Katherine L Olson Charitable Foundation
The Katherine L Olson Charitable Foundation is a private foundation established in 1986 and located in Chicago, Illinois. It holds 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status and operates as an independent grantmaking foundation.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
—
Annual Giving
$397K
+10.9% YoY
Grant Count
58
+9.4% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$7K
+1.3% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation primarily funds unrestricted charitable gifts and supports several specific initiatives including:
- Women's board education department
- Women's board scholarship
- Bowen Scholarship Fund
- Summer of a Lifetime program
Grantmaking
The foundation provides both unrestricted charitable gifts and support for specific programs and scholarships.
Grant Range
approximately $6,200
Average Grant
approximately $6,200
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Most Recent Data (2024):
- Total assets: $4,877,210
- Total giving: $396,500
- Revenue: $225,000
- Expenses: $458,000
- Total liabilities: $0
Prior Year Data (2023):
- Total assets: $5,110,023
- Total revenues: $118,120
- Total expenses: $410,196
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | — | — | — |
| Revenue | — | — | — |
| Expenses | — | — | — |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | — | — | — |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
250 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Greater Chicago Food Depository ($24,000), Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violen ($15,000), Greater Chicago Food Depository ($15,000).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Alzheimer's Association Chicago, IL | Unrestricted Charitable Gift | $1,500 |
| American Red Cross Boone, IA | Unrestricted Charitable Gift | $5,000 |
| Angelic Organics Learning Center Inc Caledonia, IL | Unrestricted Charitable Gift | $3,000 |
| Art Institute of Chicago Chicago, IL | Women's Board Education Department | $10,000 |
| Bay City News Foundation Berkeley, CA | Unrestricted Charitable Gift | $3,000 |
| Bozeman Public School Foundation Bozeman, MT | Unrestricted Charitable Gift | $3,000 |
| C J Jung Center Evanston, IL | Unrestricted Charitable Gift | $5,000 |
| Chicago Botanic Garden Glencoe, IL | Unrestricted Charitable Gift | $1,500 |
| Chicago Coalition for the Homeless Chicago, IL | Unrestricted Charitable Gift | $5,000 |
| Chicago Shakespeare Theater Chicago, IL | Unrestricted Charitable Gift | $3,000 |
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
- Katherine L Olson - Trustee (Part-Time)
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| KATHERINE L OLSON | TRUSTEE- PART-TIME | — | — |
Contact Information
- Address: Robbins, 180 N Stetson Ave Ste 2550, Chicago, IL 60601
- Phone: 312-609-1100
- EIN: 36-6857384
- Tax-exempt since: June 1987
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Katherine L Olson Charitable Foundation fund?
The foundation primarily funds unrestricted charitable gifts and supports several specific initiatives including: • Women's board education department • Women's board scholarship • Bowen Scholarship Fund • Summer of a Lifetime program
How do I apply for a grant from Katherine L Olson Charitable Foundation?
**Grant Activity:** • Made 50 grants in 2023, totaling $231,500 • Made 56 grants in another recent year, totaling $346,800 • Average grant size: approximately $6,200 • Median grant size: $5,000 **Recent Grant Recipients (2023):** • Kenilworth Union Church ($15,000) • Giffords Law Center To Prevent Gun Violence ($15,000) • Shirley Ryan AbilityLab ($15,000) • Sarah's Circle The foundation provides both unrestricted charitable gifts and support for specific programs and scholarships.
What size grants does Katherine L Olson Charitable Foundation award?
In 2024, Katherine L Olson Charitable Foundation awarded 58 grants totaling $397K — an average of about $7K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
What is Katherine L Olson Charitable Foundation's EIN?
Katherine L Olson Charitable Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-6857384. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Katherine L Olson Charitable Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Data last updated June 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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