Essendant Charitable Foundation
Essendant Charitable Foundation is a private foundation based in Deerfield, Illinois. Its giving supports charitable organizations, with 126 grants totaling $223,056 reported for 2024.
Essendant Charitable Foundation at a glance
In short: Essendant Charitable Foundation gave $223K across 126 grants in 2024 (avg $2K), top state California. 29% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $223,056
- +26.5% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 126
- -1.6% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $1,770
- +28.5% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $500
- Total assets
- $2,529,118
- +56.0% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 29% first-time grantees (36 of 125, 2024)
- Primary geography
- California (35% 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 Essendant Charitable Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Contact Molly Whatley. No specific form is required, and the filing reports no restrictions on awards.
- Contact
Application contact: Molly Whatley
Mailing address: One Parkway North Blvd Suite 100, Deerfield, IL 60015
Phone: (847) 627-7000
Website: https://info.essendant.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Essendant Charitable Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was City of Hope ($63K). Together the top 10 received $153K.
Grant Size Distribution
733 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 730 grants of 733 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s Day of Giving describes support for local communities across the nation. In 2024, the largest shares of grant dollars by recipient state went to California (35%), Illinois (30%), Tennessee (8%), Pennsylvania (7%), and Georgia (4%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 126 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Essendant Charitable Foundation open to new grantees?
29%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 36 of 125 grantees (29%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $722; repeat grants $2K. How we count
Medians: $500 first-time, $500 repeat.
- 48% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−15%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 645% 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 $176K (2023) to $263K (2021). In 2024 it made 126 grants totaling $223K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| City of Hope Duarte, CA | General Fund | $63,035 |
| American Red Cross - Chicago Chicago, IL | General Fund | $22,795 |
| The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee Inc Nashville, TN | General Fund | $15,000 |
| World Vision International Sewickley, PA | General Fund | $14,250 |
| The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Inc Chicago, IL | General Fund | $10,000 |
| Issa Charities Rosemont, IL | General Fund | $10,000 |
| Make a Wish Foundation of Sac & N CA Sacramento, CA | General Fund | $7,500 |
| Smithsonian Institution Total Boston, MA | General Fund | $4,300 |
| Susan G Komen Foundation Inc Dallas, TX | General Fund | $2,900 |
| The Josselyn Center Northfield, IL | General Fund | $2,500 |
Ready to take the next step with Essendant Charitable Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,529,118 | $1,157,798 | $518,771 | $223,056 | 126 | $470,700 | $72,995 |
| 2023 | $1,621,495 | $188,867 | $541,039 | $176,380 | 128 | $491,648 | $75,727 |
| 2022 | $1,717,155 | $206,848 | $463,046 | $202,778 | 116 | $397,520 | $78,012 |
| 2021 | $1,736,212 | $1,024,072 | $487,881 | $262,757 | 125 | $431,691 | $46,890 |
| 2020 | $1,019,856 | $229,296 | $535,201 | $253,195 | 238 | — | $45,710 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Essendant Charitable Foundation reported a distributable amount of $73K 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 Day of Giving mission is to bring Essendant together to support charitable efforts in local communities and help people in need. The website also describes a 2018 Day of Giving focused on advancing literacy; it is an example of a past initiative, not a statement that all foundation grants are limited to literacy or hunger.
Grantees’ stated missions illustrate some of the work supported. City of Hope says its mission is to make hope a reality for people touched by cancer and diabetes. ISSA Charities says it supports programs connected to clean cleaning and a healthy living environment. The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee describes its work as bringing together donors, nonprofit partners, and community members to address needs in Nashville and Middle Tennessee.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation awarded 126 grants totaling $223,056. Grants ranged from $100 to $63,035, with a median grant of $500. Among the largest awards were $63,035 to City of Hope, $22,795 to American Red Cross–Chicago, $15,000 to The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, $14,250 to World Vision International, and $10,000 each to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and ISSA Charities.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Marcela Sztainberg as president, Molly Whatley as program director and liaison, and Steven Chiappetta as treasurer.
Essendant Charitable Foundation is led by Marcela Sztainberg, President since 2023 (on filings since 2020); none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Marcela Sztainberg
President
Trustee → President, 2023
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Molly Whatley
Program Director & Liaison
On filings since 2021
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Steven Chiappetta
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (13)
- Former: Jeff Lancaster (2020–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Allison Wadhams (2021–2022) — President
- Former: Amy Moser (2020) — Trustee
- Former: Brendan Zingsheim (2020) — President
- Former: Chris Bovett (2020) — Trustee
- Former: Craig Cizek (2020) — Trustee
- Former: Eliott Motta (2020) — Trustee
- Former: George Killian Jr. (2020) — Trustee
- Former: Helen Lennertz (2020) — Trustee
- Former: Lynn Godbout (2020) — Trustee
- Former: Maren Okrzynski (2020) — Secretary
- Former: Maria Debellis (2020) — Trustee
- Former: Stephen Morgan (2020) — Trustee
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 Essendant Charitable Foundation
How much does Essendant Charitable Foundation give each year?
Essendant Charitable Foundation gave $223K across 126 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $176K across 128 grants.
What is Essendant Charitable Foundation's typical grant size?
Essendant Charitable Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $500, and its average grant was $1,770, across 126 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Essendant Charitable Foundation that year got $722 on average.
Where does Essendant Charitable Foundation give grants?
Essendant Charitable Foundation's top state is California, with 35% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Illinois (30%) and Tennessee (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (11 grants), Atlanta, GA (6 grants), Lawrenceville, GA (4 grants) and Sacramento, CA (3 grants).
Does Essendant Charitable Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Essendant Charitable Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (126 of 126) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Essendant Charitable Foundation's largest grantees?
Essendant Charitable Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include City of Hope ($63,035), American Red Cross - Chicago ($22,795) and The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee Inc ($15,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 45% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Essendant Charitable Foundation?
Essendant Charitable Foundation reported $2.5M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $471K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $73K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Essendant Charitable Foundation fund?
The Day of Giving mission is to bring Essendant together to support charitable efforts in local communities and help people in need. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Essendant Charitable Foundation?
The foundation states that it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Essendant Charitable Foundation's EIN?
Essendant Charitable Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 06-6547406. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Essendant Charitable Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/essendant-charitable-foundation-morg_243bceef30e847978c3e5e8330844aa9
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_066547406_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Essendant Charitable Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/essendant-charitable-foundation-morg_243bceef30e847978c3e5e8330844aa9},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Essendant Charitable 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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