CME Group Foundation
CME Group Foundation is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. It supports education from early childhood through college and career, with an emphasis on helping low-income students and preparing students for future academic and workforce challenges.
CME Group Foundation at a glance
In short: CME Group Foundation gave $6.7M across 148 grants in 2024 (avg $46K), mostly in Illinois. 19% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $6,739,500
- +11.0% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 148
- +5.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $45,537
- +5.7% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $63,836,901
- +7.9% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 19% first-time grantees (24 of 128, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (79% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to CME Group Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The Foundation does not accept unsolicited requests. Applicants must have 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, paid staff, at least three years of operation, an active governing board and community support, sound finances and management, and the ability to implement programs. Proposed activities should not needlessly duplicate existing programs. Applicants must provide a written report on the use and results of Foundation funds and publicly acknowledge its contribution. The Foundation will not fund individuals or more than one request or active grant from an organization or its affiliates at a time. Allowable overhead is 5% for school districts, 10% for universities, and 15% for nonprofit organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 20 S Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606
Phone: (312) 930-3292
Website: https://cmegroupfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who CME Group Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Scholarship America Inc ($600K). Together the top 10 received $2.2M.
Grant Size Distribution
682 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 415 grants of 682 (61%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 79% of grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois, 10% to Minnesota, 3% to Massachusetts, 2% to New York, and 1% to Texas.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 148 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is CME Group Foundation open to new grantees?
19%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 24 of 128 grantees (19%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $35K; repeat grants $57K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $50K repeat.
- 77% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+11%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 242% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $6.1M (2023) to $6.7M (2024). In 2024 it made 148 grants totaling $6.7M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Scholarship America Inc St Peter, MN | 2024 CME Group Foundation Scholarship Program | $600,000 |
| Youth Guidance Chicago, IL | Working on Womanhood (Wow) | $250,000 |
| City Colleges of Chicago Foundation Chicago, IL | The Chicago Roadmap | $200,000 |
| Sinai Health System Chicago, IL | Examining the Mental Health of Middle/High School | $200,000 |
| The Barack Obama Foundation Chicago, IL | Obama Foundation Chicago Programming | $200,000 |
| Carole Robertson Center for Learning Chicago, IL | Bases-K and Innovation Fund | $150,000 |
| Chicago Public Education Fund Chicago, IL | Chicago Leads | $150,000 |
| Children First Fund the Chicago Public Schools Foundation Chicago, IL | Robotics OST Connecting to Our Community | $125,000 |
| Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois Champaign, IL | Uiuc CS Teacher Endorsement Support | $100,000 |
| Build Incorporated Chicago, IL | Building Girls 2 Women (BG2W) | $100,000 |
Ready to take the next step with CME Group Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $63,836,901 | $11,247,059 | $7,186,869 | $6,739,500 | 148 | $7,060,050 | $3,134,676 | $2,918,579 |
| 2023 | $59,188,963 | $6,192,612 | $6,464,919 | $6,073,000 | 141 | $6,353,901 | $2,551,562 | $2,803,231 |
| 2022 | $58,491,809 | $4,473,114 | $6,449,625 | $6,088,500 | 124 | $6,375,175 | $1,003,332 | $2,691,574 |
| 2021 | $61,195,330 | $15,205,375 | $6,261,390 | $6,092,500 | 148 | $6,170,158 | $650,434 | $2,923,545 |
| 2020 | $51,604,575 | $14,463,268 | $6,291,077 | $6,103,250 | 121 | — | $2,044,908 | $2,275,768 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, CME Group Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2.9M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Foundation’s mission is to empower future generations through education and opportunities, equipping students to meet future challenges. Its stated priorities include early childhood education; K–12 access to computer science and financial education for low-income students; college and career support for students from low-income backgrounds; and trauma-responsive mental health support for girls and young women in school. Its education work includes kindergarten readiness, and it describes its approach as empowering innovative partners, fostering collaboration, and working toward systems change.
The Foundation makes grants to universities, school districts, charter networks, and nonprofit organizations working to improve education outcomes for low-income students. Examples among its grantees include Youth Guidance, whose stated work includes social and emotional development, community engagement, and positive youth development; the City Colleges of Chicago Foundation, which says it supports community college students in reaching academic and career goals; and the Carole Robertson Center for Learning, which says it provides child and family development programs.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the Foundation made 148 grants totaling $6,739,500. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $600,000, with a median of $25,000. Its largest grant was $600,000 to Scholarship America for the 2024 CME Group Foundation Scholarship Program. Other notable grants included $250,000 to Youth Guidance for Working on Womanhood (WOW), $200,000 to City Colleges of Chicago Foundation for The Chicago Roadmap, and $200,000 to Sinai Health System for examining the mental health of middle and high school students. It also awarded $200,000 to the Barack Obama Foundation for Chicago programming.
The Foundation generally supports specific projects with measurable results and rarely makes general operating, capital, or endowment grants. It uses large, multi-year commitments for organizations with successful track records in its priority areas, while allowing for smaller investments in new organizations and programs. Small grants outside its main program areas account for no more than 10% of annual giving.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Charles P. Carey as chairman, Terrence A. Duffy as vice-chairman, Howard J. Siegel as secretary/treasurer, and Eva Giglio as executive director. Daniel Glickman and Terry L. Savage are listed as trustees.
CME Group Foundation is led by Eva Giglio, Executive Director on every filing since 2021; none of the 6 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Eva Giglio
Executive Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Charles P. Carey
Chairman
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Daniel Glickman
Trustee
Vice Chairman → Trustee, 2021
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Terry L. Savage
Trustee
Vice Chairman → Trustee, 2021
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Howard J. Siegel
Secretary & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Terrence A. Duffy
Vice Chairman
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Kassie Davis (2020) — Executive 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 CME Group Foundation
How much does CME Group Foundation give each year?
CME Group Foundation gave $6.7M across 148 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $6.1M across 141 grants.
What is CME Group Foundation's typical grant size?
CME Group Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $25,000, and its average grant was $45,537, across 148 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from CME Group Foundation that year got $35K on average.
Where does CME Group Foundation give grants?
CME Group Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 79% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Minnesota (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (98 grants), Washington, DC (7 grants), New York, NY (5 grants) and Champaign, IL (4 grants).
Does CME Group Foundation give general operating support?
Occasionally: 9% of CME Group Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (14 of 148) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are CME Group Foundation's largest grantees?
CME Group Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Scholarship America Inc ($600,000), Sinai Health System ($270,000 across 2 grants) and Youth Guidance ($250,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 17% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is CME Group Foundation?
CME Group Foundation reported $63.8M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $7.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $2.9M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does CME Group Foundation fund?
The Foundation’s mission is to empower future generations through education and opportunities, equipping students to meet future challenges. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from CME Group Foundation?
The Foundation does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is CME Group Foundation's EIN?
CME Group Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 45-0575574. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does CME Group Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS September 27, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 13, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 13, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in CME Group Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). CME Group Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/cme-group-foundation-morg_8683fe3bcc974285b0be6ba1c9fdba12
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_450575574_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{CME Group Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/cme-group-foundation-morg_8683fe3bcc974285b0be6ba1c9fdba12},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 CME Group 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.
CME Group Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?