John R Flanagan Charitable Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Chicago, IL EIN: 81-3101626

The John R Flanagan Charitable Foundation is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. In 2025, it made grants to charitable organizations, with each listed grant designated for general charitable purposes.

John R Flanagan Charitable Foundation at a glance

In short: John R Flanagan Charitable Foundation gave $1.2M across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $111K), mostly in Illinois. 27% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$1,225,000
-28.2% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
11
+0.0% vs 2024
Average grant
$111,364
-28.2% vs 2024
Median grant
$50,000
Total assets
$30,651,564
+2.3% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
27% first-time grantees (3 of 11, 2025; small sample)
Primary geography
Illinois (88% 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 R Flanagan Charitable 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: Co Rebecca Wallenfelsz PO Box 259, Chicago, IL 60690-2593
Phone: (312) 845-3442

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who John R Flanagan Charitable Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Northwestern University: $525KNorthwestern University$525KNorthwestern Memorial Foundation: $250KNorthwestern MemorialFoundation$250KGreater Chicago Food Depository: $150KGreater Chicago FoodDepository$150KUniversity of Minnesota Foundation: $70KUniversity of MinnesotaFoundation$70KFriends of Apostle Island: $50KFriends of Apostle Island$50KMetropolitan Family Services: $50KMetropolitan Family Services$50KThe Neighborhood Bridge: $50KThe Neighborhood Bridge$50KFriends of Nachusa: $25KFriends of Nachusa$25KRecreation and Fitness Resources: $25KRecreation and FitnessResources$25KLegal Aid for New Entrepreneurs Inc: $20KLegal Aid for NewEntrepreneurs Inc$20K

The largest 2025 recipient was Northwestern University ($525K). Together the top 10 received $1.2M.

Grant Size Distribution

52 grants across all recorded years

16<$50K15$50–100K11$100–250K5$250–500K2$500K–1M3$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 16 grants of 52 (31%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, 88% of grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois, 6% to Wisconsin, and 6% to Minnesota.

Grant Distribution by State

7states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.

Cities

ChicagoBayfieldEvanstonFranklin GroveOak ParkWashingtonBaltimoreBooneDuhamDuluthIron RiverMinneapolisSuperiorWashburn

Is John R Flanagan Charitable 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 $33K; repeat grants $141K. How we count

Medians: $20K first-time, $50K repeat.

  • 73% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving fell 57% from 2022 to 2025. Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 71% 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.

Giving History

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$1M$2M$3M11 grants2020 11 grants2021 10 grants2022 9 grants2023 11 grants2024 11 grants2025

From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.2M (2025) to $2.8M (2022). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $1.2M.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Northwestern University Evanston, ILFor General Charitable Purposes$525,000
Northwestern Memorial Foundation Chicago, ILFor General Charitable Purposes$250,000
Greater Chicago Food Depository Chicago, ILFor General Charitable Purposes$150,000
University of Minnesota Foundation Minneapolis, MNFor General Charitable Purposes$70,000
Friends of Apostle Island Bayfield, WIFor General Charitable Purposes$50,000
Metropolitan Family Services Chicago, ILFor General Charitable Purposes$50,000
The Neighborhood Bridge Oak Park, ILFor General Charitable Purposes$50,000
Friends of Nachusa Franklin Grove, ILFor General Charitable Purposes$25,000
Recreation and Fitness Resources Bayfield, WIFor General Charitable Purposes$25,000
Legal Aid for New Entrepreneurs Inc Chicago, ILFor General Charitable Purposes$20,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$30,651,564$2,242,505$1,574,083$1,225,00011$1,429,218$2,143,155$2,017,573
2024$29,969,079$1,988,560$2,007,584$1,705,00011$1,901,600$1,888,493$1,897,803
2023$29,977,639$858,171$1,984,581$1,681,0009$1,880,062$758,512$1,734,303
2022$31,062,591$904,426$3,129,771$2,847,17110$3,003,451$814,354$1,834,908
2021$32,776,416$1,914,042$2,381,598$2,115,50011$2,293,745$1,797,427$2,008,827
2020$33,222,752$-349,226$1,838,137$1,575,00011—$666,564$1,761,704

