Big Shoulders Fund
Big Shoulders Fund is a public charity based in Chicago, Illinois, that supports schools with demonstrated need serving children in Chicago and Northwest Indiana. Founded in 1986, it invests in scholarships and enrichment, school operations, academic programs, and leadership development.
Big Shoulders Fund at a glance
In short: Big Shoulders Fund gave $24.3M across 84 grants in 2025 (avg $290K), mostly in Illinois. 17% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $24,333,400
- +60.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 84
- +7.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $289,683
- +49.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $159,797
- Total assets
- $152,085,991
- +1.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 17% first-time grantees (14 of 83, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (90% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Big Shoulders Fund
- How to Apply
-
Families seeking a scholarship should contact the principal of a local Big Shoulders Fund school to discuss eligibility and the application process. For traditional privately funded scholarships, the school principal applies on the family’s behalf, and the school notifies families who receive awards. The organization directs communication about these scholarships to school administrators.
- Contact
Mailing address: 212 W Van Buren Street 900, Chicago, IL 60607
Phone: (312) 751-8337
Website: https://bigshouldersfund.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Big Shoulders Fund funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was St Sabina Academy ($1.4M). Together the top 10 received $9.2M.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($54,760), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
368 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 136 grants of 368 (37%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Big Shoulders Fund says it supports schools in Chicago and Northwest Indiana. In filing year 2025, 90% of grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois and 10% to recipients in Indiana.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 84 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Big Shoulders Fund open to new grantees?
17%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 14 of 83 grantees (17%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $108K; repeat grants $331K. How we count
Medians: $101K first-time, $241K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 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 $7.7M (2022) to $24.3M (2025). In 2025 it made 84 grants totaling $24.3M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| St Sabina Academy Chicago, IL | AE, CP, OP | $1,369,348 |
| St Ethelreda School Chicago, IL | Ae, CP, LPD, Op | $1,223,850 |
| St Francis de Sales High School Chicago, IL | Ae, CP, Op, PP, DDG | $1,061,550 |
| St Angela School Chicago, IL | Ae, Op, DDG | $917,202 |
| Epiphany School Chicago, IL | Ae, LPD, Op, PP, DDG | $895,883 |
| St Constance School Chicago, IL | Ae, LPD, Op, PP | $823,640 |
| Visitation School Chicago, IL | Ae, CP, Op, PP, DDG | $799,930 |
| St Mary Star of the Sea School Chicago, IL | AE, OP | $734,101 |
| St Sylvester School Chicago, IL | Ae, CP, LPD, Op, PP, DDG | $712,399 |
| Holy Angels School Chicago, IL | Ae, LPD, Op, PP | $707,608 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Financial figures are reported by filing year.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $152,085,991 | $53,155,887 | $54,884,867 | $24,333,400 | 84 | $10,487,082 |
| 2024 | $150,134,830 | $84,776,624 | $75,889,009 | $15,136,561 | 78 | $11,128,285 |
| 2023 | $135,423,582 | $65,677,021 | $58,940,127 | $17,001,925 | 73 | $8,080,344 |
| 2022 | $125,993,936 | $62,883,883 | $52,614,506 | $7,676,542 | 70 | $-9,239,954 |
| 2021 | $110,535,170 | $61,700,078 | $42,124,358 | $7,963,314 | 63 | $12,878,124 |
| 2020 | $91,302,966 | $31,770,708 | $33,216,976 | $11,826,117 | 66 | $556,110 |
| 2019 | $89,994,006 | $39,123,383 | $26,421,697 | $8,278,838 | 72 | $2,563,553 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
Big Shoulders Fund’s stated mission is to support underserved schools that provide a quality, values-based education for Chicago’s children; its programming was extended to Northwest Indiana in 2020. Its website describes its mission more broadly as supporting schools with demonstrated need that serve children in Chicago and Northwest Indiana.
