Bears Care
Bears Care is a public charity based in Lake Forest, Illinois, and the charitable arm of the Chicago Bears. Established as a fund of the Robert R. McCormick Foundation in 1995, it incorporated as a 501(c)(3) organization in 2005. Bears Care supports programs in education, youth athletics, and medical research and health awareness, with an emphasis on breast and ovarian cancer.
Bears Care at a glance
In short: Bears Care gave $2.6M across 50 grants in 2024 (avg $52K), mostly in Illinois. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $2,584,338
- -2.4% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 50
- +733.3% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $51,687
- -88.3% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $20,000
- Total assets
- $796,769
- -28.3% vs 2023
- Primary geography
- Illinois (98% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated September 2026.
How to apply to Bears Care
- How to Apply
-
The available information describes an online application form for the athletic training grant and a grant acknowledgement and reporting process for recipients.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1920 Football Drive, Lake Forest, IL 60045
Phone: (847) 205-6600
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
4 open opportunities from Bears Care
Athletic Training Grant
Bears Care
Amount
$3,000 - $12,000
Deadline
Deadline not published
Bears Care Athletic Training Grant
Bears Care
Amount
$3K – $12K
Deadline
Rolling
Black History Month Youth Leader Award
Bears Care
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Who Bears Care funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Rush University Medical Center ($520K). Together the top 10 received $1.8M.
Grant Size Distribution
72 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 36 grants of 72 (50%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Bears Care describes its community grantmaking as focused on Chicagoland. In 2024, 98% of grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois, with 1% each going to recipients in Indiana and Texas. The athletic training grant is described as serving high schools in need; its geographic scope is not specified.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 50 itemized grants.
Cities
How Bears Care gives
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+14%). Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990 filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $1.0M (2020) to $2.6M (2023). In 2024 it made 50 grants totaling $2.6M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Rush University Medical Center Chicago, IL | To support the road home program: the national center of excellence for veterans and their families at rush | $520,000 |
| Northwestern Memorial Foundation Chicago, IL | 2024 women's cancer research grants fat mass and obesity associated gene and highgrade serous ovarian cancer | $203,000 |
| Hope Chicago Inc Chicago, IL | General Operating Support | $200,000 |
| Endeavor Health Clinical Operations Evanston, IL | 2024 women's cancer research grants ovarian cancer prevention research program | $200,000 |
| The University of Chicago Chicago, IL | 2024 women's cancer research grants ovarian cancer research, reproductive atlas of african American and hispanic women, gyn/onc fellowship n applying ai to digital pathology, breast cancer research consortium | $170,000 |
| Chicago Parks Foundation Chicago, IL | General Operating Support | $155,000 |
| Big Shoulders Fund Chicago, IL | To support the improvement of student outcomes, college access, and success for leo high school students and graduates. | $100,000 |
| Les Turner Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Foundation Skokie, IL | General operating support in honor of steve mcmichael's election to the pro football hall of fame | $78,133 |
| Build Inc Chicago, IL | Sports and Fitness Program | $75,000 |
| Youth Guidance Chicago, IL | To Support the Bam and Wow Chicago Programs | $75,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Bears Care?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The filing reports 50 grants in 2024 and five grants in each of 2023 and 2022.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $796,769 | $2,629,738 | $2,943,974 | $2,584,338 | 50 | $84,494 |
| 2023 | $1,111,005 | $2,616,619 | $2,715,326 | $2,647,358 | 6 | $78,811 |
| 2022 | $1,209,712 | $3,221,689 | $2,739,528 | $2,622,164 | 6 | $20,779 |
| 2021 | $727,551 | $2,014,818 | $2,315,703 | $2,258,999 | 6 | $272 |
| 2020 | $1,028,437 | $1,553,716 | $1,068,276 | $1,048,184 | 4 | $2,926 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
Bears Care’s stated mission is to support programs designed to positively impact people through education, youth athletics, and medical research and health awareness, with an emphasis on breast and ovarian cancer. Its grant program is described as supporting programs intended to improve quality of life in the Chicagoland community in those areas.
Its 2024 grants included support for medical centers and universities conducting cancer research, as well as education, youth, and community programs. For example, Rush University Medical Center received support for its Road Home Program for veterans and their families; Hope Chicago describes its mission as expanding access to debt-free postsecondary education for Chicago Public Schools students and their parents; and Chicago Parks Foundation describes itself as a strategic fundraising partner for the Chicago Park District.
