Community Foundation of Grundy County
The Community Foundation of Grundy County is a public charity based in Morris, Illinois, formed in 1999. It supports community needs through grantmaking and by partnering with donors and local not-for-profit organizations. Its stated mission encompasses Grundy County and the surrounding area.
Community Foundation of Grundy County at a glance
In short: Community Foundation of Grundy County gave $1.8M across 35 grants in 2025 (avg $51K), mostly in Illinois. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,789,338
- +140.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 35
- +12.9% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $51,124
- +113.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,200
- Total assets
- $23,193,304
- +5.2% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Illinois (88% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.
How to apply to Community Foundation of Grundy County
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- Yes
- How to Apply
-
The foundation accepts unsolicited requests. Nonprofits may submit an application at any time of year; the grants program operates on a January–December fiscal year and is active until that year’s funds are spent. The nonprofit application page says applications are due by the third Monday of the month for Grants Committee review on the first Thursday, with grants over $1,000 going to the full Board on the third Thursday. Another grant-application page says packets are due one week before committee review on the first Wednesday of the month.
- Review Cycle
- Applications are accepted year-round while that year’s grant funds remain available; monthly application and review dates are described above.
- Deadline
- Applications are accepted year-round while that year’s grant funds remain available; monthly application and review…
- Contact
Mailing address: 520 W Illinois Ave, Morris, IL 60450
Phone: (815) 941-0852
Website: https://cfgrundycounty.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Community Foundation of Grundy County funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Morris Hospital Auxiliary & Foundation ($641K). Together the top 10 received $1.5M.
Grant Size Distribution
127 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 112 grants of 127 (88%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s mission refers to Grundy County and the surrounding area. Its nonprofit grant program is for organizations serving or seeking to serve Grundy County. In 2025, 88% of grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois; reported out-of-state shares included Oregon (11%), Indiana (1%), and Tennessee (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 35 itemized grants.
Cities
How Community Foundation of Grundy County gives
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (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 $71K (2019) to $1.8M (2025). In 2025 it made 35 grants totaling $1.8M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Morris Hospital Auxiliary & Foundation Morris, IL | General Well Being of the Local Community | $641,071 |
| Grundy Eunoia Wellness Center Mazon, IL | General Well Being of the Local Community | $269,945 |
| Children's Cancer Therapy Development Institute Beaverton, OR | General Well Being of the Local Community | $202,030 |
| Morris Area Public Library Morris, IL | General Well Being of the Local Community | $116,151 |
| City of Morris Morris, IL | General Well Being of the Local Community | $110,500 |
| Morris Hospital YMCA Morris, IL | General Well Being of the Local Community | $77,625 |
| Village of Minooka Minooka, IL | General Well Being of the Local Community | $43,000 |
| Immaculate Conception Parish Morris, IL | General Well Being of the Local Community | $35,000 |
| Minooka CHSD 111 Minooka, IL | General Well Being of the Local Community | $28,000 |
| Mental Health Matters Fund Shorewood, IL | General Well Being of the Local Community | $22,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $23,193,304 | $1,407,591 | $2,540,285 | $1,789,338 | 35 | $612,119 |
| 2024 | $22,042,937 | $5,417,133 | $1,584,753 | $743,758 | 31 | $491,513 |
| 2023 | $16,449,586 | $1,332,882 | $1,372,849 | $754,410 | 22 | $430,666 |
| 2022 | $15,145,745 | $4,007,746 | $971,383 | $419,707 | 17 | $470,916 |
| 2021 | $14,205,286 | $608,278 | $771,733 | $286,630 | 22 | $453,755 |
| 2020 | $13,297,222 | $542,556 | $767,974 | $99,660 | 12 | $256,467 |
| 2019 | $12,680,210 | $3,452,441 | $637,500 | $70,660 | 6 | $321,229 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s mission is to provide vision for Grundy County and the surrounding area to preserve and enhance quality of life. It says it does this by identifying community needs and opportunities, using grantmaking to respond, strengthening local nonprofits, and managing donor funds to support the community over time.
Its filing describes grants and programs for community recreation, cultural and social programs for other nonprofits, as well as scholarships. The foundation’s Community Works Endowment is intended to support future projects affecting early childhood care and education, workforce development, and land use and protection in Grundy County. Its website says unrestricted grants are generally not awarded to individuals, for scholarships, to religious denominations, to disease-specific organizations, for operational budgets, or for extracurricular trips or travel.
Among 2025 grantees, Grundy Area PADS describes its mission as providing shelter for people experiencing homelessness in Grundy County. Illinois Valley Industries says it helps people participate in their community, live independently, contribute to society, and enhance their quality of life. These are grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 35 grants totaling $1,789,338. Grant amounts ranged from $5,500 to $641,071, with a median of $10,200.
