 2021 35% · 2022 32% · 2023 31% — growing more concentrated.

“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.

How long its funders stay

48% of FOREFRONT's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 63% give in more than one year at all.

first grant+1y+2y+3y+4y+5y+6y

Share of funders still giving k years after their first recorded grant, pooled across every acquisition cohort. A funder counts as retained in a year only if it made a grant that year. Measured to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving — a funder cannot be counted as lapsed in a year most filers have not reached.

Where its funders are

82% of FOREFRONT's grant income comes from Illinois funders.

WA
IL
WI
MI
NY
CA
NE
MD
DE
AR
NC
DC
LA
FL

In-state vs out-of-state, by year

’17
’18
’19
’20
’21
’22
’23
Illinois out of state home

Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $30M arriving through sponsors registered in 9 states is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.

04Its place in the field

Against its field

FOREFRONT holds deeper cash reserves than three-quarters of the 490 philanthropy nonprofits its size.

Operating margin41% · above the median
Months of reserve12.5mo · top quartile
Revenue growth (annualized)19% · above the median

this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 490 philanthropy nonprofits $10M–$100M, FY2025

Government funding FOREFRONT receives

Grants and contracts to this organization from federal (USASpending) and state checkbooks, reconciled to its EIN. $881 on record.

State$881
Top programs
  • REFUNDS - GENERAL $881

Federal grants vs contracts are distinguished; state line items keep their reported category. Matched by name + geography (the BMF), so coverage is partial and precision-first.

Organizations like FOREFRONT

Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.

In Illinois

Nationally

05Profile & governance

Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.

Where the money goes

85% of spending goes to programs.

Program 85%Management 11%Fundraising 4%

Governance

24
board members
100%
independent
✓Conflict-of-interest policy✓Whistleblower policy✓Document retention✓Board reviewed the 990✓Audited financials

Public support

61%

Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.

Footprint & structure

Files a return copy in 1 state

IL

Part of a family of 1 related entity

  • Converge Consulting LLC · disregarded

Screen this organization

A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for FOREFRONT: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.

A paid feature, included from the $75 plan up. Sign in to download.

Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf

Questions and answers

Who funds FOREFRONT?
FOREFRONT (Illinois) receives grants from 125 organizations whose IRS filings report $65,535,114 to it, the largest being The Chicago Community Trust ($23,192,275). 79 of them have funded it in more than one year.
How many funders does FOREFRONT have?
IRS filings report 125 organizations giving $65,535,114 in grants to FOREFRONT, 79 of which have funded it in more than one year.
Who is the largest funder of FOREFRONT?
The Chicago Community Trust is the largest funder on record, with $23,192,275 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
How can an organization like FOREFRONT find more funders?
Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Illinois. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.

These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2025 (financials across 2019–2025), and the filings of 125 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 22, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing