Bayless Family Foundation
Bayless Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. In its 2024 filing, it reported 11 grants totaling $666,814, all to Illinois recipients; the listed grant purposes concern supporting the arts. Its 2025 filing, the latest on this page, reports 14 grants totaling $883,886.
Bayless Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Bayless Family Foundation gave $884K across 14 grants in 2025 (avg $63K), mostly in Illinois. 54% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $883,886
- +32.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 14
- +27.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $63,135
- +4.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $60,000
- Total assets
- $4,546,883
- -11.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 54% first-time grantees (7 of 13, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated November 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Bayless Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it contributes only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 445 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Bayless Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was National Museum of Mexican Art ($255K). Together the top 10 received $848K.
Grant Size Distribution
60 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 33 grants of 60 (55%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars reported for 2024 went to recipients in Illinois.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 14 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Bayless Family Foundation open to new grantees?
54%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 7 of 13 grantees (54%) were first-time recipients. With only 13 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $83K; repeat grants $50K. How we count
Medians: $60K first-time, $43K repeat.
- 46% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 139% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 359% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $300K (2019) to $884K (2025). In 2025 it made 14 grants totaling $884K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| National Museum of Mexican Art Chicago, IL | To promote, encourage, and support the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination through all forms of the arts, including literature, performing arts, visual arts, media arts, and culinary arts. | $255,000 |
| Lookingglass Theatre Company Chicago, IL | To promote, encourage, and support the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination through all forms of the arts, including literature, performing arts, visual arts, media arts, and culinary arts. | $135,000 |
| Chicago Community Trust Chicago, IL | To promote, encourage, and support the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination through all forms of the arts, including literature, performing arts, visual arts, media arts, and culinary arts. | $98,334 |
| American Blues Theater Chicago, IL | To promote, encourage, and support the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination through all forms of the arts, including literature, performing arts, visual arts, media arts, and culinary arts. | $60,000 |
| Definition Theatre Company Chicago, IL | To promote, encourage, and support the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination through all forms of the arts, including literature, performing arts, visual arts, media arts, and culinary arts. | $60,000 |
| Neo-Futurists Theater Chicago, IL | To promote, encourage, and support the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination through all forms of the arts, including literature, performing arts, visual arts, media arts, and culinary arts. | $60,000 |
| Timeline Theatre Company Chicago, IL | To promote, encourage, and support the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination through all forms of the arts, including literature, performing arts, visual arts, media arts, and culinary arts. | $60,000 |
| Urban Theater Chicago Chicago, IL | To promote, encourage, and support the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination through all forms of the arts, including literature, performing arts, visual arts, media arts, and culinary arts. | $60,000 |
| Filament Theatre Chicago, IL | To promote, encourage, and support the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination through all forms of the arts, including literature, performing arts, visual arts, media arts, and culinary arts. | $25,000 |
| Rivendell Theatre Ensemble Chicago, IL | To promote, encourage, and support the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination through all forms of the arts, including literature, performing arts, visual arts, media arts, and culinary arts. | $25,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Bayless Family Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $4,546,883 | $326,490 | $967,788 | $883,886 | 14 | $886,663 | $305,530 | $246,964 |
| 2024 | $5,150,430 | $633,196 | $739,349 | $666,814 | 11 | $666,814 | $412,195 | $255,172 |
| 2023 | $5,256,583 | $573,663 | $461,892 | $381,734 | 8 | $381,734 | $313,192 | $245,998 |
| 2022 | $5,144,812 | $283,913 | $414,255 | $369,527 | 9 | $369,527 | $149,830 | $253,150 |
| 2021 | $5,275,154 | $445,597 | $484,413 | $416,000 | 18 | $416,000 | $424,053 | $277,488 |
| 2020 | $5,313,970 | $134,108 | $532,132 | $461,000 | 9 | — | $142,586 | $248,861 |
| 2019 | $5,711,994 | $840,548 | $358,774 | $300,000 | 4 | — | $826,100 | $254,265 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Bayless Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $247K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No foundation mission statement is provided. The 2024 grant purposes describe support for creative expression across the arts, including literature, performing, visual, media, and culinary arts. Grantees include theatre companies and a public media organization.
Grantees’ own mission statements illustrate their work: Definition Theatre Company says it celebrates stories created with, inspired by, and intended for people and communities of color. Timeline Theatre Company says it presents history-inspired stories connected to current social and political issues and produces theatre and education programs. Chicago Children’s Theatre says it aims to enrich the community through diverse theatrical and educational programming. Shattered Globe Theatre describes its work as reimagining classic works and presenting new voices and viewpoints. Remy Bumppo Theatre Company says it produces plays from the past and present to expand and enrich its community’s view of the world. Chicago Public Media says its mission is to strengthen local communities and democracy through independent local journalism.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 11 grants totaling $666,814. Grant amounts ranged from $5,000 to $131,814, with a median of $50,000. Its 2025 filing, the latest on this page, reports 14 grants totaling $883,886.
Among the listed grants were $131,814 to Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago (ICNC); $120,000 each to Definition Theatre Company and Timeline Theatre Company; $100,000 to Chicago Children’s Theatre; and $50,000 each to Shattered Globe Theatre, Theatre Wit, and Remy Bumppo Theatre Company. Other recipients included Filament Theatre ($25,000), Lookingglass Theatre Company ($10,000), Chicago Public Media ($5,000), and Porchlight Music Theatre ($5,000).
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Richard L Bayless as treasurer; Deann Bayless as president; Lane Bayless Sullivan as secretary; and Kevin Sullivan and Melissa Cameron as directors.
Bayless Family Foundation is led by Deann Bayless, President on every filing since 2019; 1 of 5 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Deann Bayless
President
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kevin Sullivan
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
$29K (2019) → $45K (2025)
Melissa Cameron
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lane Bayless Sullivan
Secretary
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Richard L. Bayless
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $45K, to Kevin Sullivan (Director).
Frequently asked questions about Bayless Family Foundation
How much does Bayless Family Foundation give each year?
Bayless Family Foundation gave $884K across 14 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $667K across 11 grants.
What is Bayless Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Bayless Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $60,000, and its average grant was $63,135, across 14 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Bayless Family Foundation that year got $83K on average.
Where does Bayless Family Foundation give grants?
Bayless Family Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (14 grants).
Does Bayless Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 14 grants with a stated purpose on Bayless Family Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Bayless Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Bayless Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include National Museum of Mexican Art ($255,000), Lookingglass Theatre Company ($135,000) and Chicago Community Trust ($108,136 across 2 grants), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 56% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Bayless Family Foundation?
Bayless Family Foundation reported $4.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $887K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $247K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Bayless Family Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. The 2024 grant purposes describe support for creative expression across the arts, including literature, performing, visual, media, and culinary arts. Grantees include theatre companies and a public media organization. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Bayless Family Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it contributes only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Bayless Family Foundation's EIN?
Bayless Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 81-4588609. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Bayless Family Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated November 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS August 27, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS September 11, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Bayless Family Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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Browse active grant opportunities in Bayless Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Bayless Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/bayless-family-foundation-morg_5be751d97144424c9101ddaf712a6fa6
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_814588609_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Bayless Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/bayless-family-foundation-morg_5be751d97144424c9101ddaf712a6fa6},
note = {Accessed 2026-11-05. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Bayless Family Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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