Crown Family Foundation
Crown Family Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity based in Chicago, Illinois, established in March 1985. The organization functions as a grantmaking foundation that supports and carries out the exempt purposes of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago and the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago. It is a subordinate organization under the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago.
Key facts about Crown Family Foundation
- EIN
- 36-3330462
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024
- Annual giving (2024)
- $28,768,600
- Grants made (2024)
- 25
- Average grant
- $1,150,744
- Median grant
- $125,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 16% first-time grantees (4 of 25, 2024)
- Total assets
- $460,469,524
- Primary geography
- Illinois (64% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
Who Crown Family Foundation funds
By grant dollars, the top recipient states for Crown Family Foundation's 25 itemized 2024 grants were Illinois (64%) and New York (30%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (8 grants), Chicago, IL (6 grants), Skokie, IL (3 grants) and Northbrook, IL (2 grants). 32% of grants with a stated purpose were for general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Tuition Assistance" (8 grants).
Is Crown Family Foundation open to new grantees?
16%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 4 of 25 grantees (16%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $513K; repeat grants $1.3M. How we count
Medians: $200K first-time, $125K repeat.
Estimate from itemized IRS Form 990-PF grant lists (2019–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Next steps with Crown Family Foundation
- How to evaluate Crown Family Foundation as a funder
Our grant prospecting guide: read the 990-PF, check fit, and decide whether to apply.
- Draft an LOI to Crown Family Foundation with AI
AI grant writing that drafts from your organization’s own materials, in your voice.
- Track this opportunity in a free grant tracker
A free Google Sheets or Excel template for deadlines, award terms, and reports due.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$460.5M
+5.7% YoY
Annual Giving
$28.8M
-37.8% YoY
Grant Count
25
-28.6% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$1.2M
-12.9% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
Mission: To support and carry out the exempt purposes of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago and the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago by providing grants to charitable, religious, educational, and scientific organizations that meet specific criteria established by the Foundation and its affiliated Jewish organizations.
Primary Funding Areas:
- Education
- Environment
- Global Health
- Gun Violence Prevention
- Health & Human Services
- Jewish Community and Israel
The Foundation also makes significant investments in racial justice and economic empowerment, arts and culture, civic affairs, and humanitarian aid.
Lead Pursuits: The Foundation has designated nine pressing issues as Lead Pursuits where it is devoted to deepening strategy and partnering with change-makers:
- Developing a national model for equitable education by closing systemic opportunity gaps from Pre-K to college in Chicago
- Protecting and restoring the Great Lakes for generations to come
- Ensuring the Midwest plays a leading role in reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions
- Leveraging community-based solutions to advance universal healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa
- Developing a holistic community-based approach to reducing gun violence in Chicago
- Ending homelessness in Chicago
- Building capacity in the domestic violence sector
Grantmaking
Ready to take the next step with Crown Family Foundation?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Foundation's grantmaking focuses primarily on Illinois, New York, and Wisconsin.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of all 25 itemized 2024 grant dollars.
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of 2024:
- Total Assets: $460,469,524
- Total Revenues: $63,438,067
- Total Expenses: $28,886,086
- Total Giving: $28,794,500
As of 2023:
- Total Assets: $436,000,000
- Total Revenues: $26,400,000
- Total Expenses: $46,300,000
- Total Liabilities: $40,300,000
As of 2022:
- Total Assets: $376,000,000
- Total Revenues: $36,800,000
The Foundation has experienced exceptional growth, with revenue increasing by an average of 22.1% annually over a seven-year period.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $460,469,524 | $435,506,937 | $376,023,145 |
| Revenue | $63,438,067 | $26,413,339 | $36,808,543 |
| Expenses | $28,886,086 | $46,331,271 | $35,376,798 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $60,623,197 | $21,356,171 | $16,778,033 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
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
158 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest recipients include Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago ($15,003,000), Covenant Foundation ($6,382,000), Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago ($1,982,500).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| JEWISH UNITED FUND OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO Chicago, IL | HEBREW LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION, GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT, TTHS: EXTRA TEACHING/MENTORING HOURS, HIGH-TECH ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND FOR HASSOUB GARAGE CAPITAL PROJECT, DIVERSITY IN HIGH-TECH IN ACRE AND HURA, INTERNSHIP PROGRAM / NEGEV AND EAST JERUSALEM, ENTER HIGH-TECH AND EXCEL IN HIGH-TECH, HAILE SCALE PROJECT AT REICHMAN UNIVERSITY, INTERNSHIP PROGRAM FOR HIGH-TECH JUNIORS, BEDOUIN WOMEN AND DRUZE MEN HIGH-TECH, ISRAEL AT WAR EMERGENCY FUND | $15,003,000 |
| COVENANT FOUNDATION New York, NY | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT | $6,382,000 |
| JEWISH FEDERATION OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO Chicago, IL | EZRA, HOLOCAUST COMMUNITY SERVICES, ISRAEL EDUCATION CENTER, NEW DIRECTIONS FUND, REBECCA COPELAND FUND FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE | $1,982,500 |
| BIRTHRIGHT ISRAEL FOUNDATION New York, NY | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT AND TOUR EDUCATOR TRAINING & ONWARD ISRAEL | $1,550,000 |
| UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Los Angeles, CA | SHOAH FOUNDATION VISUAL ARCHIVE | $1,000,000 |
| SOLOMON SCHECHTER DAY SCHOOL OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO Northbrook, IL | TUITION ASSISTANCE | $343,750 |
| HEBREW UNION COLLEGE Cincinnati, OH | RABBINICAL SCHOLARSHIPS | $300,000 |
| UNION FOR REFORM JUDAISM Oconomowoc, WI | OSRUI - CAPITAL CAMPAIGN | $300,000 |
| JEWISH FEDERATIONS OF NORTH AMERICA New York, NY | COMMUNITY RELATIONS | $250,000 |
| YESHIVAT MAHARAT Bronx, NY | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT | $240,000 |
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Principal Officer: David Sherman
Founder: Lester Crown, whose father Henry Crown was a majority stakeholder in General Dynamics. Lester Crown has been a member of the Forbes 400 since 1982 and controls holdings in companies including Maytag, Hilton Hotels, Alltell, Aspen Skiing Company, and the Chicago Bulls.