Its work includes student scholarships and enrichment; operating and capital grants and other school-operation support; academic enrichment; and leadership and professional development for educators and school leaders. In its 2023 filing, the organization reported administering more than 100 scholarship programs and distributing scholarships to help students attend non-public schools. It also described academic and leadership programs operating in schools, including work in math, science, civics, and literacy.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, Big Shoulders Fund reported 84 grants totaling $24,333,400. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $1,369,348, with a median of $159,797. Its largest reported grants included:
The filing’s grant-purpose codes include academic enrichment, operating and capital grants, leadership and professional development, patron programs, and donor-designated grants.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Kenneth J Velo and Kent Dauten as Co-Chairmen and John Croghan as Vice Chairman. Listed trustees include Arthur R Velasquez, Charles K Bobrinskoy, Cherryl Thomas, Christine E Kelly, Christopher Valenti, Daniel Doherty, and David Dury.
Big Shoulders Fund is led by Joshua Hale, President & Chief Executive Officer since 2022 (on filings since 2019); 10 of 42 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Joshua Hale
President & Chief Executive Officer
President & CEO → President & Chief Executive Officer, 2022
On filings since 2019
50 hrs/week
$495K (2019) → $586K (2025)
Kenneth J Velo
Co-Chairman
On filings since 2019
25 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kent Dauten
Co-Chairman
Executive Committee → Co-Chairman, 2023
On filings since 2019
15 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Daniel Kozlowski
Managing Director & Nwi
Regional Director & Northwest Indiana Initiative → Managing Director & Nwi, 2022
On filings since 2021
50 hrs/week
$143K (2021) → $167K (2025)
Danielle Robinson
Managing Director, School Operations & Patrons Program
On filings since 2022
50 hrs/week
$139K (2022) → $166K (2025)
Maria Ippolito
Managing Director, School Marketing & Enrollment
New on the 2025 filing
50 hrs/week
$154K (2025)
Timothy Gallo
Managing Director, Plus Schools & Leadership
New on the 2025 filing
50 hrs/week
$171K (2025)
Laura Nalley
Senior Director, People & Leadership
On filings since 2019
50 hrs/week
$117K (2019) → $159K (2025)
Daniel Bennett
Senior Director & Scholarships
On filings since 2024
50 hrs/week
$141K (2024) → $191K (2025)
Amelia Drozda
Chief Advancement & Development Officer
Senior Director, Philanthropy, Partnerships & Engagement → Chief Advancement & Development Officer, 2022
On filings since 2019
50 hrs/week
$143K (2019) → $205K (2025)
Malcolm Douglas
Chief Financial Officer
CFO → Chief Financial Officer, 2022
On filings since 2019
50 hrs/week
$74K (2019) → $255K (2025)
Rebecca Lindsay-Ryan
Chief Schools Officer
Senior Director, Academic Programs & External Affairs → Chief Schools Officer, 2022
On filings since 2019
50 hrs/week
$187K (2019) → $293K (2025)
Arthur R Velasquez
Board of Trustees
Executive Committee → Board of Trustees, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Charles K Bobrinskoy
Board of Trustees
Executive Committee → Board of Trustees, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Cherryl Thomas
Board of Trustees
Executive Committee → Board of Trustees, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Christine E Kelly
Board of Trustees
Executive Committee → Board of Trustees, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Christopher Valenti
Board of Trustees
Executive Committee → Board of Trustees, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Daniel Doherty
Board of Trustees
Executive Committee → Board of Trustees, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
David Dury
Board of Trustees
Executive Committee → Board of Trustees, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Dennis Fitzsimons
Board of Trustees
Executive Committee → Board of Trustees, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gerald Beeson
Board of Trustees
Executive Committee → Board of Trustees, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Giancarlo Turano
Board of Trustees
Executive Committee → Board of Trustees, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gregory Q Brown
Board of Trustees
Executive Committee → Board of Trustees, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
James A Gordon
Board of Trustees
Executive Committee → Board of Trustees, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
James Compton
Board of Trustees
Executive Committee → Board of Trustees, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
James Hoeg
Board of Trustees
Executive Committee → Board of Trustees, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John A Canning Jr.
