James L Garard Jr Charitable Tr
James L Garard Jr Charitable Tr is a private foundation based in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Its 2025 grants included support for scholarships and education, food services, community health and hope, animal-related causes, and homeless services.
James L Garard Jr Charitable Tr at a glance
In short: James L Garard Jr Charitable Tr gave $192K across 14 grants in 2025 (avg $14K), mostly in Illinois. 57% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $192,255
- +0.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 14
- -22.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $13,733
- +28.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $7,500
- Total assets
- $1,814,143
- -3.8% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 57% first-time grantees (8 of 14, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (51% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to James L Garard Jr Charitable Tr
- 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: 800 Roosevelt Road Suite E210, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
Phone: (847) 998-6675
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who James L Garard Jr Charitable Tr funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Northfield TWP Food Pantry ($42K). Together the top 10 received $183K.
Grant Size Distribution
94 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 92 grants of 94 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, grant dollars went to organizations in Illinois (51%), Florida (34%), Colorado (10%), Arkansas (3%), and California (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 14 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is James L Garard Jr Charitable Tr open to new grantees?
57%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 8 of 14 grantees (57%) were first-time recipients. With only 14 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $13K; repeat grants $15K. How we count
Medians: $4K first-time, $15K repeat.
- 43% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 35% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 111% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $108K (2023) to $467K (2020). In 2025 it made 14 grants totaling $192K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Northfield TWP Food Pantry Glenview, IL | Provide Food Services | $42,000 |
| CC of FL Scholarship Program Boynton Beach, FL | Promoting Scholarships | $41,250 |
| The Little Club Scholarship Delray Beach, FL | Support Education | $25,000 |
| North Shore Country Day School Winnetka, IL | Support Education | $20,005 |
| Northfield Community Church Northfield, IL | Health, Hope & Healing to Community | $20,000 |
| National Mill Dog Rescue Colorado Springs, CO | Animal Related | $10,000 |
| Wild Animal Sanctuary Keenesburg, CO | Protect Endangered Animals | $10,000 |
| Old Elm Scholarship Fund Highland Park, IL | Support Student Financial Aid | $5,000 |
| Hope Campus Fort Smith, AR | Promote Homeless Services | $5,000 |
| Lake Forest Academy Lake Forest, IL | Promoting Scholarships | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with James L Garard Jr Charitable Tr?
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 | $1,814,143 | $128,404 | $201,395 | $192,255 | 14 | $199,358 | $126,367 | $179,980 |
| 2024 | $1,886,558 | $129,409 | $199,474 | $191,919 | 18 | $191,919 | $117,747 | $169,392 |
| 2023 | $1,952,005 | $106,513 | $107,515 | $107,500 | 18 | $107,500 | $106,498 | $120,964 |
| 2022 | $1,946,384 | $106,830 | $301,961 | $295,611 | 24 | $301,961 | $106,830 | $122,492 |
| 2021 | $2,149,223 | $689,016 | $130,815 | $124,500 | 20 | $130,685 | $100,093 | $106,736 |
| 2020 | $1,591,022 | $301,392 | $473,169 | $466,850 | 27 | — | $96,923 | $81,809 |
| 2019 | $1,771,306 | $280,286 | $364,875 | $351,890 | 32 | — | $270,374 | $84,440 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, James L Garard Jr Charitable Tr reported a distributable amount of $180K 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 separate mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants show support for organizations working in education and scholarships, food services, community services, animal welfare, and homeless services.
The grantees’ own descriptions illustrate the work supported. The Little Club Scholarship says it grants scholarships to eligible students for education at vocational, secondary, undergraduate, graduate, and other institutions. National Mill Dog Rescue says it rescues, rehabilitates, and re-homes discarded breeding dogs and educates the public about commercial dog breeding. The IWFS Foundation says it funds scholarships for the study of culinary arts. North Shore Country Day School’s foundation says it supports the school, while Lake Forest Academy describes its aims as cultivating character, scholarship, citizenship, and responsibility in students.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 14 grants totaling $192,255. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $42,000, with a median grant of $7,500. Its largest awards included $42,000 to Northfield Twp Food Pantry for food services; $41,250 to CC of FL Scholarship Program to promote scholarships; $25,000 to The Little Club Scholarship to support education; $20,005 to North Shore Country Day School to support education; and $20,000 to Northfield Community Church for health, hope, and healing in the community. Other grants included $10,000 each to National Mill Dog Rescue and Wild Animal Sanctuary, and $5,000 to Hope Campus for homeless services.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
James L Garard Jr is listed as trustee.
James L Garard Jr Charitable Tr is led by James L. Garard Jr., Trustee on every filing since 2019 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
James L. Garard Jr.
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 James L Garard Jr Charitable Tr
How much does James L Garard Jr Charitable Tr give each year?
James L Garard Jr Charitable Tr gave $192K across 14 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $192K across 18 grants.
What is James L Garard Jr Charitable Tr's typical grant size?
James L Garard Jr Charitable Tr's median grant in 2025 was $7,500, and its average grant was $13,733, across 14 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from James L Garard Jr Charitable Tr that year got $13K on average.
Where does James L Garard Jr Charitable Tr give grants?
James L Garard Jr Charitable Tr gives mostly in Illinois: 51% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Florida (34%) and Colorado (10%).
Does James L Garard Jr Charitable Tr give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 14 grants with a stated purpose on James L Garard Jr Charitable Tr's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are James L Garard Jr Charitable Tr's largest grantees?
James L Garard Jr Charitable Tr's largest 2025 grantees include Northfield TWP Food Pantry ($42,000), CC of FL Scholarship Program ($41,250) and The Little Club Scholarship ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 56% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is James L Garard Jr Charitable Tr?
James L Garard Jr Charitable Tr reported $1.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $199K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $180K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does James L Garard Jr Charitable Tr fund?
No separate mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants show support for organizations working in education and scholarships, food services, community services, animal welfare, and homeless services. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from James L Garard Jr Charitable Tr?
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 James L Garard Jr Charitable Tr's EIN?
James L Garard Jr Charitable Tr's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-6971311. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does James L Garard Jr Charitable Tr 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.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS March 27, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 27, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 3, 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 May 6, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 24, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 16, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). James L Garard Jr Charitable Tr funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/james-l-garard-jr-charitable-tr-morg_4bc7c4f12bb34e6f8b7046c38d10588e
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_366971311_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{James L Garard Jr Charitable Tr funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/james-l-garard-jr-charitable-tr-morg_4bc7c4f12bb34e6f8b7046c38d10588e},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 James L Garard Jr Charitable Tr'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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