Good Heart Work Smart Foundation
Good Heart Work Smart Foundation is a private foundation based in Oak Park, Illinois. Its 2024 filing reports 97 grants totaling $1,763,844 to charitable organizations.
Good Heart Work Smart Foundation at a glance
In short: Good Heart Work Smart Foundation gave $1.8M across 97 grants in 2024 (avg $18K), mostly in Illinois. 18% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,763,844
- +147.2% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 97
- +6.6% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $18,184
- +131.9% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $4,000
- Total assets
- $2,781,267
- +36.8% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 18% first-time grantees (17 of 95, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (93% 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 Good Heart Work Smart 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: 1011 Lake Street Suite 202, Oak Park, IL 60301
Phone: (708) 652-6421
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Good Heart Work Smart Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was OPRFHS Imagine Foundation ($1.0M across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $1.4M.
Grant Size Distribution
526 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 486 grants of 526 (92%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 93% of grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois and 6% to recipients in California. The filing also reports 0% each for Ohio, Louisiana, and Missouri.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 97 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Good Heart Work Smart Foundation open to new grantees?
18%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 17 of 95 grantees (18%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $11K; repeat grants $20K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 74% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving fell 43% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out well above 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 $714K (2023) to $3.1M (2021). In 2024 it made 97 grants totaling $1.8M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| OPRFHS Imagine Foundation Oak Park, IL | Exempt Purpose of Organization | $1,002,000 |
| One Mind Rutherford, CA | Exempt Purpose of Organization | $100,000 |
| Beat the Streets Chicago Chicago, IL | Exempt Purpose of Organization | $55,000 |
| Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory Oak Park, IL | Exempt Purpose of Organization | $50,000 |
| The Neighborhood Bridge Oak Park, IL | Exempt Purpose of Organization | $50,000 |
| OPRF Community Foundation Oak Park, IL | Exempt Purpose of Organization | $31,000 |
| Dominican University River Forest, IL | Exempt Purpose of Organization | $30,000 |
| Growing Community Media Oak Park, IL | Exempt Purpose of Organization | $28,000 |
| Opportunity Knocks River Forest, IL | Exempt Purpose of Organization | $22,000 |
| Sarah's Inn Oak Park, IL | Exempt Purpose of Organization | $16,000 |
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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 | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,781,267 | $3,525,078 | $1,784,666 | $1,763,844 | 97 | $1,784,155 | $1,046,441 | $68,121 |
| 2023 | $2,033,361 | $-120,557 | $743,531 | $713,600 | 91 | $738,587 | $23,491 | $119,891 |
| 2022 | $2,718,708 | $509,824 | $2,028,513 | $1,991,471 | 121 | $2,019,554 | $18,228 | $184,400 |
| 2021 | $4,415,503 | $6,557,590 | $3,099,623 | $3,088,960 | 116 | $3,099,347 | $551,897 | $76,203 |
| 2020 | $1,919,854 | $3,263,000 | $1,365,716 | $1,357,911 | 101 | — | — | $10,757 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Good Heart Work Smart Foundation reported a distributable amount of $68K 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
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grantees include organizations working in mental health, youth wrestling, education, domestic-violence services, hunger relief, and support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. For example, One Mind says it works to improve mental health outcomes, while Beyond Hunger says it provides hunger relief and works with communities to end hunger.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 97 grants totaling $1,763,844. Grant amounts ranged from $100 to $1,002,000, with a median of $4,000.
The largest reported grants included $1,002,000 to OPRFHS Imagine Foundation; $100,000 to One Mind; $55,000 to Beat the Streets Chicago; $50,000 each to Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory and The Neighborhood Bridge; and $31,000 to OPRF Community Foundation. Other grants included $30,000 to Dominican University, $28,000 to Growing Community Media, $22,000 to Opportunity Knocks, and $16,000 to Sarah’s Inn.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Mary Jo J Hall-Schuler as president/secretary, Stephen G Schuler as vice president/treasurer, and Andrea G Schuler and Ryan W Schuler as directors.
Good Heart Work Smart Foundation is led by Mary Jo J. Hall-Schuler, President & Secretary on every filing since 2020; none of the 4 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Mary Jo J. Hall-Schuler
President & Secretary
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Andrea G. Schuler
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ryan W. Schuler
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Stephen G. Schuler
Vice President & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: Clare Golla (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Stacy Schuler (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Susan Mika (2020–2021) — Director
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 Good Heart Work Smart Foundation
How much does Good Heart Work Smart Foundation give each year?
Good Heart Work Smart Foundation gave $1.8M across 97 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $714K across 91 grants.
What is Good Heart Work Smart Foundation's typical grant size?
Good Heart Work Smart Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $4,000, and its average grant was $18,184, across 97 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Good Heart Work Smart Foundation that year got $11K on average.
Where does Good Heart Work Smart Foundation give grants?
Good Heart Work Smart Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 93% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was California (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Oak Park, IL (49 grants), Chicago, IL (20 grants), River Forest, IL (3 grants) and River Grove, IL (2 grants).
Who are Good Heart Work Smart Foundation's largest grantees?
Good Heart Work Smart Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include OPRFHS Imagine Foundation ($1,003,299 across 2 grants), One Mind ($100,000) and Beat the Streets Chicago ($55,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 66% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Good Heart Work Smart Foundation?
Good Heart Work Smart Foundation reported $2.8M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.8M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $68K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Good Heart Work Smart Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grantees include organizations working in mental health, youth wrestling, education, domestic-violence services, hunger relief, and support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Good Heart Work Smart 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 Good Heart Work Smart Foundation's EIN?
Good Heart Work Smart Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-5836042. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Good Heart Work Smart 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
(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). Good Heart Work Smart Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/good-heart-work-smart-foundation-morg_82dc97f6975b4225a4ac991919ffa187
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_205836042_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Good Heart Work Smart Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/good-heart-work-smart-foundation-morg_82dc97f6975b4225a4ac991919ffa187},
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 Good Heart Work Smart 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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