CMB Foundation
CMB Foundation is a private foundation based in Mettawa, Illinois. Its 2025 grants supported organizations working in education, conservation, medical research and health, veterans’ support, humanitarian and religious services, among other areas reflected in the grants’ stated purposes.
CMB Foundation at a glance
In short: CMB Foundation gave $303K across 78 grants in 2025 (avg $4K), top state Illinois. 13% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $302,575
- +11.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 78
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $3,879
- +11.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $3,075,593
- -0.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 13% first-time grantees (10 of 78, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (40% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to CMB Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 15275 Little St Marys Road, Mettawa, IL 60048
Phone: (772) 932-1155
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who CMB Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was School of the Art Institute of Chicago ($30K). Together the top 10 received $173K.
Grant Size Distribution
373 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 371 grants of 373 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 40% of grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois and 29% to recipients in Florida. The reported shares also included Virginia (6%) and Connecticut (5%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 78 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is CMB Foundation open to new grantees?
13%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 10 of 78 grantees (13%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $4K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $1K repeat.
- 74% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 25% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 103% 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 $184K (2019) to $303K (2025). In 2025 it made 78 grants totaling $303K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| School of the Art Institute of Chicago Chicago, IL | Educational | $30,000 |
| Everglades Foundation Palmetto Bay, FL | Conservation | $30,000 |
| Atlantic Salmon Federation | Conservation | $25,000 |
| Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Chicago, IL | Medical Research | $20,000 |
| Lake Forest College Lake Forest, IL | Educational | $20,000 |
| 1000 Friends of Florida Tallahassee, FL | Florida Conservation | $10,000 |
| Cleveland Clinic Martin South Hospital Stuart, FL | Health | $10,000 |
| Ely Chapman Educational Foundation Marietta, OH | Educational | $10,000 |
| Navy Seal Foundation Virginai Beach, VA | Support for Veterans | $10,000 |
| Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation Chicago, IL | Conservation | $7,500 |
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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 | $3,075,593 | $326,831 | $359,097 | $302,575 | 78 | $302,575 | $270,309 | $294,519 |
| 2024 | $3,094,859 | $203,164 | $322,482 | $271,800 | 78 | $271,800 | $152,482 | $267,680 |
| 2023 | $3,211,420 | $268,699 | $248,895 | $208,563 | 70 | $208,563 | $228,367 | $222,914 |
| 2022 | $3,171,528 | $-13,242 | $292,001 | $242,990 | 73 | $242,990 | $19,133 | $236,130 |
| 2021 | $3,517,544 | $370,038 | $310,782 | $264,760 | 74 | $264,760 | $324,016 | $259,403 |
| 2020 | $3,465,266 | $182,606 | $242,266 | $200,000 | 70 | — | $140,340 | $204,927 |
| 2019 | $3,486,321 | $176,004 | $220,651 | $184,250 | 68 | — | $139,603 | $198,948 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, CMB Foundation reported a distributable amount of $295K 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 mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included educational, conservation, medical research, health, veterans’ support, and humanitarian and religious purposes. The grantees describe their own work in varied ways: Lake Forest College says it provides post-secondary education leading to a baccalaureate degree; the Navy SEAL Foundation says it supports warriors, veterans, and families of Naval Special Warfare; and 1000 Friends of Florida describes its mission as building better communities and saving special places.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 78 grants totaling $302,575. Grant amounts ranged from $100 to $30,000, with a median of $1,000. Among the largest grants were $30,000 to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for an educational purpose and $30,000 to the Everglades Foundation for conservation; $25,000 to the Atlantic Salmon Federation for conservation; and $20,000 each to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for medical research and Lake Forest College for education.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Charles M Brennan and Mary Brennan as trustees.
CMB Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Charles M Brennan
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mary Brennan
Trustee
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.
Frequently asked questions about CMB Foundation
How much does CMB Foundation give each year?
CMB Foundation gave $303K across 78 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $272K across 78 grants.
What is CMB Foundation's typical grant size?
CMB Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $3,879, across 78 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from CMB Foundation that year got $2K on average.
Where does CMB Foundation give grants?
CMB Foundation's top state is Illinois, with 40% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Florida (29%) and Virginia (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Hobe Sound, FL (12 grants), Lake Forest, IL (10 grants), Chicago, IL (8 grants) and New York, NY (7 grants).
Does CMB Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 78 grants with a stated purpose on CMB Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Conservation" (15 grants), "Educational" (13 grants) and "Medical" (6 grants).
Who are CMB Foundation's largest grantees?
CMB Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include School of the Art Institute of Chicago ($30,000), Everglades Foundation ($30,000) and Atlantic Salmon Federation ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 28% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is CMB Foundation?
CMB Foundation reported $3.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $303K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $295K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does CMB Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included educational, conservation, medical research, health, veterans’ support, and humanitarian and religious purposes. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from CMB Foundation?
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is CMB Foundation's EIN?
CMB Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-3519496. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does CMB Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS April 29, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 15, 2026)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 28, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 26, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 28, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 13, 2025)
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in CMB Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). CMB Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/cmb-foundation-morg_431fd9fe8d474ec68e33265cc3213b6d
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_363519496_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{CMB Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/cmb-foundation-morg_431fd9fe8d474ec68e33265cc3213b6d},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-13. 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 CMB 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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