Board of Trustees
Co-Chairman → Co-Chairman & Board of Trustees, 2023
Co-Chairman & Board of Trustees → Board of Trustees, 2024
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John Croghan
Vice Chairman
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John Schreiber
Board of Trustees
Executive Committee → Board of Trustees, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kimberly Querrey
Board of Trustees
Executive Committee → Board of Trustees, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Leigh-Anne Kazma
Board of Trustees
Executive Committee → Board of Trustees, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mary Dempsey
Board of Trustees
Executive Committee → Board of Trustees, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Stephen King
Board of Trustees
Executive Committee → Board of Trustees, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Thomas E Lanctot
Board of Trustees
Executive Committee → Board of Trustees, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Thomas Reynolds III
Board of Trustees
Executive Committee → Board of Trustees, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Timothy Sullivan
Board of Trustees
Executive Committee → Board of Trustees, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
William Devers
Board of Trustees
Executive Committee → Board of Trustees, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
William T Lynch
Board of Trustees
Executive Committee → Board of Trustees, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Tao Huang
Board of Trustees
Executive Committee → Board of Trustees, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lee Henderson
Board of Trustees
Executive Committee → Board of Trustees, 2023
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Elizabeth Cole
Board of Trustees
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Larry Richman
Board of Trustees
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (14)
- Former: James J OConnor (2019–2024) — Co-Chairman
- Former: Michael E Murphy (2019–2024) — Board of Trustees
- Former: Thomas Zbierski (2019–2024) — Director Emeritus, Scholarship Program & School Relations
- Former: Christine Sweeney (2023) — Managing Director, Operations & Administrative Systems
- Former: Samantha Clark (2023) — Senior Accountant
- Former: Andrew J McKenna (2019–2022) — Executive Committee
- Former: John Moran (2019–2022) — Former Senior Director & Patrons Program
- Former: Michaela Metzger (2019–2022) — Senior Director, Strategy & Communications
- Former: Timothy Liston (2021–2022) — Managing Director & Leadership Giving
- Former: Matthew Katzfey (2019–2021) — Director, Alumni Outreach & High School Development
- Former: Meika Slotsema (2020–2021) — Director & Scholarship Program
- Former: Katherine LaMantia (2019–2020) — Scholarship System Coordinator
- Former: Linda Rossi (2019) — CFO
- Former: Nicole Wilson (2019) — Former Senior Director & Strategy
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 $586K, to Joshua Hale (President and Chief Executive Officer). 10 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Big Shoulders Fund
How much does Big Shoulders Fund give each year?
Big Shoulders Fund gave $24.3M across 84 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $15.1M across 78 grants.
What is Big Shoulders Fund's typical grant size?
Big Shoulders Fund's median grant in 2025 was $159,797, and its average grant was $289,683, across 84 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Big Shoulders Fund that year got $108K on average.
Where does Big Shoulders Fund give grants?
Big Shoulders Fund gives mostly in Illinois: 90% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest state was Indiana (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (56 grants), Michigan City, IN (4 grants), Waukegan, IL (3 grants) and Hammond, IN (3 grants).
Does Big Shoulders Fund give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 84 grants with a stated purpose on Big Shoulders Fund's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Ae" (23 grants), "Ae, LPD, Op" (9 grants) and "Ae, Op" (6 grants).
Who are Big Shoulders Fund's largest grantees?
Big Shoulders Fund's largest 2025 grantees include St Sabina Academy ($1,369,348), St Ethelreda School ($1,223,850) and St Francis de Sales High School ($1,061,550), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($54,760), which are not listed by name. Together they received 15% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Big Shoulders Fund?
Big Shoulders Fund reported $152.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $53.2M.
What does Big Shoulders Fund fund?
Big Shoulders Fund’s stated mission is to support underserved schools that provide a quality, values-based education for Chicago’s children; its programming was extended to Northwest Indiana in 2020. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Big Shoulders Fund?
Families seeking a scholarship should contact the principal of a local Big Shoulders Fund school to discuss eligibility and the application process. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Big Shoulders Fund's EIN?
Big Shoulders Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-3490557. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 18, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS January 23, 2026)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 7, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 25, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 24, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS January 17, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 28, 2024)
Live grants for the work Big Shoulders Fund funds
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Big Shoulders Fund down — hundreds of funders to go?