John F Smiekel Foundation
The John F Smiekel Foundation is a private foundation based in Elmhurst, Illinois. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, including organizations working in hunger relief, housing, humanitarian aid, education, animal welfare, and conservation.
John F Smiekel Foundation at a glance
In short: John F Smiekel Foundation gave $220K across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $20K), top state North Carolina. 27% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $220,000
- +4.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 11
- -8.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $20,000
- +14.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $16,250
- Total assets
- $4,451,362
- +10.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 27% first-time grantees (3 of 11, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- North Carolina (24% 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 John F Smiekel Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 195 N Addison Ave Unit 504, Elmhurst, IL 60126
Phone: (708) 442-9487
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who John F Smiekel Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Direct Relief ($33K). Together the top 10 received $210K.
Grant Size Distribution
56 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 56 grants of 56 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grants went to organizations in North Carolina (24% of grant dollars), Illinois (22%), California (15%), Indiana (15%), and Florida (14%). The listed recipients also include organizations in Georgia and Montana.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
Cities
Is John F Smiekel Foundation open to new grantees?
27%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 3 of 11 grantees (27%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $20K; repeat grants $20K. How we count
Medians: $15K first-time, $16K repeat.
- 64% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−11%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 106% 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 $192K (2019) to $246K (2022). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $220K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Direct Relief Santa Barbara, CA | Further Exempt Purpose | $32,500 |
| Citizens Concerned for the Homeless Michigan City, IN | Further Exempt Purpose | $32,500 |
| Northern Illinois Food Bank Geneva, IL | Further Exempt Purpose | $32,500 |
| Grandfather Community Foundation Linville, NC | Further Exempt Purpose | $25,000 |
| Codeart Miami, FL | Further Exempt Purpose | $16,250 |
| Nourishing Hope Chicago, IL | Further Exempt Purpose | $16,250 |
| Avery County Humane Society Newland, NC | Further Exempt Purpose | $15,000 |
| Bonefish & Tarpon Trust Miami, FL | Further Exempt Purpose | $15,000 |
| Jeremy Elliot Scholarship Fdn Jefferson, NC | Further Exempt Purpose | $12,500 |
| Yellowstone Forever Bozeman, MT | Further Exempt Purpose | $12,500 |
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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 | $4,451,362 | $718,464 | $311,576 | $220,000 | 11 | $240,247 | $652,010 | $226,070 |
| 2024 | $4,040,676 | $340,630 | $285,865 | $210,000 | 12 | $222,829 | $277,594 | $225,401 |
| 2023 | $3,985,172 | $196,419 | $269,456 | $196,000 | 11 | $209,880 | $136,843 | $208,632 |
| 2022 | $4,060,562 | $189,044 | $327,571 | $246,000 | 11 | $258,688 | $130,482 | $227,467 |
| 2021 | $4,200,693 | $540,271 | $307,457 | $220,000 | 11 | $239,439 | $472,727 | $256,935 |
| 2020 | $3,968,360 | $258,371 | $291,035 | $224,700 | 12 | — | $203,538 | $240,210 |
| 2019 | $4,006,651 | $791,864 | $277,393 | $192,400 | 12 | — | $141,583 | $186,178 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, John F Smiekel Foundation reported a distributable amount of $226K 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 went to organizations with varied missions. For example, Northern Illinois Food Bank says it provides meals and access to nutritious food through a network of pantries and programs, while Citizens Concerned for the Homeless says it provides temporary shelter and counseling to homeless families. Direct Relief describes its work as humanitarian aid for people affected by poverty or emergencies. Other grantees describe missions involving education, animal welfare, community service, food and social services, and conservation.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation gave $220,000 through 11 grants. Grants ranged from $10,000 to $32,500, with a median grant of $16,250.
The largest 2025 grants included $32,500 each to Direct Relief, Citizens Concerned for the Homeless, and Northern Illinois Food Bank; $25,000 to Grandfather Community Foundation; and $16,250 each to CodeArt and Nourishing Hope.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Officers and directors listed on the 2025 filing are Christine Milleker, President/Treasurer; William Milleker, Vice President; Tish Kletcke-Wilson, Secretary; and trustees Patrick Smiekel, Robert Kletcke, and Kate Milleker.
John F Smiekel Foundation is led by Christine Milleker, President on every filing since 2019; 1 of 6 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Christine Milleker
President
On filings since 2019
$23K (2019) → $25K (2025)
Patrick Smiekel
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Robert Kletcke
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Kate Milleker
Trustee
On filings since 2022
No compensation reported
Tish Kletcke-Wilson
Secretary
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
William Milleker
Vice President
Vice President → Trustee, 2022
Trustee → Vice President, 2023
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Robert C. Aument (2019–2020) — Trustee
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $25K, to Christine Milleker (President/Tr).
Frequently asked questions about John F Smiekel Foundation
How much does John F Smiekel Foundation give each year?
John F Smiekel Foundation gave $220K across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $210K across 12 grants.
What is John F Smiekel Foundation's typical grant size?
John F Smiekel Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $16,250, and its average grant was $20,000, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from John F Smiekel Foundation that year got $20K on average.
Where does John F Smiekel Foundation give grants?
John F Smiekel Foundation's top state is North Carolina, with 24% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Illinois (22%) and California (15%). The most frequent recipient cities were Miami, FL (2 grants).
Who are John F Smiekel Foundation's largest grantees?
John F Smiekel Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Direct Relief ($32,500), Citizens Concerned for the Homeless ($32,500) and Northern Illinois Food Bank ($32,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 44% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is John F Smiekel Foundation?
John F Smiekel Foundation reported $4.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $240K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $226K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does John F Smiekel Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations with varied missions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from John F Smiekel 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 John F Smiekel Foundation's EIN?
John F Smiekel Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 94-3109481. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does John F Smiekel 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 14, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS December 9, 2019)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 7, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 11, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 15, 2024)
Live grants for the work John F Smiekel Foundation funds
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Browse active grant opportunities in John F Smiekel Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). John F Smiekel Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/john-f-smiekel-foundation-morg_856e1117cf3a49ddb790b789e26ec9d1
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_943109481_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{John F Smiekel Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/john-f-smiekel-foundation-morg_856e1117cf3a49ddb790b789e26ec9d1},
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 John F Smiekel 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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