Knight Impact Partners logo

Knight Impact Partners

Private foundation · Grantmaker Lake Forest, IL EIN: 27-6566394 Website

Knight Impact Partners is a private foundation based in Lake Forest, Illinois. Its 2024 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, with most grant dollars going to recipients in Illinois.

Knight Impact Partners at a glance

In short: Knight Impact Partners gave $5.1M across 32 grants in 2024 (avg $159K), mostly in Illinois. 56% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2024)
$5,072,149
+735.6% vs 2023
Grants made (2024)
32
+146.2% vs 2023
Average grant
$158,505
+239.5% vs 2023
Median grant
$50,000
Total assets
$23,953,618
-11.3% vs 2023
New grantees (estimate)
56% first-time grantees (18 of 32, 2024)
Primary geography
Illinois (97% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).

How to apply to Knight Impact Partners

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: 272 E Deerpath Rd 236, Lake Forest, IL 60045
Phone: (847) 283-7810

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

Who Knight Impact Partners funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Inner-City Muslim Action Network: $1.0MInner-City Muslim ActionNetwork$1.0MOne Acre Fund: $750KOne Acre Fund$750KNorthshore Hospitals Foundation: $560KNorthshore HospitalsFoundation$560KCity Colleges of Chicago Foundation: $500KCity Colleges of ChicagoFoundation$500KLa CASA Norte: $325KLa CASA Norte$325KNorthwestern University: $250KNorthwestern University$250KMaafa Redemption Project Inc: $200KMaafa Redemption Project Inc$200KOne Million Degrees: $200KOne Million Degrees$200KThe Cara Program: $200KThe Cara Program$200KConnections for the Homeless: $150KConnections for the Homeless$150K

The largest 2024 recipient was Inner-City Muslim Action Network ($1.0M). Together the top 10 received $4.1M.

Grant Size Distribution

101 grants across all recorded years

61<$50K9$50–100K18$100–250K5$250–500K4$500K–1M4$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 61 grants of 101 (60%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2024, 97% of grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois and 2% to recipients in Massachusetts. Michigan and New York each accounted for 0% as reported.

Grant Distribution by State

4states

Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 32 itemized grants.

Cities

ChicagoEvanstonTraverse CityElmiraNorthfieldHighland ParkBostonBrooklynNew YorkGlencoeOak Park

Is Knight Impact Partners open to new grantees?

56%

first-time grantees, 2024

In 2024, 18 of 32 grantees (56%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $193K; repeat grants $114K. How we count

Medians: $150K first-time, $25K repeat.

  • 28% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
  • Giving grew 242% from 2021 to 2024. Method
  • In 2024 it paid out 284% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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$2M$4M$6M21 grants2020 17 grants2021 18 grants2022 13 grants2023 32 grants2024

From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $607K (2023) to $5.1M (2024). In 2024 it made 32 grants totaling $5.1M.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Inner-City Muslim Action Network Chicago, ILGeneral Support$1,000,000
One Acre Fund Highland Park, ILGeneral Support$750,000
Northshore Hospitals Foundation Evanston, ILGeneral Support$560,499
City Colleges of Chicago Foundation Chicago, ILGeneral Support$500,000
La CASA Norte Chicago, ILHope for Homes Day & Non-Congregate Shelter Project$325,000
Northwestern University Evanston, ILKnight Scholars Fund$250,000
Maafa Redemption Project Inc Chicago, ILGeneral Support$200,000
One Million Degrees Chicago, ILGeneral Support$200,000
The Cara Program Chicago, ILGeneral Support$200,000
Connections for the Homeless Evanston, ILGeneral Support$150,000
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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
2024$23,953,618$2,227,674$5,287,083$5,072,14932$5,072,149$2,011,220$1,786,782
2023$27,013,027$13,446,174$785,546$607,00013$607,000$1,556,160$1,162,281
2022$14,398,173$5,069,270$2,017,225$1,854,40618$1,854,406$220,434$925,944
2021$13,410,132$2,923,564$1,609,192$1,482,44517$1,482,445$1,842,165$961,611
2020$12,095,018$2,186,504$2,428,261$2,340,61521—$621,713$827,447

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Knight Impact Partners reported a distributable amount of $1.8M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

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

Mission & Focus Areas

The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2024 grants went to organizations whose stated missions include health and wellness, hunger relief, education, housing and homelessness services, and employment pathways.

For example, Inner-City Muslim Action Network describes its mission as fostering health, wellness, and healing in the inner city through social change, the arts, and a holistic health center. One Acre Fund says it works with rural self-help groups to help chronically hungry farm families in Africa address hunger and poverty. La Casa Norte says it provides services, resources, and housing to people and families facing homelessness. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.

Grantmaking

In 2024, the foundation reported 32 grants totaling $5,072,149. Grants ranged from $1,500 to $1,000,000, with a median of $50,000. The largest grants included $1,000,000 to Inner-City Muslim Action Network for general support; $750,000 to One Acre Fund for general support; $560,499 to NorthShore Hospitals Foundation for general support; and $500,000 to City Colleges of Chicago Foundation.

Other notable 2024 grants included $325,000 to La Casa Norte for its Hope for Homes Day and Non-Congregate Shelter Project; $250,000 to Northwestern University for the Knight Scholars Fund; and $200,000 each to MAAFA Redemption Project, One Million Degrees, and The Cara Program. The latter three grants were for general support.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2024 filing lists Rebecca W. Knight and Lester B. Knight as trustees, Sol A. Flores as CEO, and Christopher T. Childs as CFO.

Knight Impact Partners is led by Sol A. Flores, CEO on the 2024 filing; none of the 4 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.

Officers on the 2024 filing

  • Sol A. Flores

    CEO

    New on the 2024 filing

    40 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Lester B. Knight

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    20 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Rebecca W. Knight

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    30 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Christopher T. Childs

    CFO

    New on the 2024 filing

    10 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Knight Impact Partners

How much does Knight Impact Partners give each year?

Knight Impact Partners gave $5.1M across 32 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $607K across 13 grants.

What is Knight Impact Partners's typical grant size?

Knight Impact Partners's median grant in 2024 was $50,000, and its average grant was $158,505, across 32 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Knight Impact Partners that year got $193K on average.

Where does Knight Impact Partners give grants?

Knight Impact Partners gives mostly in Illinois: 97% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (20 grants) and Evanston, IL (5 grants).

Does Knight Impact Partners give general operating support?

Yes: 81% of Knight Impact Partners's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (26 of 32) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are Knight Impact Partners's largest grantees?

Knight Impact Partners's largest 2024 grantees include Inner-City Muslim Action Network ($1,000,000), One Acre Fund ($750,000) and Northshore Hospitals Foundation ($560,499), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 46% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.

How large is Knight Impact Partners?

Knight Impact Partners reported $24.0M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $5.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.8M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does Knight Impact Partners fund?

The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2024 grants went to organizations whose stated missions include health and wellness, hunger relief, education, housing and homelessness services, and employment pathways. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Knight Impact Partners?

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 Knight Impact Partners's EIN?

Knight Impact Partners's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 27-6566394. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.

Does Knight Impact Partners 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 October 2026.

Data update history

(1)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). Knight Impact Partners funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/knight-impact-partners-morg_a4fd7b871a614182a776ce27192786d2

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_276566394_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{Knight Impact Partners funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/knight-impact-partners-morg_a4fd7b871a614182a776ce27192786d2},
  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 Knight Impact Partners'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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