Crown Family Foundation
Crown Family Foundation is a public charity based in Chicago, Illinois. It makes grants to support the charitable, educational, scientific, and religious purposes of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago and the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago.
Crown Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Crown Family Foundation gave $29.5M across 24 grants in 2025 (avg $1.2M), mostly in Illinois. 18% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $29,503,240
- +2.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 24
- -4.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $1,229,302
- +6.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $217,188
- Total assets
- $530,797,145
- +15.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 18% first-time grantees (3 of 17, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (70% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Crown Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- Invitation Only
-
The process is invitation-only; the foundation does not accept unsolicited requests, letters of inquiry, or proposals.
- Contact
Mailing address: 30 South Wells Street 4049, Chicago, IL 60606
Phone: (312) 357-4790
Website: https://crownfamilyphilanthropies.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Crown Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago ($15.1M). Together the top 10 received $25.0M.
Organizations only. It also paid 8 individual scholarships ($4,189,740), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
144 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $100–250K range: 53 grants of 144 (37%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Crown Family Philanthropies says it works with communities across the country and around the world, with a deep focus on Chicago. It identifies Israel as the primary focus of its international giving and sub-Saharan Africa as a focus for community health initiatives.
In 2025, 70% of reported grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois and 28% to recipients in New York; 1% went to California, with amounts rounded to 0% for Colorado and Washington, DC.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 24 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Crown Family Foundation open to new grantees?
18%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 3 of 17 grantees (18%) were first-time recipients. With only 17 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $108K; repeat grants $2.1M. How we count
Medians: $100K first-time, $269K repeat.
- 65% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−16%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 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 $19.4M (2021) to $46.2M (2023). In 2025 it made 24 grants totaling $29.5M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago Chicago, IL | General Operating Support, High-Tech Field Surveying & Tools, Bridge-Tech Program, Emergency support for lost USAID funding, Arab centers of Excellence, Arab High-Tech programs, Nujum AI project, Physician fellowships, For Habayta and the Open Valley Tech Hub, Diversity in High-Tech in Acre and Hura, Summer Camps in the Former Soviet Union, Admas Higher Education Program, Resala Tech, IRIS Project, Arab excellence programs, Arab STEM education programs, Center in Baqa al-Gharibyye, Haile Scale project at Reichman University, Full Stack and DevNet Courses | $15,098,500 |
| Covenant Foundation New York, NY | General Operating Support | $6,395,000 |
| Jewish Federations of North America New York, NY | Community Relations | $1,450,000 |
| 8 individual scholarships Recipients not named | — | $4,189,740 |
| The ARK Chicago, IL | General Operating Support | $825,000 |
| Beit Tshuvah Los Angeles, CA | Clergy Training Program | $375,000 |
| Maot Chitim Northbrook, IL | General Operating Support | $300,000 |
| Friends of ELNET New York, NY | General Operating Support | $237,500 |
| Institute for Jewish Enrichment Chicago, IL | General Operating Support | $125,000 |
| Aspen Jewish Center Aspen, CO | Aspen Jewish Ideas Festival | $100,000 |
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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 | $530,797,145 | $80,975,305 | $29,620,396 | $29,503,240 | 24 | $79,853,474 |
| 2024 | $460,469,524 | $63,438,067 | $28,886,086 | $28,768,600 | 25 | $60,623,197 |
| 2023 | $435,506,937 | $26,413,339 | $46,331,271 | $46,218,600 | 35 | $21,356,171 |
| 2022 | $376,023,145 | $36,808,543 | $35,376,798 | $35,264,000 | 29 | $16,778,033 |
| 2021 | $468,729,562 | $19,005,366 | $19,483,458 | $19,392,500 | 31 | $17,988,786 |
| 2020 | $385,687,959 | $10,125,325 | $40,439,628 | $40,342,500 | 38 | $7,716,806 |
| 2019 | $368,764,094 | $24,362,336 | $23,342,481 | $23,266,565 | 42 | $15,661,067 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated mission is 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, educational, and scientific organizations. Its filing also describes the foundation as a supporting organization of those two organizations, making grants to charitable organizations that carry out their purposes.
Crown Family Philanthropies identifies education, the environment, health and human services, global health, gun violence prevention, and the Jewish Community and Israel as its foundational areas of work. Its stated Lead Pursuits include equitable education in Chicago; Great Lakes climate resilience; community-based healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa; reducing gun violence in Chicago; ending homelessness in Chicago; building capacity in the domestic violence sector; and strengthening Jewish identity and community connectivity and equity and diversity in Israel’s high-tech sector.
