Illinois · Grantmakers

Foundations That Fund Arts & Culture in Illinois

Imperigo has identified 667 funders that made 9,562 grants totaling $1.1B to 1,165 arts & culture organizations in Illinois, with a median grant of $20K. Every figure below is drawn from IRS Form 990 filings through 2025.

Arts & Culture Funding in Illinois

Total granted $1.1B
Funders 667
Grants 9,562
Organizations funded 1,165

Top Funders — page 1 of 4

1. The Chicago Community Trust
1,184 grants to 384 organizations · largest $5.2M · through 2023 · 1.8% of their giving
$139.7M
2. Ncrc Community Development Fund Inc
342 grants to 341 organizations · largest $250K · through 2023 · 10.9% of their giving
$16.3M
3. Northwestern Memorial HealthCare Group
11 grants to 8 organizations · largest $9.3M · through 2023 · 7.6% of their giving
$10.1M
4. Harvey L Miller Supporting Foundation
6 grants to 1 organization · largest $550K · through 2024 · 16.7% of their giving
$2.7M
5. Corporation for Public Broadcasting
46 grants to 4 organizations · largest $3.8M · through 2025 · 1.1% of their giving
$38.1M
6. The Cfm Foundation
41 grants to 1 organization · largest $2.1M · through 2025 · 9.6% of their giving
$4.2M
7. United Way - McCormick Partnership for Strong Neighborhoods Inc
6 grants to 1 organization · largest $528K · through 2024 · 9.7% of their giving
$3.2M
8. Robert R McCormick Foundation
61 grants to 39 organizations · largest $2.0M · through 2024 · 2.8% of their giving
$9.6M
9. The Malcolm and Dorothy Warner McEachren
6 grants to 1 organization · largest $311K · through 2024 · 100.0% of their giving
$1.3M
10. American Society of Anesthesiologists
6 grants to 1 organization · largest $400K · through 2024 · 12.1% of their giving
$2.2M
11. Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago
206 grants to 60 organizations · largest $1.3M · through 2024 · 1.6% of their giving
$15.6M
12. Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation
50 grants to 15 organizations · largest $150K · through 2024 · 13.4% of their giving
$1.9M
13. Council of Medical Specialty Societies
2 grants to 1 organization · largest $1.2M · through 2023 · 11.7% of their giving
$1.5M
14. Chicago Instructional Technology Foundation Inc
20 grants to 4 organizations · largest $153K · through 2023 · 14.1% of their giving
$1.2M
15. Quad Cities Cultural & Educational Supporting Charitable Trust
7 grants to 2 organizations · largest $291K · through 2024 · 15.2% of their giving
$1.1M
16. Community Foundation of Northern IL
89 grants to 19 organizations · largest $275K · through 2024 · 7.8% of their giving
$2.1M
17. Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley
36 grants to 17 organizations · largest $185K · through 2024 · 8.8% of their giving
$1.7M
18. Dekalb County Community Foundation
78 grants to 24 organizations · largest $142K · through 2024 · 8.7% of their giving
$1.5M
19. Rockford Symphony Orchestra Foundation
6 grants to 1 organization · largest $189K · through 2024 · 100.0% of their giving
$651K
20. Verdandi Lodge No3 Independent Order of Svithiod
23 grants to 4 organizations · largest $76K · through 2024 · 81.8% of their giving
$551K
21. The Dupage Community Foundation
62 grants to 26 organizations · largest $256K · through 2024 · 4.2% of their giving
$2.5M
22. Danville Symphony Orchestra Foundation Inc
6 grants to 1 organization · largest $156K · through 2024 · 100.0% of their giving
$512K
23. Polish Roman Catholic Union of America
6 grants to 1 organization · largest $85K · through 2024 · 97.8% of their giving
$510K
24. Craft Emergency Relief Fund Inc
2 grants to 1 organization · largest $250K · through 2020 · 43.0% of their giving
$500K
25. Illinois Science and Energy Innovation Foundation
4 grants to 1 organization · largest $578K · through 2023 · 8.9% of their giving
$1.1M

Funders are ordered by how much of their overall giving goes to arts & culture work in Illinois, not by dollar totals alone — a foundation that concentrates its giving here is usually a better prospect than a larger one for which this is a rounding error. 16 of the funders counted here are donor-advised fund sponsors, which grant on behalf of individual donors and accept no applications; they are marked and ranked last.

Other Causes Funded in Illinois

About This Data

A grant appears here when a funder reported it on its IRS Form 990 and the recipient organization is classified under the NTEE group covering arts & culture work, with an address in Illinois. Grants are counted from the 2025 filing year backward.

Some 990 grant schedules list a recipient by name and address without an EIN, and those grants cannot be matched to a classification — so the totals above represent identifiable arts & culture funding in Illinois, not every dollar that reached the sector. Figures are a floor, not a ceiling.

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