Compensation Overview
No officer or director reported compensation in the available filings.
From 2024 IRS filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr Steven B Nasatir | Vice President | 0.3 | — |
| David Sherman | President | 0.3 | — |
| Lester Crown | Vice President | 0.3 | — |
| Sara Crown Star | Vice President & Secretary | 0.3 | — |
| David T Brown | Vice President | 0.3 | — |
| Andrew Hochberg | Vice President | 0.3 | — |
| A Steven Crown | Vice President & Asst. Secretary | 0.3 | — |
| Michael Zaransky | Vice President | 0.3 | — |
| Jordan T Goodman | Treasurer | 0.3 | — |
| Boaz Blumovitz | Asst. Treasurer & Asst. Secretary | 0.3 | — |
| James a Pinkston | Asst. Treasurer & Asst. Secretary | 0.3 | — |
| Sarah Marcus | Assistant Treasurer | 0.3 | — |
Contact Information
Address: 30 South Wells Street, Suite 4049, Chicago, IL 60606-5054
Telephone: 312-357-4790
EIN: 36-3330462
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Crown Family Foundation fund?
**Mission:** To support and carry out the exempt purposes of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago and the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago by providing grants to charitable, religious, educational, and scientific organizations that meet specific criteria established by the Foundation and its affiliated Jewish organizations. **Primary Funding Areas:** • Education • Environment • Global Health • Gun Violence Prevention • Health & Human Services • Jewish Community and Israel The…
How do I apply for a grant from Crown Family Foundation?
**Grant Amounts:** Typical awards range from $10,000 to $16,890,000. **Grant Activity:** The Foundation makes grants to organizations exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. All organizations receiving grants must meet the criteria established by the Foundation, the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago, and the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago. **Recent Grants:** • $100,000 to IRIS • $680,000 to JCC Association of North America's Sheva Center for Innovation i…
Where does Crown Family Foundation make grants?
The Foundation's grantmaking focuses primarily on Illinois, New York, and Wisconsin.
What size grants does Crown Family Foundation award?
In 2024, Crown Family Foundation awarded 25 grants totaling $28.8M — an average of about $1.2M per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
What is Crown Family Foundation's EIN?
Crown Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-3330462. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2024.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Crown Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
Similar Funders
Funders that support many of the same organizations
Jewish United Fund
Chicago, IL
Assets
$249.9M
Grants
62
Total Given
$106.6M
Sklare Family Foundation
Skokie, IL
Assets
—
Grants
28
Total Given
$408K
Hochberg Family Foundation
Skokie, IL
Assets
—
Grants
99
Total Given
$914K
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Chicago, IL
Assets
$1.1B
Grants
839
Total Given
$176.8M
Jarvis Foundation
Northbrook, IL
Assets
$6.8M
Grants
89
Total Given
$2.2M
Maury and Nancy Fertig Family Foundation
Deerfield, IL
Assets
—
Grants
58
Total Given
$300K
Charles and M R Shapiro Foundation Inc
Northbrook, IL
Assets
—
Grants
99
Total Given
$2.4M
Walder Foundation
Wilmington, DE
Assets
$154.6M
Grants
200
Total Given
$24.4M
Arie and Ida Crown Memorial
Chicago, IL
Assets
—
Grants
897
Total Given
$115.2M
Seed the Dream Foundation
Gladwyne, PA
Assets
$16.3M
Grants
152
Total Given
$10.2M
Greater Miami Jewish Federation Inc
Miami, FL
Assets
$487.2M
Grants
392
Total Given
$70.6M
Circle of Service Foundation
Chicago, IL
Assets
—
Grants
637
Total Given
$37.0M
More Funders in Illinois
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.