The 2025 grants include support for Jewish community organizations and schools, social services, and Israel-related work. For example, the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago describes its mission as providing food, refuge, health care, education, and emergency assistance, while The ARK says it helps Chicagoland Jews facing adversity navigate toward self-reliance. An individual recipient Day School describes its work as providing Jewish and general studies and fostering Jewish identity.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 24 grants totaling $29,503,240. Individual grants ranged from $7,500 to $15,098,500, with a median of $217,188.
The largest reported grants included $15,098,500 to Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago for general operating support and a range of listed initiatives; $6,395,000 to Covenant Foundation for general operating support; and $1,450,000 to Jewish Federations of North America for community relations. Other grants included $952,514 to an individual recipient North Suburban Day School, $908,336 to an individual recipient Day School of Metropolitan Chicago, and $867,315 to an individual recipient Day School, each for tuition assistance and Tuition Accessibility Partnership Funds for the 2024–2025 school year. The ARK received $825,000 for general operating support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The foundation’s 2025 filing lists David Sherman as president. Listed vice presidents include A. Steven Crown, Andrew Hochberg, David T. Brown, Lester Crown, and Michael Zaransky. Sara Crown Star is listed as vice president and secretary, Jordan T. Goodman as treasurer, Boaz Blumovitz as assistant treasurer and assistant secretary, and Lonnie Nasatir as a director.
Crown Family Foundation is led by David Sherman, President since 2023 (on filings since 2019); none of the 13 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
David Sherman
President
Vice President → President, 2023
On filings since 2019
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lonnie Nasatir
Director
New on the 2025 filing
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
A. Steven Crown
Vice President & Assistant Secretary
On filings since 2019
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Andrew Hochberg
Vice President
On filings since 2019
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Boaz Blumovitz
Assistant Treasurer & Assistant Secretary
On filings since 2019
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
David T. Brown
Vice President
On filings since 2019
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
James A. Pinkston
Assistant Treasurer & Assistant Secretary
On filings since 2019
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lester Crown
Vice President
On filings since 2019
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sara Crown Star
Vice President & Secretary
On filings since 2019
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Steven B. Nasatir
Vice President-Emeritus Director
Vice President → Vice President-Emeritus Director, 2025
On filings since 2019
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sarah Marcus
Assistant Treasurer
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jordan T. Goodman
Treasurer
On filings since 2022
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael Zaransky
Vice President
On filings since 2023
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: Newton N Minow (2019–2023) — President
- Former: Charles H Goodman (2019–2022) — Treasurer
- Former: Michael Tarnoff (2019–2020) — Former Assistant Treasurer & Assistant Secretary
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 Crown Family Foundation
How much does Crown Family Foundation give each year?
Crown Family Foundation gave $29.5M across 24 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $28.8M across 25 grants.
What is Crown Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Crown Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $217,188, and its average grant was $1,229,302, across 24 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Crown Family Foundation that year got $108K on average.
Where does Crown Family Foundation give grants?
Crown Family Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 70% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest state was New York (28%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (6 grants), Chicago, IL (4 grants) and Northbrook, IL (2 grants).
Does Crown Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 33% of Crown Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (8 of 24) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990. Recurring purposes include "Tuition Assistance" (3 grants).
Who are Crown Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Crown Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago ($15,098,500), Covenant Foundation ($6,395,000) and Jewish Federations of North America ($1,450,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. It also paid 8 individual scholarships ($4,189,740), which are not listed by name. Together they received 78% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Crown Family Foundation?
Crown Family Foundation reported $530.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $81.0M.
What does Crown Family Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is 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, educational, and scientific organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Crown Family Foundation?
The process is invitation-only; the foundation does not accept unsolicited requests, letters of inquiry, or proposals. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
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 2019–2025.
Does Crown Family 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 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 14, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 5, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 11, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 8, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 13, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 15, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 28, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Live grants for the work Crown Family Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Crown Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Crown Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/crown-family-foundation-morg_bee725c5ff64437cb7f2de08300ec1b0
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_363330462_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Crown Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/crown-family-foundation-morg_bee725c5ff64437cb7f2de08300ec1b0},
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 Crown Family 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.
Crown Family Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?