Cless Family Foundation
The Cless Family Foundation is a private foundation established in 1992 and based in Northbrook, Illinois. The foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) organization with tax-exempt status since January 1992.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
—
Annual Giving
$2.8M
-22.7% YoY
Grant Count
26
-16.1% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$108K
-7.8% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation supports a diverse range of charitable causes, with demonstrated funding interests in:
- Medical research
- Education
- Healthcare
- Arts and culture
- Community improvement and capacity building
Grantmaking
The foundation does not accept unsolicited applications.
Grant Range
$50,000 to $905,000
How to Apply
**
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation has demonstrated funding activity in Illinois and nationally, with particular support for organizations in the Chicago metropolitan area and beyond.
Grant Distribution by State
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Assets & Revenue (2024):
- Total assets: $19,993,626 to $20,557,725
- Total revenues: $1,768,823
- Total expenses: $2,826,088
- Investment income and dividends: $503,602
Historical Giving Trends:
- 2024: $3.6 million in total giving
- 2023: $4.9 million in total giving
- 2022: $2.9 million in total giving
- 2021: $2.5 million in total giving
The foundation maintains zero employees and has no liabilities.
| 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
153 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
The foundation is led by the following trustees and directors:
- Ruth I Cless (President/Treasurer/Director)
- Martin Cless (Director)
- Jennifer U Zehr (Vice President/Secretary/Director)
- Bryan C Cless (Director)
- Stephen G Cless (Director)
All listed leadership serve without compensation.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| RUTH I CLESS | PRES/TREAS/DIRECTOR | — | — |
| MARTIN CLESS | DIRECTOR | — | — |
| JENNIFER U ZEHR | VP/SECRETARY/DIRECTOR | — | — |
| BRYAN C CLESS | DIRECTOR | — | — |
| STEPHEN G CLESS | DIRECTOR | — | — |
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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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