Hometown America Foundation
Hometown America Foundation is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations serving needs that include food assistance, housing-related services, veterans, emergency response, and education.
Hometown America Foundation at a glance
In short: Hometown America Foundation gave $67K across 41 grants in 2025 (avg $2K), top state California. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $67,000
- +116.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 41
- +192.9% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $1,634
- -26.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $500
- Total assets
- $896,680
- -3.2% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- California (49% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Hometown America 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: 110 N Wacker Drive Suite 4500, Chicago, IL 60606
Phone: (312) 604-7500
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Hometown America Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was IREM Sacramento Valley Foundation ($10K). Together the top 10 received $45K.
Grant Size Distribution
101 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 101 grants of 101 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grant dollars were distributed among recipients in multiple states. The largest reported shares went to California (49%), Florida (16%), and New York (13%), followed by Arizona (6%) and Pennsylvania (5%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 41 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Hometown America Foundation gives
- 10% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+10%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 144% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $3K (2021) to $110K (2020). In 2025 it made 41 grants totaling $67K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| IREM Sacramento Valley Foundation Clarksburg, CA | Provides job training in the area of property management to individuals with housing insecurity. | $10,000 |
| WMA Foundation Sacramento, CA | Donation to assist MH wildfire victims | $10,000 |
| Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps Inc Riverhead, NY | Serve Riverhead and surrounding areas, including our NY properties | $5,000 |
| Heartland Food Reservoir Inc Sebring, FL | Provides meals and food boxes to those in need. | $3,500 |
| ICNA Relief USA Programs ICNA Relief USA New Hyde Park, NY | Assist those with food insecurities. | $3,000 |
| Sierra Service Project Sacramento, CA | Offers home repairs for seniors, helping them safely age in place, free of charge through grants/donations for materials and volunteers to do repairs. | $3,000 |
| Starve Poverty International Forked River, NJ | Helping homeowners who cannot afford construction projects/repairs to be performed on their homes. | $3,000 |
| Hearts & Homes For Veterans Inc Fort Myers, FL | Provides veteran services and support. | $2,500 |
| Home Of The Brave Foundation Milford, DE | Veteran services and support, especially those experiencing homelessness. | $2,500 |
| Lebanon County Christian Ministries Lebanon, PA | Provides a food bank, shelter and essential services to low income residents of Lebanon County. Arbor Gate residents use the food bank, and have used LCCM for assistance with utility bills. | $2,500 |
Ready to take the next step with Hometown America 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $896,680 | $56,969 | $86,139 | $67,000 | 41 | $70,311 | $42,884 | $48,887 |
| 2024 | $926,464 | $54,556 | $48,442 | $31,000 | 14 | $34,723 | $40,477 | $47,918 |
| 2023 | $920,992 | $28,727 | $40,525 | $24,500 | 13 | $28,037 | $17,535 | $45,456 |
| 2022 | $933,574 | $528,671 | $69,530 | $61,157 | 32 | $62,383 | $13,769 | $37,333 |
| 2021 | $474,433 | $53,531 | $15,782 | $3,000 | 1 | $10,078 | $43,097 | $25,698 |
| 2020 | $437,114 | $44,259 | $122,020 | $110,000 | 6 | — | $32,412 | $24,238 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Hometown America Foundation reported a distributable amount of $49K 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 organizations whose own descriptions show a range of services. Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps says it provides volunteer ambulance service in Riverhead, New York. Heartland Food Reservoir says it stores and redistributes food to help end hunger in Highlands County, Florida. Hearts & Homes for Veterans says it works to end homelessness among veterans in Southwest Florida and lift them out of poverty. Malibu Education Foundation says it funds staff and programs in Malibu public schools, including instructional aides, tutors, and arts teachers.
Other 2025 grantees describe work that includes home repairs for seniors, meals for homebound adults, and food, shelter, and community connections for residents in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 41 grants totaling $67,000. Grants ranged from $500 to $10,000, with a median grant of $500.
Among the largest grants were $10,000 to IREM Sacramento Valley Foundation for job training in property management for people experiencing housing insecurity, and $10,000 to WMA Foundation to assist wildfire victims. Other grants included $5,000 to Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps; $3,500 to Heartland Food Reservoir; $3,000 each to ICNA Relief USA Programs and Sierra Service Project; and $2,500 each to Hearts & Homes for Veterans, Home of the Brave Foundation, Lebanon County Christian Ministries, Malibu Education Foundation, and Prescott Meals on Wheels.
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Hometown America Foundation is led by Patrick Zilis, President, Treasurer & Director since 2023 (on filings since 2020); none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Patrick Zilis
President, Treasurer & Director
Treasurer & Director → Treasurer & Director|, 2022
Treasurer & Director| → President, Treasurer & Director, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Nicole Nixon
Secretary & Director
President & Director → Secretary & Director, 2023
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Douglas Minahan
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kenneth Kravenas
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Richard G. Cline (2020–2021) — President & Director
- Former: Stephen Braun (2020–2021) — Secretary & Director
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 Hometown America Foundation
How much does Hometown America Foundation give each year?
Hometown America Foundation gave $67K across 41 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $31K across 14 grants.
What is Hometown America Foundation's typical grant size?
Hometown America Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $500, and its average grant was $1,634, across 41 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Hometown America Foundation give grants?
Hometown America Foundation's top state is California, with 49% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Florida (16%) and New York (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were Sebring, FL (4 grants), Sacramento, CA (2 grants), Malibu, CA (2 grants) and Phoenix, AZ (2 grants).
Does Hometown America Foundation give general operating support?
Occasionally: 2% of Hometown America Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 41) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Hometown America Foundation's largest grantees?
Hometown America Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include IREM Sacramento Valley Foundation ($10,000), WMA Foundation ($10,000) and Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps Inc ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 37% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Hometown America Foundation?
Hometown America Foundation reported $897K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $70K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $49K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Hometown America Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included organizations whose own descriptions show a range of services. Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps says it provides volunteer ambulance service in Riverhead, New York. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Hometown America 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 Hometown America Foundation's EIN?
Hometown America Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-3216916. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Hometown America 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
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 16, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Hometown America Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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Browse active grant opportunities in Hometown America Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Hometown America Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/hometown-america-foundation-morg_071c530b3a5941a6b6bf4203bcdfc828
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_263216916_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Hometown America Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/hometown-america-foundation-morg_071c530b3a5941a6b6bf4203bcdfc828},
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 Hometown America 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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