George M Pullman Educational Foundation
The George M. Pullman Educational Foundation is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. It provides merit-based and need-based scholarships and continuing educational support to graduating high school seniors pursuing bachelor’s degrees.
George M Pullman Educational Foundation at a glance
In short: George M Pullman Educational Foundation gave $684K across 95 grants in 2025 (avg $7K), mostly in Illinois. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $683,571
- -1.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 95
- -5.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $7,195
- +4.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $7,500
- Total assets
- $34,670,648
- +3.8% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Illinois (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to George M Pullman Educational Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The Foundation’s website directs applicants to submit an official application through its application process. Applicants must be graduating high school seniors who reside in Cook County, demonstrate strong financial need, have at least a 3.0 unweighted GPA, and meet the other listed eligibility requirements. The process may include submitting transcripts, participating in an interview, and providing FAFSA information, college acceptance letters, and financial aid award forms. The filing directs applicants to the Foundation’s website for application materials and award restrictions.
- Review Cycle
- The listed application cycle opens November 1, 2026, and closes February 1, 2027. Semi-finalists are scheduled to be notified at the end of February, finalists in mid-April, and the new Scholar Class beginning in May 2027.
- Deadline
- The listed application cycle opens November 1, 2026, and closes February 1, 2027.
- Contact
Application contact: See Information At The Organization
Mailing address: 55 W Monroe Street Suite 3460, Chicago, IL 60603
Phone: (312) 422-0444
Website: https://pullmanfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who George M Pullman Educational Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Grant Size Distribution
485 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 485 grants of 485 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Scholarship applicants must be residents of Cook County, Illinois. The Foundation’s website says scholars may attend an eligible bachelor’s-degree-granting institution anywhere in the United States. All grant dollars itemized in the 2025 filing went to recipients in Illinois.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 95 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How George M Pullman Educational Foundation gives
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+3%). Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $643K (2021) to $743K (2019). In 2025 it made 95 grants totaling $684K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 50 individual scholarships Recipients not named | — | $468,333 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $34,670,648 | $2,828,382 | $1,949,184 | $683,571 | 95 | $1,636,745 | $2,325,953 |
| 2024 | $33,390,919 | $2,364,764 | $1,907,543 | $691,296 | 100 | $1,641,768 | $1,860,392 |
| 2023 | $31,026,069 | $1,819,435 | $1,845,824 | $698,946 | 97 | $1,586,990 | $926,046 |
| 2022 | $30,414,650 | $2,281,953 | $1,685,718 | $662,945 | 99 | $1,364,924 | $1,794,945 |
| 2021 | $34,484,096 | $2,454,780 | $1,786,514 | $642,860 | 94 | — | $1,611,689 |
| 2020 | $28,394,199 | $247,495 | $1,787,503 | $714,368 | 102 | — | $797,551 |
| 2019 | $29,691,722 | $1,848,480 | $1,836,161 | $743,358 | 104 | — | $1,426,417 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Foundation’s stated mission is to provide meaningful scholarships paired with personal attention to prepare students for success in college, careers, and community leadership. Its direct charitable activity is providing merit-based and need-based scholarships and continuing educational support to outstanding graduating high school seniors pursuing bachelor’s degrees.
The Foundation’s website describes ongoing support through Scholar Success Seminars, an annual Scholar Symposium, alumni mentoring, monthly check-ins, and career and life-skills resources. It reports that scholarships may provide up to $10,000 per year for four years.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the Foundation reported 95 grants totaling $683,571. Grant amounts ranged from $2,500 to $12,500, with a median of $7,500. The largest listed awards were to individual recipients in Illinois for college scholarships: two awards of $12,500 and ten awards of $10,000.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Eric Delli Bovi as executive director; Barbara M. Kaufman as board president; Richard Daspit Jr. as vice president, assistant secretary, and treasurer; Robert W. Fioretti as secretary; Marc Christman as treasurer; and Gianna Bern, Scott Brown, and Kimberley Freedman as directors.
George M Pullman Educational Foundation is led by Eric Delli Bovi, Executive Director on every filing since 2022; 1 of 8 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Eric Delli Bovi
Executive Director
On filings since 2022
40 hrs/week
$31K (2022) → $178K (2025)
Barbara M. Kaufman
Board President
On filings since 2019
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Gianna Bern
Director
Vice President, Assistant Secretary & Treasurer → Vice President, 2022
Vice President → Director, 2024
On filings since 2019
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kimberley Lowden Freedman
Director
On filings since 2019
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Scott Brown
Director
On filings since 2021
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Marc Christman
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Robert W. Fioretti
Secretary
Assistant Treasurer & Secretary → Secretary, 2023
On filings since 2019
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Richard Daspit Jr.
Vice President, Assistant Secretary & Treasurer
Director → Vice President, Assistant Secretary & Treasurer, 2024
On filings since 2021
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (5)
- Former: Jeffery A. Tryka (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: John P. Hergert (2019–2021) — Vice President
- Former: Susan Turk (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: The Rev Sam A. Portaro Jr. (2019–2021) — Secretary
- Former: Robin Redmond (2020–2021) — Executive Director
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 $178K, to Eric Delli Bovi (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about George M Pullman Educational Foundation
How much does George M Pullman Educational Foundation give each year?
George M Pullman Educational Foundation gave $684K across 95 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $691K across 100 grants.
What is George M Pullman Educational Foundation's typical grant size?
George M Pullman Educational Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $7,500, and its average grant was $7,195, across 95 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does George M Pullman Educational Foundation give grants?
George M Pullman Educational Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there.
Does George M Pullman Educational Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 95 grants with a stated purpose on George M Pullman Educational Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "College Scholarships" (95 grants).
How large is George M Pullman Educational Foundation?
George M Pullman Educational Foundation reported $34.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $2.8M.
What does George M Pullman Educational Foundation fund?
The Foundation’s stated mission is to provide meaningful scholarships paired with personal attention to prepare students for success in college, careers, and community leadership. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from George M Pullman Educational Foundation?
The Foundation’s website directs applicants to submit an official application through its application process. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is George M Pullman Educational Foundation's EIN?
George M Pullman Educational Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-2216171. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS January 31, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS March 11, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 22, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS January 30, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS January 27, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS December 4, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
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