The largest reported awards included $641,071 to Morris Hospital Auxiliary & Foundation, $269,945 to Grundy Eunoia Wellness Center, $202,030 to Children’s Cancer Therapy Development Institute, $116,151 to Morris Area Public Library, and $110,500 to the City of Morris. Each was listed with the purpose “general well being of the local community.” Other reported recipients included Morris Hospital YMCA ($77,625), Village of Minooka ($43,000), and Minooka CHSD 111 ($28,000).
The foundation says nonprofits serving, or wanting to serve, Grundy County may apply at any time of year. It also describes donor funds with separate purposes, including the MVK Community Fund. For unrestricted grants, awards over $1,000 require approval by the full Board of Trustees. The foundation’s application materials include an online application and a downloadable paper application.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Benjamin Sisk, Chris Harty, John Callahan, Jeff Hanley, Melanie Elias, Sarah Hintz, Patrick Halloran, and Shawn Hornsby as trustees; Craig Williamson as secretary/treasurer; and Robert Marsaglia as vice president.
Community Foundation of Grundy County is led by Julianne Buck, Executive Director on every filing since 2019; 1 of 12 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Julianne Buck
Executive Director
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$92K (2019) → $124K (2025)
Stephen Kezerle
President
Trustee → Vice President, 2021
Vice President → President, 2022
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Benjamin Sisk
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Patrick Halloran
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Chris Harty
Trustee
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jeff Hanley
Trustee
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Melanie Elias
Trustee
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John Callahan
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sarah Hintz
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Shawn Hornsby
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Robert Marsaglia
Vice President
Trustee → Vice President, 2024
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Craig Williamson
Secretary & Treasurer
Trustee → Secretary & Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (15)
- Former: Cathy Macchietto (2019–2024) — Secretary & Treasurer
- Former: Michael Mattingly (2019–2024) — Trustee
- Former: Ryan Hansen (2019–2024) — Trustee
- Former: Cindy Christensen (2019–2023) — Vice President
- Former: Nancy Bjelland (2019–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Larry Johnson (2022–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Ben Johnston (2019–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Kevin Callahan (2019–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Charles Gibbs (2019–2020) — Trustee
- Former: Jay Fillman (2019–2020) — President
- Former: Jim King (2019–2020) — Trustee
- Former: Michael Farrell (2019–2020) — Trustee
- Former: Pat Neff (2019–2020) — Trustee
- Former: Richard Sefton (2019–2020) — Trustee
- Former: Ruth Cheshareck (2019–2020) — Trustee
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 $124K, to Julianne Buck (Executive DIR.).
Frequently asked questions about Community Foundation of Grundy County
How much does Community Foundation of Grundy County give each year?
Community Foundation of Grundy County gave $1.8M across 35 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $744K across 31 grants.
What is Community Foundation of Grundy County's typical grant size?
Community Foundation of Grundy County's median grant in 2025 was $10,200, and its average grant was $51,124, across 35 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does Community Foundation of Grundy County give grants?
Community Foundation of Grundy County gives mostly in Illinois: 88% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest state was Oregon (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were Morris, IL (17 grants), Minooka, IL (3 grants) and Seneca, IL (3 grants).
Does Community Foundation of Grundy County give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Community Foundation of Grundy County's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (35 of 35) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Who are Community Foundation of Grundy County's largest grantees?
Community Foundation of Grundy County's largest 2025 grantees include Morris Hospital Auxiliary & Foundation ($641,071), Grundy Eunoia Wellness Center ($269,945) and Children's Cancer Therapy Development Institute ($202,030), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 62% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Community Foundation of Grundy County?
Community Foundation of Grundy County reported $23.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $1.4M.
What does Community Foundation of Grundy County fund?
The foundation’s mission is to provide vision for Grundy County and the surrounding area to preserve and enhance quality of life. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Community Foundation of Grundy County?
The foundation accepts unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Community Foundation of Grundy County's EIN?
Community Foundation of Grundy County's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-4299824. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Community Foundation of Grundy County accept unsolicited proposals?
Yes, 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 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 2025 (received by the IRS May 21, 2026)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 7, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 2, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 18, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 23, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 17, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 13, 2020)
Live grants for the work Community Foundation of Grundy County funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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Browse active grant opportunities in Community Foundation of Grundy County's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Community Foundation of Grundy County funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/community-foundation-of-grundy-county-morg_dad5a8ca2c454730964ac77594ac1411
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_364299824_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Community Foundation of Grundy County funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/community-foundation-of-grundy-county-morg_dad5a8ca2c454730964ac77594ac1411},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 Community Foundation of Grundy County'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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