Grantmaking
In 2024, Bears Care reported 50 grants totaling $2,584,338. Grant amounts ranged from $6,000 to $520,000, with a median of $20,000.
Notable 2024 awards included $520,000 to Rush University Medical Center for its Road Home Program; $203,000 to Northwestern Memorial Foundation for women’s cancer research; $200,000 to Hope Chicago for general operating support; $200,000 to Endeavor Health Clinical Operations for ovarian cancer prevention research; and $170,000 to the University of Chicago for several cancer research initiatives. Other significant awards included $155,000 to Chicago Parks Foundation, $100,000 to Big Shoulders Fund for student outcomes and college access at Leo High School, and $75,000 each to BUILD Inc. for a sports and fitness program and Youth Guidance for its BAM and WOW Chicago programs.
The filing describes a grant acknowledgement form that recipients must sign. It requires recipients to be qualified organizations, use funds for charitable, religious, scientific, literary, or educational purposes, return funds not spent on the grant’s purpose, and submit a stewardship report within one year detailing use of funds, tangible outcomes, and internal program evaluation results.
Bears Care and the Chicago Bears also offer athletic training grants of $3,000–$12,000 to high schools in need for services, equipment, resources, or supplies benefiting high-school football programs. Interested schools complete an online form; selected applicants are contacted by the Community Relations department.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Jerry Azumah as president, Barbara McCaskey as vice president, Kimberly Bourne Saccaro as treasurer, and J. Gary Fencik, Caroline Schrenker, Kevin Warren, Marge Hamm, and Brandon Faber as directors. Brandon Faber’s listing notes service through May.
Bears Care is led by Jerry Azumah, President since 2023 (on filings since 2020); none of the 8 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Jerry Azumah
President
Director → President, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Brandon Faber
Director
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Caroline Schrenker
Director
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Marge Hamm
Director
On filings since 2022
45 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kevin Warren
Director
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
J. Gary Fencik
Director
New on the 2024 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Barbara McCaskey
Vice President
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kimberly Bourne Saccaro
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Gary Fencik (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Ted Phillips (2020–2022) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Bears Care
How much does Bears Care give each year?
Bears Care gave $2.6M across 50 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $2.6M across 6 grants.
What is Bears Care's typical grant size?
Bears Care's median grant in 2024 was $20,000, and its average grant was $51,687, across 50 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990.
Where does Bears Care give grants?
Bears Care gives mostly in Illinois: 98% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (30 grants) and Evanston, IL (2 grants).
Does Bears Care give general operating support?
Yes: 12% of Bears Care's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (6 of 50) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990. Recurring purposes include "Program Assistance" (28 grants) and "Girl's Flag Football Program" (4 grants).
Who are Bears Care's largest grantees?
Bears Care's largest 2024 grantees include Rush University Medical Center ($520,000), Northwestern Memorial Foundation ($203,000) and Hope Chicago Inc ($200,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 36% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Bears Care?
Bears Care reported $797K in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $2.6M.
What does Bears Care fund?
Bears Care’s stated mission is to support programs designed to positively impact people through education, youth athletics, and medical research and health awareness, with an emphasis on breast and ovarian cancer. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Bears Care?
The available information describes an online application form for the athletic training grant and a grant acknowledgement and reporting process for recipients. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Bears Care's EIN?
Bears Care's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-3902715. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(5)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS October 19, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 14, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 13, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 12, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Bears Care funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
- Alamo Kiwanis Club Charities Funding Request Due October 31, 2026
- Women's Health Fund Grants Circle of Friends: Up to $2,000; Women's Giving Circle: In excess of $2,000 · Due October 31, 2026
- Besse Johnson & George Blanton Allen Memorial Foundation Grant Average grant $1,000–$5,000 · Due October 31, 2026
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Bears Care's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Bears Care funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 31, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/bears-care-morg_16291a1cb0d14f70a410b23f0c85bce9
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_203902715_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Bears Care funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/bears-care-morg_16291a1cb0d14f70a410b23f0c85bce9},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-31. 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 Bears Care'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.
Bears Care down — hundreds of funders to go?