Grand Victoria Foundation
Grand Victoria Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Established in 1996 by the Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin, the foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to advancing racial justice and equity throughout Illinois. The foundation catalyzes change by cultivating the voices, power, and aspirations of Black people and communities of color for collective liberation.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
—
Annual Giving
$6.5M
-6.0% YoY
Grant Count
114
+4.6% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$57K
-10.1% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
Mission Statement: Grand Victoria Foundation catalyzes racial justice in Illinois by cultivating the voices, power, and aspirations of Black people for collective liberation. The foundation envisions a just and vibrant Illinois rooted in abundant health, wealth, and joy, where communities of color can flourish.
Core Approach: The foundation's work is grounded in a comprehensive Racial Justice Framework that prioritizes community power-building. This involves empowering communities most impacted by systemic inequities to organize, set agendas, and enact meaningful changes through collective action.
Grant Program Areas: The foundation directs grants toward three critical areas:
- Building Community Power — empowering communities to organize and enact change
- Amplifying Black Voices — elevating the perspectives and leadership of Black communities
- Leadership Growth & Organization Development — strengthening organizational capacity
The foundation emphasizes systems change work that improves conditions holding social and economic problems in place, and seeks results including improved policies or practices, increased access to resources for communities of greatest need, diverse perspectives in decision-making, power-sharing to promote equity, and improved organizational capacity.
Grantmaking
The foundation prioritizes general operating support and multi-year grant support, recognizing that long-term nonprofit success is closely tied to these funding mechanisms.
Grant Range
s:**
Average Grant
amount varies by year
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grand Victoria Foundation funds organizations throughout Illinois, with a particular emphasis on efforts demonstrating county, regional, or statewide impact. The foundation's origins in Elgin, Illinois reflect its commitment to serving communities across the state.
Grant Distribution by State
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Assets & Giving (as of December 2024):
- Total Assets: $180,888,075
- Total Revenue: $14,377,254
- Total Expenses: $8,599,293
- Total Liabilities: $2,900,000
- Total Giving: $6,485,223
Historical Context: The foundation has distributed over $25 million in grants across 353 total grants to 184 recipients on file.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | — | — | — |
| Revenue | — | — | — |
| Expenses | — | — | — |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | — | — | — |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
250 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Grand Victoria Foundation
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Crossroads Fund ($555,150), Chicago Votes Education Fund ($250,000), Black Oaks Center ($175,000).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 18Th Street Casa De Cultura NFP Chicago, IL | General Operating Support | $783 |
| A Better Chicago Chicago, IL | General Operating Support | $2,000 |
| Adelante Center for Entrepreneurship Waukegan, IL | General Operating Support | $60,000 |
| African American Coalition of Kane County Inc Elgin, IL | General Operating Support | $40,000 |
| Alignment Collaborative for Education Elgin, IL | General Operating Support | $25,000 |
| Ampt Advancing Nonprofits Chicago, IL | General Operating Support | $5,000 |
| Ann & Robert H Lurie Childrens Hospital of Chicago Chicago, IL | General Operating Support | $10,000 |
| Association for Individual Development Aurora, IL | General Operating Support | $25,000 |
| Association of Black Foundation Executives New York, NY | Project Support | $3,000 |
| Bethlehem Lutheran Child Development Center Elgin, IL | General Operating Support | $25,000 |
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Board of Directors:
- Ricardo Estrada (Chair) — Metropolitan Family Services
- Christopher Rudd (Treasurer) — ChiByDesign
- Teresa Córdova (Secretary) — Great Cities Institute
- Kristin Finney-Cooke (Director) — Christian Brothers Investment Services
- Candace Moore (Director) — Race Forward
- Chanel Coney (Director) — CFI Partners
- Andreason Brown (Director) — Spencer Foundation
Staff Leadership:
- Sharon Bush — President/Executive Director
- Neeta Boddapati — Vice President of Finance and Administration
- Steve Hosik Moon — Vice President of Programs and Strategy
- Landon Williams — Communications Director
- Tasasha Henderson — Special Assistant to the President
- Jeanna Rathell — Manager of Grants & Program Administration
- Dianna Manjarrez — Program Manager
- Tuyet Ngo — Program Manager
- Tracey Whitmer — Manager of Accounting and Administration
- Sheibani Patel — Program Associate
- Lauren M. Woods — Director of Abundance
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| SHARON BUSH | PRESIDENT/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $267,473 |
| RICARDO ESTRADA | CHAIR | 1 | — |
| CHRISTOPHER RUDD | TREASURER | 1 | — |
| TERESA CORDOVA | SECRETARY | 1 | — |
| KRISTIN FINNEY-COOKE | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| HEATHER RAPP | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| CANDACE MOORE | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
The foundation announced 2025 grant awards, continuing its commitment to supporting organizations advancing racial justice and community power-building throughout Illinois. The foundation remains actively engaged in grantmaking with recent grant activity documented in 2024 filings.
2025 Grant Awards - Grand Victoria FoundationSubject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Grand Victoria Foundation fund?
**Mission Statement:** Grand Victoria Foundation catalyzes racial justice in Illinois by cultivating the voices, power, and aspirations of Black people for collective liberation. The foundation envisions a just and vibrant Illinois rooted in abundant health, wealth, and joy, where communities of color can flourish. **Core Approach:** The foundation's work is grounded in a comprehensive Racial Justice Framework that prioritizes community power-building. This involves empowering communities most …
How do I apply for a grant from Grand Victoria Foundation?
**Grant Sizes:** • Median grant amount: $25,000 • Range: $300 to $555,000 • Average grant amount varies by year **Recent Grant Activity:** • 2024: $6,485,223 distributed across 114 grants (average $56,888) • 2023: $6,895,671 distributed across 109 grants (average $63,263) • 2021: $6,478,441 distributed across 130 grants (average $49,834) **Funding Approach:** The foundation prioritizes general operating support and multi-year grant support, recognizing that long-term nonprofit success is closel…
Where does Grand Victoria Foundation make grants?
Grand Victoria Foundation funds organizations throughout Illinois, with a particular emphasis on efforts demonstrating county, regional, or statewide impact. The foundation's origins in Elgin, Illinois reflect its commitment to serving communities across the state.
What size grants does Grand Victoria Foundation award?
In 2024, Grand Victoria Foundation awarded 114 grants totaling $6.5M — an average of about $57K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
What is Grand Victoria Foundation's EIN?
Grand Victoria Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-4107162. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Grand Victoria Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Data last updated June 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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