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, John R Flanagan Charitable Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2.0M 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

The foundation’s own mission is not stated in the available information. Its 2025 grantees include organizations engaged in higher education, hunger relief, and family and community services. Northwestern University describes its mission as excellent teaching, innovative research, and students’ personal and intellectual growth. The Greater Chicago Food Depository says its mission is to end hunger and that it works with community organizations and individuals toward that goal. Metropolitan Family Services says its mission is to provide and mobilize services to strengthen families and communities. The University of Minnesota Foundation describes its purpose as supporting the University of Minnesota.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation made 11 grants totaling $1,225,000. Grants ranged from $10,000 to $525,000, with a median of $50,000. The largest awards were $525,000 to Northwestern University, $250,000 to Northwestern Memorial Foundation, and $150,000 to the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Other grants included $70,000 to the University of Minnesota Foundation; $50,000 each to Friends of Apostle Island, Metropolitan Family Services, and The Neighborhood Bridge; $25,000 each to Friends of Nachusa and Recreation and Fitness Resources; $20,000 to Legal Aid for New Entrepreneurs Inc; and $10,000 to Beauty in Beauty Out Foundation. Each was designated for general charitable purposes.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Rebecca Wallenfelsz Chapman Cutler, John Boyle, and David S Crossett as co-trustees.

John R Flanagan Charitable Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; all 3 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • John Boyle

    Co-Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    0.5 hrs/week

    $23K (2020) → $25K (2025)

  • Rebecca Wallenfelsz Chapman Cutler

    Co-Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    0.5 hrs/week

    $175K (2020) → $220K (2025)

  • David S. Crossett

    Co-Trustee

    On filings since 2021

    0.5 hrs/week

    $13K (2021) → $25K (2025)

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.

Compensation Overview

From 2025 IRS filing

Rebecca Wallenfelsz Chapman Cutler — Co-Trustee: $220KRebecca Wallenfelsz…Co-Trustee$220KJohn Boyle — Co-Trustee: $25KJohn BoyleCo-Trustee$25KDavid S Crossett — Co-Trustee: $25KDavid S CrossettCo-Trustee$25K

The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $220K, to Rebecca Wallenfelsz Chapman Cutler (Co-Trustee). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.

Frequently asked questions about John R Flanagan Charitable Foundation

How much does John R Flanagan Charitable Foundation give each year?

John R Flanagan Charitable Foundation gave $1.2M across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.7M across 11 grants.

What is John R Flanagan Charitable Foundation's typical grant size?

John R Flanagan Charitable Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $50,000, and its average grant was $111,364, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from John R Flanagan Charitable Foundation that year got $33K on average.

Where does John R Flanagan Charitable Foundation give grants?

John R Flanagan Charitable Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 88% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Wisconsin (6%) and Minnesota (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (5 grants) and Bayfield, WI (2 grants).

Does John R Flanagan Charitable Foundation give general operating support?

Yes: 100% of John R Flanagan Charitable Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (11 of 11) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are John R Flanagan Charitable Foundation's largest grantees?

John R Flanagan Charitable Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Northwestern University ($525,000), Northwestern Memorial Foundation ($250,000) and Greater Chicago Food Depository ($150,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 76% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is John R Flanagan Charitable Foundation?

John R Flanagan Charitable Foundation reported $30.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.4M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $2.0M (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 John R Flanagan Charitable Foundation fund?

The foundation’s own mission is not stated in the available information. Its 2025 grantees include organizations engaged in higher education, hunger relief, and family and community services. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from John R Flanagan Charitable 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 R Flanagan Charitable Foundation's EIN?

John R Flanagan Charitable Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 81-3101626. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.

Does John R Flanagan Charitable 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

  1. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
  2. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). John R Flanagan Charitable Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/john-r-flanagan-charitable-foundation-morg_c524bad610de49c685b3a03bb28652ff

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_813101626_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{John R Flanagan Charitable Foundation funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/john-r-flanagan-charitable-foundation-morg_c524bad610de49c685b3a03bb28652ff},
  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 John R Flanagan Charitable 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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