Hesed Foundation
Hesed Foundation is a Chicago, Illinois-based private foundation that reported making grants to charitable organizations in 2024. Its filing states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
Hesed Foundation at a glance
In short: Hesed Foundation gave $378K across 20 grants in 2024 (avg $19K), mostly in Massachusetts. 20% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $378,000
- +56.1% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 20
- +81.8% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $18,900
- -14.2% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $9,377,542
- +0.1% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 20% first-time grantees (4 of 20, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (70% 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 Hesed Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 320 S Canal St 44Th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606
Phone: (312) 715-3802
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Hesed Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Reservoir Church ($160K). Together the top 10 received $313K.
Grant Size Distribution
87 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 85 grants of 87 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, Massachusetts accounted for 70% of grant dollars, New Jersey and Washington, DC, each accounted for 7%, and California and Illinois each accounted for 5%. The listed grantees also include organizations in other states, such as Indiana, Texas, and Maryland.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 20 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Hesed Foundation open to new grantees?
20%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 4 of 20 grantees (20%) were first-time recipients. With only 20 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $9K; repeat grants $21K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 50% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 120% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 60% 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 (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 $145K (2020) to $378K (2024). In 2024 it made 20 grants totaling $378K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Reservoir Church Cambridge, MA | General | $160,000 |
| Foundation for Self Leadership Hillsborough, NJ | General | $25,000 |
| The George Washington University Washington, DC | General | $25,000 |
| Rebuild Africa Cambridge, MA | General | $23,000 |
| Presidents and Fellows of Harvard College Cambridge, MA | General | $20,000 |
| Leadership Transformations Inc South Hamilton, MA | General | $15,000 |
| Life Work Direction Jamaica Plain, MA | General | $15,000 |
| Friends of Asha USA Cambridge, MA | General | $10,000 |
| MCE Social Capital San Francisco, CA | General | $10,000 |
| Partners in Health Boston, MA | General | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Hesed Foundation?
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 | $9,377,542 | $423,578 | $406,264 | $378,000 | 20 | $379,326 | $403,608 | $636,109 |
| 2023 | $9,370,228 | $10,599,742 | $247,594 | $242,175 | 11 | $243,451 | $334,417 | $548,248 |
| 2022 | $1,297,763 | $142,714 | $205,388 | $195,000 | 23 | $195,054 | $83,585 | $69,667 |
| 2021 | $1,303,884 | $691,713 | $194,835 | $171,500 | 18 | $174,015 | $392,393 | $68,686 |
| 2020 | $1,102,392 | $412,576 | $147,682 | $145,000 | 15 | — | $229,227 | $58,656 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Hesed Foundation reported a distributable amount of $636K 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 grants went to organizations whose stated missions include, among other things, expanding economic opportunities for women and families in underserved communities (MCE Social Capital), addressing poverty through healthcare, financial services, and education (Friends of ASHA USA), and expanding spiritual formation care and training for leaders serving underserved and diaspora communities (Mosaic Center for Spiritual Formation). These are the grantees’ missions, not stated missions of the foundation.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 20 grants totaling $378,000. The grants ranged from $2,000 to $160,000, with a median of $10,000. Its largest grant was $160,000 to Reservoir Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Other notable grants included $25,000 each to Foundation for Self Leadership and The George Washington University; $23,000 to Rebuild Africa; and $20,000 to Presidents and Fellows of Harvard College. The listed grants were for general purposes.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Stephanie S Choo as president, secretary, and director; Cynthia S Douglass as vice president and director; and Peter W Choo as treasurer and director.
Hesed Foundation is led by Stephanie S. Choo, President, Secretary & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Stephanie S. Choo
President, Secretary & Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Cynthia S. Douglass
Vice President & Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Peter W. Choo
Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
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 Hesed Foundation
How much does Hesed Foundation give each year?
Hesed Foundation gave $378K across 20 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $242K across 11 grants.
What is Hesed Foundation's typical grant size?
Hesed Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $10,000, and its average grant was $18,900, across 20 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Hesed Foundation that year got $9K on average.
Where does Hesed Foundation give grants?
Hesed Foundation gives mostly in Massachusetts: 70% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New Jersey (7%) and District of Columbia (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Cambridge, MA (5 grants), Boston, MA (2 grants) and Chicago, IL (2 grants).
Does Hesed Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Hesed Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (20 of 20) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Hesed Foundation's largest grantees?
Hesed Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Reservoir Church ($160,000), Foundation for Self Leadership ($25,000) and The George Washington University ($25,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 56% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Hesed Foundation?
Hesed Foundation reported $9.4M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $379K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $636K (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 Hesed Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Hesed Foundation?
The foundation states that it 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 Hesed Foundation's EIN?
Hesed Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-4158247. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Hesed 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
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 17, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS June 24, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS July 11, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 15, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Hesed Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Hesed Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Hesed Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/hesed-foundation-morg_55c196955ff64ed696926d2990349ca6
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_364158247_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Hesed Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/hesed-foundation-morg_55c196955ff64ed696926d2990349ca6},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 Hesed 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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