Gertrude E Hill Foundation
The Gertrude E Hill Foundation is a private foundation based in Lake Forest, Illinois. Its 2025 grants supported charitable organizations including a historic site, a veterans’ organization, and organizations working in areas such as research, health, and community services.
Gertrude E Hill Foundation at a glance
In short: Gertrude E Hill Foundation gave $148K across 12 grants in 2025 (avg $12K), top state Virginia. 8% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $148,030
- +1.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 12
- +9.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $12,336
- -6.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $4,000
- Total assets
- $464,590
- -7.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 8% first-time grantees (1 of 12, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Virginia (48% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Gertrude E Hill 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: 104 Surrey Lane, Lake Forest, IL 60045
Phone: (847) 295-7104
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Gertrude E Hill Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Colonial Williamsburg Foundation ($72K). Together the top 10 received $147K.
Grant Size Distribution
53 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 48 grants of 53 (91%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, grant dollars went to recipients in Virginia (48%), New York (20%), Illinois (17%), Iowa (10%), and Texas (3%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Gertrude E Hill Foundation open to new grantees?
8%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 12 grantees (8%) were first-time recipients. With only 12 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $13K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $4K repeat.
- 92% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+4%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 89% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF 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 $105K (2019) to $148K (2025). In 2025 it made 12 grants totaling $148K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Williamsburg, VA | Charitable | $71,530 |
| Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research New York, NY | Charitable | $30,000 |
| American Red Cross Boone, IA | Charitable | $15,000 |
| Honor Flight Chicago Rosemont, IL | Charitable | $10,000 |
| Botanic Garden of Chicago Glencoe, IL | Charitable | $5,000 |
| Shriners Children's Hospital Barrington, IL | Charitable | $4,000 |
| Susan G Komen Foundation Dallas, TX | Charitable | $4,000 |
| Children International Kansas City, MO | Charitable | $3,000 |
| Lake Bluff History Museum Lake Bluff, IL | Charitable | $2,000 |
| Aspire Hillside, IL | Charitable | $2,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
EIN: 36-3511347
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $464,590 | $116,290 | $154,877 | $148,030 | 12 | $150,321 | $113,590 | $168,758 |
| 2024 | $503,177 | $194,765 | $150,537 | $145,772 | 11 | $147,925 | $192,153 | $152,183 |
| 2023 | $458,949 | $81,825 | $159,727 | $147,651 | 9 | $149,696 | $79,276 | $147,817 |
| 2022 | $536,851 | $301,122 | $146,781 | $141,998 | 10 | $144,106 | $298,547 | $149,759 |
| 2021 | $382,510 | $68,672 | $119,980 | $115,089 | 11 | — | $66,922 | $143,895 |
| 2020 | $433,818 | $89,270 | $113,244 | $106,677 | 13 | — | $87,520 | $116,016 |
| 2019 | $457,792 | $114,044 | $110,365 | $104,825 | 11 | — | $112,369 | $109,338 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Gertrude E Hill Foundation reported a distributable amount of $169K for 2025 — 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 2025 grants included support for organizations with varied activities. Honor Flight Chicago describes its mission as recognizing senior veterans through an all-expense-paid journey to Washington, D.C. Children International says it works to fight poverty by investing in children and youth and building healthy environments. Lake Bluff History Museum says it researches and preserves local history and shares knowledge of it. Aspire describes its work as supporting educational programs at institutions of higher education.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 12 grants totaling $148,030. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $71,530, with a median grant of $4,000. Among the largest awards were $71,530 to Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, $30,000 to Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, $15,000 to American Red Cross, and $10,000 to Honor Flight Chicago. Other grants included $5,000 to Botanic Garden of Chicago and $4,000 each to Shriners Children’s Hospital and Susan G Komen Foundation.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Cari Deann Walquist (director/president), Beverly Jo Walquist (director/secretary), and Christopher Walquist (director).
Gertrude E Hill Foundation is led by Cari Deann Walquist, Director & President on every filing since 2019; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Cari Deann Walquist
Director & President
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Beverly Jo Walquist
Director & Sec'y
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Christopher Walquist
Director
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Beth Ann Kroeger (2019–2024) — Director
- Former: Ward Walquist (2019–2020) — Director & Treasurer
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 Gertrude E Hill Foundation
How much does Gertrude E Hill Foundation give each year?
Gertrude E Hill Foundation gave $148K across 12 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $146K across 11 grants.
What is Gertrude E Hill Foundation's typical grant size?
Gertrude E Hill Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $4,000, and its average grant was $12,336, across 12 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Gertrude E Hill Foundation that year got $2K on average.
Where does Gertrude E Hill Foundation give grants?
Gertrude E Hill Foundation's top state is Virginia, with 48% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (20%) and Illinois (17%).
Does Gertrude E Hill Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 12 grants with a stated purpose on Gertrude E Hill Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable" (12 grants).
Who are Gertrude E Hill Foundation's largest grantees?
Gertrude E Hill Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Colonial Williamsburg Foundation ($71,530), Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research ($30,000) and American Red Cross ($15,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 79% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Gertrude E Hill Foundation?
Gertrude E Hill Foundation reported $465K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $150K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $169K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Gertrude E Hill Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations with varied activities. Honor Flight Chicago describes its mission as recognizing senior veterans through an all-expense-paid journey to Washington, D.C. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Gertrude E Hill 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 Gertrude E Hill Foundation's EIN?
Gertrude E Hill Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-3511347. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Gertrude E Hill 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
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS January 9, 2020)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Gertrude E Hill Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/gertrude-e-hill-foundation-morg_83b1e778ef064b6dab034b7a2b0f1406
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_363511347_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Gertrude E Hill Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/gertrude-e-hill-foundation-morg_83b1e778ef064b6dab034b7a2b0f1406},
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 Gertrude E Hill 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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