Illinois · Grantmakers

Foundations That Fund Education in Illinois

Imperigo has identified 2,058 funders that made 20,161 grants totaling $5.7B to 1,511 education organizations in Illinois, with a median grant of $25K. Every figure below is drawn from IRS Form 990 filings through 2025.

Education Funding in Illinois

Total granted $5.7B
Funders 2,058
Grants 20,161
Organizations funded 1,511

Top Funders — page 3 of 4

51. Illinois Corn Marketing Board
12 grants to 1 organization · largest $400K · through 2024 · 20.1% of their giving
$2.0M
52. Gordon Stephenson Fund Dated 09181951
6 grants to 1 organization · largest $344K · through 2024 · 100.0% of their giving
$1.9M
53. Cancer Research Foundation
4 grants to 1 organization · largest $600K · through 2024 · 41.7% of their giving
$1.8M
54. Donors Trust Inc
26 grants to 7 organizations · largest $4.3M · through 2024 · 1.8% of their giving
$19.3M
55. Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Inc
4 grants to 3 organizations · largest $3.0M · through 2024 · 4.7% of their giving
$7.0M
59. Charities Aid Foundation America
384 grants to 156 organizations · largest $3.6M · through 2024 · 1.2% of their giving
$24.8M
62. Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research
2 grants to 1 organization · largest $5.2M · through 2023 · 3.6% of their giving
$8.4M
67. The Community Foundation of Louisville Inc
13 grants to 6 organizations · largest $3.9M · through 2024 · 2.8% of their giving
$9.2M
72. Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault
12 grants to 3 organizations · largest $650K · through 2024 · 4.0% of their giving
$5.5M
74. The Ayco Charitable Foundation
207 grants to 67 organizations · largest $2.7M · through 2025
$22.2M
81. Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy Inc
13 grants to 3 organizations · largest $1.1M · through 2023 · 2.9% of their giving
$6.5M
84. Corporation for Public Broadcasting
82 grants to 5 organizations · largest $1.5M · through 2025
$25.1M
92. Columbus Foundation
41 grants to 17 organizations · largest $11.7M · through 2024 · 1.1% of their giving
$13.3M
102. Natl Christian Charitable Fdn Inc
274 grants to 86 organizations · largest $2.4M · through 2024
$35.0M
110. Silicon Valley Community Foundation
73 grants to 41 organizations · largest $7.0M · through 2024
$36.1M
113. The Dallas Foundation
15 grants to 5 organizations · largest $3.0M · through 2024 · 1.6% of their giving
$5.6M
163. California Community Foundation
35 grants to 17 organizations · largest $2.0M · through 2024
$9.6M
192. National Collegiate Athletic Association
61 grants to 15 organizations · largest $935K · through 2023
$9.6M
206. The Blackbaud Giving Fund
166 grants to 129 organizations · largest $582K · through 2024
$6.9M
262. Jewish Communal Fund
50 grants to 25 organizations · largest $3.3M · through 2024
$8.3M
296. Tides Foundation
51 grants to 24 organizations · largest $1.5M · through 2024
$5.5M
1052. Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift FundDonor-advised
2,069 grants to 687 organizations · largest $47.0M · through 2024
$583.9M
1053. Donor Advised Charitable Giving IncDonor-advised
1,349 grants to 421 organizations · largest $22.5M · through 2024
$224.3M
1054. National Philanthropic TrustDonor-advised
739 grants to 251 organizations · largest $17.6M · through 2024
$201.5M
1055. Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management IncDonor-advised
218 grants to 93 organizations · largest $10.0M · through 2024 · 1.1% of their giving
$103.3M

Funders are ordered by how much of their overall giving goes to education 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. 21 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 education 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 education funding in Illinois, not every dollar that reached the sector. Figures are a floor, not a ceiling.

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Full grant histories, recipient lists, officer compensation, multi-year financials, and exports for every foundation Imperigo tracks.