Howard and Geraldine Knaack Foundation
The Howard and Geraldine Knaack Foundation is a private foundation based in Crystal Lake, Illinois. Its 2024 grants supported charitable organizations working in areas including health care, education, services for children and families, housing, senior support, food security, and the arts.
Key facts about Howard and Geraldine Knaack Foundation
In short: Howard and Geraldine Knaack Foundation gave $100K across 38 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), mostly in Illinois. 5% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 36-4377926
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $100,000
- Grants made (2025)
- 38
- Average grant
- $2,632
- Median grant
- $2,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 5% first-time grantees (2 of 38, 2025)
- Total assets
- $1,560,405
- Primary geography
- Illinois (65% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to apply
- The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$1.6M
-1.9% YoY
Annual Giving
$100K
+11.1% YoY
Grant Count
38
+5.6% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$3K
+5.3% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Howard and Geraldine Knaack Foundation reported a distributable amount of $107K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Is Howard and Geraldine Knaack Foundation open to new grantees?
5%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 38 grantees (5%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $3K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 95% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+9%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 97% 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 (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grantees’ own descriptions show the kinds of organizations it supports. Family Health Partnership Clinic says it works to improve community health by providing services to underserved people. Folds of Honor Foundation says it provides educational scholarships to qualifying spouses and dependent children of military personnel and first responders killed or disabled while serving.
Other 2024 recipients include organizations serving children and families. CASA of McHenry County describes its work as providing court-appointed special advocates for children, while Teaching Family Homes says it provides family-style treatment programs for youth and family crisis and reunification services. Grantees also include organizations addressing homelessness, senior support, food insecurity, and community arts.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 36 grants totaling $90,000. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $4,000, with a median of $2,000. Notable grants included $4,000 each to Family Health Partnership Clinic, Folds of Honor Foundation, The Giving Closet of McHenry County, The Road Home Program, Veteran’s Path to Hope, and M-Bar-C Ranch. CASA of McHenry County received $3,000, and COSI received $3,000 for “One Step at a Time Camp/Boat Day.”
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, Illinois organizations received 64% of grant dollars. Other leading recipient states were Michigan (11%), Wisconsin (4%), Oklahoma (4%), and Washington (4%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 38 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $90K (2024) to $100K (2025). In 2025 it made 38 grants totaling $100K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The Giving Closet of McHenry County ($5K). Together the top 10 received $40K.
Grant Size Distribution
186 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 186 grants of 186 (100%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Giving Closet of McHenry County Woodstock, IL | Unrestricted Contribution | $5,000 |
| M-Bar-C Ranch Freeland, WA | Unrestricted Contribution | $5,000 |
| Veteran's Path to Hope Crystal Lake, IL | Unrestricted Contribution | $5,000 |
| Family Health Partnership Clinic Crystal Lake, IL | Unrestricted Contribution | $4,000 |
| Folds of Honor Foundation Tulsa, OK | Unrestricted Contribution | $4,000 |
| Marquette Women's Center Marquette, MI | Unrestricted Contribution | $4,000 |
| The Road Home Program Chicago, IL | Unrestricted Contribution | $4,000 |
| Southeastern Wisconsin Adaptive Ski Program (Sewasp) Germantown, WI | Unrestricted Contribution | $3,000 |
| War Horses for Veterans Stillwell, KS | Unrestricted Contribution | $3,000 |
| McHenry County Pads Woodstock, IL | Unrestricted Contribution | $3,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Grants awarded | Number of grants |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $90,000 | 36 |
| 2023 | $91,000 | 38 |
| 2022 | $92,000 | 38 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $1,560,405 | $1,591,274 | $1,618,346 |
| Revenue | $84,328 | $76,593 | $107,385 |
| Expenses | $115,124 | $103,428 | $102,934 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $103,609 | $93,240 | $94,090 |
| Net Investment Income | $72,801 | $66,221 | $99,076 |
| Distributable Amount | $106,505 | $100,839 | $90,611 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 21, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 29, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 26, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 31, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 14, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 17, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Cheryl Pradelski as president, Zachary Bartsch as treasurer, Jody Pradelski Adkins as secretary, Julie Cohen as first vice president, Sara Bartsch Panico as second vice president, and Jeff Pradelski as third vice president.
Howard and Geraldine Knaack Foundation is led by Cheryl Pradelski, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 6 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Cheryl Pradelski
President
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jody Pradelski Adkins
Secretary
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Julie Cohen
1st Vice President
Director → 1st Vice President, 2021
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sara Bartsch Panico
2nd Vice President
Director → 2nd Vice President, 2021
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Zachary Bartsch
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jeff Pradelski
3rd Vice President
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Connie Parrish (2020–2023) — 3rd Vice President · Filing note: Ended 112923
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.
Contact
Mailing address: 3120 Barreville Rd, Crystal Lake, IL 60012-1563
Phone: (847) 309-0837
Frequently asked questions about Howard and Geraldine Knaack Foundation
How much does Howard and Geraldine Knaack Foundation give each year?
Howard and Geraldine Knaack Foundation gave $100K across 38 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $90K across 36 grants.
What is Howard and Geraldine Knaack Foundation's typical grant size?
Howard and Geraldine Knaack Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,000, and its average grant was $2,632, across 38 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Howard and Geraldine Knaack Foundation that year got $3K on average.
Where does Howard and Geraldine Knaack Foundation give grants?
Howard and Geraldine Knaack Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 65% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Michigan (11%) and Washington (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were Crystal Lake, IL (7 grants), Marquette, MI (4 grants), Chicago, IL (3 grants) and McHenry, IL (3 grants).
Does Howard and Geraldine Knaack Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 95% of Howard and Geraldine Knaack Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (36 of 38) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Howard and Geraldine Knaack Foundation's largest grantees?
Howard and Geraldine Knaack Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include The Giving Closet of McHenry County ($5,000), M-Bar-C Ranch ($5,000) and Veteran's Path to Hope ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 15% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Howard and Geraldine Knaack Foundation?
Howard and Geraldine Knaack Foundation reported $1.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $104K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $107K (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 Howard and Geraldine Knaack Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grantees’ own descriptions show the kinds of organizations it supports. Family Health Partnership Clinic says it works to improve community health by providing services to underserved people. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Howard and Geraldine Knaack Foundation?
The foundation 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 Howard and Geraldine Knaack Foundation's EIN?
Howard and Geraldine Knaack Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-4377926. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Howard and Geraldine Knaack Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
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