Bill Nygren Foundation
The Bill Nygren Foundation is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. Established in 1995, it operates as a corporate foundation with a focus on grantmaking to various charitable organizations across multiple sectors.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
—
Annual Giving
$1.3M
+11.2% YoY
Grant Count
33
-13.2% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$41K
+28.1% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation does not provide a publicly stated mission statement. However, its primary funding areas include:
- Education
- Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking
- Human Services
Grantmaking
The foundation indicates it makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations only and does not accept unsolicited applications for funds.
Grant Range
$1,000 – $205,000
How to Apply
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation primarily funds organizations in:
- Michigan
- Illinois
- California
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of December 2024:
- Total assets: $10,921,565
- Total revenues: $1,678,938
- Total expenses: $1,393,391
- Total grants, contributions, etc.: $1,032,346
- Investment income and dividends: $276,894
- Net gain from sale of non-inventory assets: $369,698
Number of employees: 0 (paid staff)
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | — | — | — |
| Revenue | — | — | — |
| Expenses | — | — | — |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | — | — | — |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
161 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
- William C. Nygren – President & Director, Treasurer
- Thomas Win Murray – Director
- Mark Nygren – Director
- Michelle Ochoa – Director
The foundation operates with limited staffing and relies on volunteer board members.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| WILLIAM C NYGREN | PRESIDENT & DIRECTOR | 0.5 | — |
| THOMAS WIN MURRAY | DIRECTOR | 0.05 | — |
| WILLIAM C NYGREN | TREASURER | — | — |
| MARK NYGREN | DIRECTOR | 0.05 | — |
| MICHELLE OCHOA | DIRECTOR | 0.05 | — |
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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