Kenneth & Harle Montgomery Foundation

CHICAGO, IL EIN: 36-3871012

The Kenneth and Harle Montgomery Foundation is a private foundation established in 1993 and based in Chicago, Illinois. The foundation was created by Kenneth F. Montgomery, a Chicago lawyer, and his wife Harle Montgomery to support educational projects and philanthropic initiatives nationwide.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

Annual Giving

$798K

-10.3% YoY

Grant Count

25

-10.7% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$32K

+0.5% YoY

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation's grantmaking focuses on education, philanthropy, voluntarism, and human services. The foundation emphasizes the power of education as a means for people to help themselves, with particular interest in supporting educational projects across multiple disciplines including law and social sciences.

Primary funding areas include:

  • Education
  • Science and STEM education
  • Philanthropy and grantmaking
  • Human services
  • Social justice and social welfare

Grantmaking

The foundation made 32 grants in 2023, with typical award amounts ranging from $500 to $175,000.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation's grantmaking focuses primarily on California, Texas, and Illinois, though it funds educational projects nationwide.

Grant Distribution by State

11states
+3 more states

Cities

BOSTONCHICAGOCINCINNATIDALLASDUARTEGLENVIEWGOLFGREENWOOD LAKEHARBERTIRVINELA JOLLALAKE GENEVALEVELLANDLOS ANGELESNEW ORLEANSNEW YORKPASADENAPOSTSAN DIEGOSANTA ANA

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

As of December 31, 2023:

  • Total Assets: $12,015,411
  • Total Revenues: $1,208,125
  • Total Expenses: $1,003,617
  • Number of Employees: 0

As of 2024:

  • Total Assets: $12,548,900
  • Total Giving: $797,604
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$0.275$0.55$0.8250000000000001$1.120202021202220232024
Metric202420232022
Total Assets
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
Distributable Amount

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$419K$838K$1M$2M32 grants202035 grants202130 grants202228 grants202325 grants2024

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

YERKES FUTURE FOUNDATION…$175KAFRICAN GROVE INSTITUTE …$100KJOHN G SHEDD AQUARIUM$100KPEOPLE'S RESOURCE CENTER$100KSOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PUBL…$50KEVANS SCHOLARS FOUNDATION$42KCITY OF HOPE$40KSTANFORD LAW SCHOOL$25KTHE UCI FOUNDATION$25KUTOPIA FOUNDATION INC$25K

Grant Size Distribution

150 grants across all recorded years

121<$50K19$50–100K9$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M1$1–5M$5M+

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

No grants recorded for .

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

  • Bryant G. Garth – Trustee (nephew of Harle Montgomery)
  • Cynthia Kobel – Trustee and Executive Director
  • Walter W. Bell – Treasurer and Vice President

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

NameTitleHoursCompensation
BRYANT G GARTHDIRECTOR/PRESIDENT
WALTER W BELLDIRECTOR/EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
ANDREW W GARTHDIRECTOR/VICE PRESIDENT
LINDA L LANDRETHDIRECTOR/TREASURER
BRENT L BARRINGERDIRECTOR/SECRETARY

Recent News & Activity

Recent developments and announcements

The foundation continues to support Southwestern Law School's Montgomery Scholars Program, which fosters cutting-edge legal scholarship. The foundation maintains active grantmaking across education, social welfare, and arts organizations, with recent grants supporting medical causes, community resource centers, and cultural institutions.

2021/22 Kenneth & Harle Montgomery Foundation Scholars

Related Funders

Similar funders by location and focus area

Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.

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