Conduit Foundation
Conduit Foundation is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. Its 2024 filing reports 21 grants totaling $27,543,680, with listed recipients including charitable, educational, and community organizations.
Conduit Foundation at a glance
In short: Conduit Foundation gave $27.5M across 21 grants in 2024 (avg $1.3M), mostly in Georgia. 24% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $27,543,680
- +5.7% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 21
- +31.3% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $1,311,604
- -19.5% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $200,000
- Total assets
- $38,104
- -92.5% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 24% first-time grantees (5 of 21, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Georgia (58% 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 Conduit Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 111 East Wacker Drive 2600, Chicago, IL 60601-4208
Phone: (312) 527-4000
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Conduit Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Worldwide Friends Foundation ($15.9M). Together the top 10 received $26.0M.
Grant Size Distribution
91 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $100–250K range: 35 grants of 91 (38%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, grant dollars by recipient state were reported as: Georgia, 58%; New York, 31%; California, 6%; U.S. Virgin Islands, 2%; and Connecticut, 2%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 21 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Conduit Foundation open to new grantees?
24%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 5 of 21 grantees (24%) were first-time recipients. With only 21 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $3.4M; repeat grants $668K. How we count
Medians: $200K first-time, $208K repeat.
- 52% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 284% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out well above 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 $3.4M (2020) to $27.5M (2024). In 2024 it made 21 grants totaling $27.5M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Worldwide Friends Foundation Jonesboro, GA | General Purposes | $15,935,000 |
| PEF Israel Endowment Funds New York, NY | General Purposes | $3,358,500 |
| The Central Fund of Israel Cedarhurst, NY | General Purposes | $2,023,000 |
| GV BK FD - Giving Group Community Los Angeles, CA | General Purposes | $1,600,000 |
| The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee New York, NY | General Purposes | $1,000,000 |
| American Friends of Peace of Mind New York, NY | General Purposes | $800,000 |
| Cteen Upper West Side Inc New York, NY | General Purposes | $500,000 |
| Chabad Lubavitch of the Usvi St Thomas, VI | General Purposes | $360,180 |
| UJA Federation Greenwich Greenwich, CT | General Purposes | $250,000 |
| Eilat Charities Inc Brooklyn, NY | General Purposes | $216,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Conduit 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 | $38,104 | $27,142,847 | $27,610,744 | $27,543,680 | 21 | $27,589,080 | $9,767 | $7,187 |
| 2023 | $506,000 | $23,304,184 | $26,092,523 | $26,059,523 | 16 | $26,092,523 | $1,674,184 | $3,437 |
| 2022 | $3,294,339 | $8,688,779 | $8,759,600 | $8,718,000 | 17 | $8,759,600 | $17,279 | $2,499 |
| 2021 | $3,365,161 | $7,119,515 | $7,200,110 | $7,171,000 | 22 | $7,200,110 | $64,415 | $2,768 |
| 2020 | $3,445,756 | $3,475,343 | $3,451,548 | $3,406,000 | 15 | — | $19,397 | $6,656 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Conduit Foundation reported a distributable amount of $7K 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
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants include support for organizations whose stated missions encompass services and institutions in Israel, Jewish education, and support for Israeli armed forces veterans. These are grantees’ missions, not a stated mission of the foundation.
For example, PEF Israel Endowment Funds says its purposes include relief and physical well-being for people in Israel, support for hospitals and clinics, and support for educational and religious institutions in the Holy Land. Westchester Hebrew High School describes itself as an Orthodox coeducational Jewish high school. Friends of Emek Lone Soldiers says it provides support for IDF members without a formal family structure in Israel, while Friends of Duvdevan says it supports veterans of an Israeli armed forces special forces unit through medical care, leadership training, and educational assistance.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 21 grants totaling $27,543,680. Grant amounts ranged from $46,000 to $15,935,000, with a median of $200,000. In 2023, it reported 16 grants totaling $26,059,523. Its 2024 filing, the latest on this page, reports 21 grants totaling $27.5 million.
The largest 2024 grants included $15,935,000 to Worldwide Friends Foundation, $3,358,500 to PEF Israel Endowment Funds, $2,023,000 to The Central Fund of Israel, and $1,600,000 to GV BK FD - Giving Group Community. Each was listed for general purposes. Other notable grants included $1,000,000 to The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and $800,000 to American Friends of Peace of Mind, also for general purposes.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Jared L. Dodd as vice president, secretary, and treasurer; David A. Messer as president; and David B. Brainson as executive director.
Conduit Foundation is led by David A. Messer, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
David A. Messer
President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
David B. Brainson
Executive Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jared L. Dodd
V.p, Secretary & Treasurer
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: William M. Doyle Jr. (2020–2023) — V.p, Secretary & Treasurer
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 Conduit Foundation
How much does Conduit Foundation give each year?
Conduit Foundation gave $27.5M across 21 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $26.1M across 16 grants.
What is Conduit Foundation's typical grant size?
Conduit Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $200,000, and its average grant was $1,311,604, across 21 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Conduit Foundation that year got $3.4M on average.
Where does Conduit Foundation give grants?
Conduit Foundation gives mostly in Georgia: 58% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (31%) and California (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (6 grants), St Thomas, VI (2 grants), Greenwich, CT (2 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Does Conduit Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Conduit Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (21 of 21) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Conduit Foundation's largest grantees?
Conduit Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Worldwide Friends Foundation ($15,935,000), PEF Israel Endowment Funds ($3,358,500) and The Central Fund of Israel ($2,023,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 77% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Conduit Foundation?
Conduit Foundation reported $38K in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $27.6M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $7K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Conduit Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants include support for organizations whose stated missions encompass services and institutions in Israel, Jewish education, and support for Israeli armed forces veterans. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Conduit Foundation?
The foundation states that it 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 Conduit Foundation's EIN?
Conduit Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 04-3684566. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Conduit 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS July 16, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2023
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Conduit Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Conduit Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/conduit-foundation-morg_83da6a8b6d7341699b351dc3c07e406d
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_043684566_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Conduit Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/conduit-foundation-morg_83da6a8b6d7341699b351dc3c07e406d},
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 Conduit 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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