Gurtz Family Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Arlington Heights, IL EIN: 26-0173765

Gurtz Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, primarily in Illinois, including organizations working in health care, education, human services, and animal welfare.

Gurtz Family Foundation at a glance

In short: Gurtz Family Foundation gave $620K across 28 grants in 2025 (avg $22K), mostly in Illinois. 14% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$620,000
+25.3% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
28
+16.7% vs 2024
Average grant
$22,143
+7.4% vs 2024
Median grant
$15,000
Total assets
$9,994,962
+3.9% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
14% first-time grantees (4 of 28, 2025)
Primary geography
Illinois (85% 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 Gurtz Family Foundation

Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to Apply

The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.

Contact

Mailing address: 77 West Seegers Road, Arlington Heights, IL 60005
Phone: (847) 734-2400

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who Gurtz Family Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Northwestern Memorial Foundation: $75KNorthwestern MemorialFoundation$75KLurie Childrens Hospital Fdn: $50KLurie Childrens Hospital Fdn$50KSt Jude Hospital: $50KSt Jude Hospital$50KZacharias Center: $50KZacharias Center$50KFeldman Family Foundation: $40KFeldman Family Foundation$40KMake-a-Wish Foundation: $40KMake-a-Wish Foundation$40KRonald McDonald House: $40KRonald McDonald House$40KRory David Deutch Foundation: $25KRory David Deutch Foundation$25KSaturday Place: $25KSaturday Place$25KCharlie Project Dog Rescue: $20KCharlie Project Dog Rescue$20K

The largest 2025 recipient was Northwestern Memorial Foundation ($75K). Together the top 10 received $415K.

Grant Size Distribution

118 grants across all recorded years

104<$50K14$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 104 grants of 118 (88%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, 85% of grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois. Recipients in Tennessee received 8%, Wisconsin 3%, Texas 2%, and New York 2%.

Grant Distribution by State

8states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 28 itemized grants.

Cities

ChicagoHighland ParkNorthbrookGurneeMemphisOak BrookDallasSkokieLake ForestDuarteEvanstonGlencoeTwin LakesBartlettCarol StreamDes MoinesGlenviewPhoenixStaten IslandWheeling

Is Gurtz Family Foundation open to new grantees?

14%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 4 of 28 grantees (14%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $13K; repeat grants $24K. How we count

Medians: $13K first-time, $15K repeat.

  • 86% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving grew 55% from 2022 to 2025. Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 118% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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

$0$200K$400K$600K$800K18 grants2020 23 grants2021 23 grants2022 20 grants2023 24 grants2024 28 grants2025

From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $400K (2022) to $620K (2025). In 2025 it made 28 grants totaling $620K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Northwestern Memorial Foundation Chicago, ILExempt Purpose Operations$75,000
Lurie Childrens Hospital Fdn Carol Stream, ILExempt Purpose Operations$50,000
St Jude Hospital Memphis, TNExempt Purpose Operations$50,000
Zacharias Center Gurnee, ILExempt Purpose Operations$50,000
Feldman Family Foundation Lake Forest, ILExempt Purpose Operations$40,000
Make-a-Wish Foundation Chicago, ILExempt Purpose Operations$40,000
Ronald McDonald House Oak Brook, ILExempt Purpose Operations$40,000
Rory David Deutch Foundation Highland Park, ILExempt Purpose Operations$25,000
Saturday Place Chicago, ILExempt Purpose Operations$25,000
Charlie Project Dog Rescue Twin Lakes, WIExempt Purpose Operations$20,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$9,994,962$1,104,336$733,106$620,00028$728,588$207,392$618,157
2024$9,623,732$1,073,470$601,287$495,00024$596,790$199,101$578,776
2023$9,151,549$569,830$490,693$400,00020$443,107$195,532$510,563
2022$9,072,412$469,153$501,409$400,00023$448,727$108,298$502,141
2021$9,104,668$929,231$635,683$535,00023$583,533$99,534$531,901
2020$8,811,120$789,175$567,650$485,00018—$123,937$475,513

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Gurtz Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $618K 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 include support for organizations with varied missions. Saturday Place says it provides reading and math tutoring to Chicago Public Schools students in third and fourth grade who are behind state standards. HFS Chicago Scholars says it supports the educational aspirations of economically disadvantaged, academically motivated Chicago youth through scholarships and related school-cost assistance. The Anti-Cruelty Society describes its work as building a community where pets and people thrive together; PAWS Chicago describes itself as a no-kill animal welfare organization. The Ark says it helps Chicagoland Jews facing adversity move toward self-reliance.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation gave $620,000 through 28 grants. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $75,000, with a median of $15,000. Notable awards included $75,000 to Northwestern Memorial Foundation; $50,000 each to Lurie Children’s Hospital Foundation, St. Jude Hospital, and Zacharias Center; and $40,000 each to Feldman Family Foundation, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and Ronald McDonald House. Other recipients included Saturday Place ($25,000), HFS Chicago Scholars ($20,000), the Anti-Cruelty Society ($15,000), the American Heart Association ($10,000), PAWS Chicago ($10,000), and The Ark ($5,000).

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Frank L. Gurtz as president and Tracy A. Robinson as director.

Gurtz Family Foundation is led by Frank L. Gurtz, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Frank L. Gurtz

    President

    On filings since 2020

    No compensation reported

  • Tracy A. Robinson

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    No compensation reported

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 Gurtz Family Foundation

How much does Gurtz Family Foundation give each year?

Gurtz Family Foundation gave $620K across 28 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $495K across 24 grants.

What is Gurtz Family Foundation's typical grant size?

Gurtz Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $15,000, and its average grant was $22,143, across 28 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Gurtz Family Foundation that year got $13K on average.

Where does Gurtz Family Foundation give grants?

Gurtz Family Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 85% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Tennessee (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (13 grants) and Highland Park, IL (3 grants).

Who are Gurtz Family Foundation's largest grantees?

Gurtz Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Northwestern Memorial Foundation ($75,000), Lurie Childrens Hospital Fdn ($50,000) and St Jude Hospital ($50,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 28% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Gurtz Family Foundation?

Gurtz Family Foundation reported $10.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $729K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $618K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does Gurtz Family Foundation fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations with varied missions. Saturday Place says it provides reading and math tutoring to Chicago Public Schools students in third and fourth grade who are behind state standards. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Gurtz Family Foundation?

The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is Gurtz Family Foundation's EIN?

Gurtz Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-0173765. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.

Does Gurtz Family 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

(6)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS June 16, 2021)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 5, 2022)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 9, 2023)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 9, 2025)
  6. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 7, 2026)

Live grants for the work Gurtz Family Foundation funds

Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). Gurtz Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/gurtz-family-foundation-morg_0aa7b959822d4ec2825f60840c86c9a7

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_260173765_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{Gurtz Family Foundation funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/gurtz-family-foundation-morg_0aa7b959822d4ec2825f60840c86c9a7},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-22. 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 Gurtz Family 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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