Illinois · Grantmakers

Foundations That Fund Religion in Illinois

Imperigo has identified 566 funders that made 5,718 grants totaling $461.1M to 615 religion organizations in Illinois, with a median grant of $18K. Every figure below is drawn from IRS Form 990 filings through 2025.

Religion Funding in Illinois

Total granted $461.1M
Funders 566
Grants 5,718
Organizations funded 615

Top Funders — page 2 of 4

26. Gladys Friant Trust Under Will
5 grants to 1 organization · largest $61K · through 2025 · 14.0% of their giving
$187K
27. The Premier Foundation
1 grant to 1 organization · largest $500K · through 2025 · 4.8% of their giving
$500K
28. The Community Foundation of Macon County
18 grants to 3 organizations · largest $109K · through 2025 · 2.7% of their giving
$863K
29. Christian Community Foundation of Memphis
21 grants to 9 organizations · largest $500K · through 2024
$3.1M
30. William M Yarbrough Foundation % Lawrence Elisco
3 grants to 1 organization · largest $94K · through 2022 · 12.8% of their giving
$177K
31. Carl R Fravel Memorial Trust
1 grant to 1 organization · largest $110K · through 2022 · 25.0% of their giving
$110K
32. Pillars Fund
9 grants to 2 organizations · largest $125K · through 2024 · 4.7% of their giving
$471K
33. Horner-Premier Foundation
1 grant to 1 organization · largest $122K · through 2021 · 16.7% of their giving
$122K
34. OneShare International
5 grants to 1 organization · largest $52K · through 2025 · 7.9% of their giving
$244K
35. United Way of Northwest Indiana Inc
1 grant to 1 organization · largest $282K · through 2021 · 6.3% of their giving
$282K
36. Foles Believe Foundation
1 grant to 1 organization · largest $150K · through 2020 · 10.7% of their giving
$150K
37. Impact Grants Chicago
3 grants to 2 organizations · largest $100K · through 2023 · 6.9% of their giving
$230K
38. Bellows Family Foundation
6 grants to 3 organizations · largest $88K · through 2024 · 6.6% of their giving
$233K
39. Mies Foundation Inc
1 grant to 1 organization · largest $125K · through 2021 · 11.1% of their giving
$125K
40. Thrivent Charitable Impact & Investing
46 grants to 18 organizations · largest $1.0M · through 2025
$2.4M
41. All Chicago Making Homelessness History
11 grants to 5 organizations · largest $169K · through 2024 · 1.5% of their giving
$815K
42. Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
8 grants to 2 organizations · largest $418K · through 2024
$1.2M
43. Eurith Leydig Memorial Center
2 grants to 1 organization · largest $48K · through 2020 · 17.2% of their giving
$68K
44. KSKJ Life
2 grants to 1 organization · largest $25K · through 2024 · 100.0% of their giving
$50K
45. The Chicago Community Trust
151 grants to 42 organizations · largest $1.0M · through 2024
$9.5M
46. Messenger Ministries Inc
1 grant to 1 organization · largest $50K · through 2023 · 21.2% of their giving
$50K
47. Global Center for Human Rights
1 grant to 1 organization · largest $50K · through 2022 · 53.5% of their giving
$50K
48. The Albertsons Companies Foundation
12 grants to 1 organization · largest $421K · through 2024
$1.6M
49. Harvest Christian Ministries Inc
5 grants to 1 organization · largest $32K · through 2024 · 6.0% of their giving
$152K
50. American Muslim Community Foundation
9 grants to 6 organizations · largest $174K · through 2024 · 3.3% of their giving
$262K

Funders are ordered by how much of their overall giving goes to religion 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. 20 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 religion 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 religion 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.