Lifetract Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Chicago, IL EIN: 26-2643205

Lifetract Foundation is a Chicago, Illinois-based private foundation that reported $615,000 in grants to 10 charitable organizations in 2025. Its filing states that it contributes only to preselected charitable organizations.

Lifetract Foundation at a glance

In short: Lifetract Foundation gave $615K across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $62K), mostly in Illinois. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$615,000
+4.2% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
10
+25.0% vs 2024
Average grant
$61,500
-16.6% vs 2024
Median grant
$10,000
Total assets
$3,771
-0.4% vs 2024
Primary geography
Illinois (93% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.

How to apply to Lifetract 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: 350 North Orleans Ste S10000, Chicago, IL 60654
Phone: (312) 427-7100

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

Who Lifetract Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Hope Chicago: $300KHope Chicago$300KNorthwestern Memorial Foundation: $250KNorthwestern MemorialFoundation$250KRocky Mountain Crisis: $10KRocky Mountain Crisis$10K100 Thousan Foundation: $10K100 Thousan Foundation$10KGlencoe Public Library: $10KGlencoe Public Library$10KTRCP: $10KTRCP$10KPFLAG National: $8KPFLAG National$8K7 Rivers LGBTQ Connection: $8K7 Rivers LGBTQ Connection$8KTrans Law Help Wisc: $5KTrans Law Help Wisc$5KGlencoe Junior Kindergarten: $5KGlencoe Junior Kindergarten$5K

The largest 2025 recipient was Hope Chicago ($300K). Together the top 10 received $615K.

Grant Size Distribution

20 grants across all recorded years

14<$50K$50–100K$100–250K6$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 14 grants of 20 (70%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, 93% of grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois, 3% to recipients in Washington, DC, 2% to recipients in Wisconsin, and 2% to recipients in Colorado.

Grant Distribution by State

8states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.

Cities

ChicagoWashingtonDenverGlencoeDeerfieldEugeneEvanstonLa CrosseMadisonNew YorkPageWest Hollywood

How Lifetract Foundation gives

  • 40% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving grew 146% from 2022 to 2025. Method
  • In 2025 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (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$200K$400K$600K$800K1 grant2020 0 grants2021 1 grant2022 1 grant2023 8 grants2024 10 grants2025

From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $250K (2020) to $615K (2025). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $615K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Hope Chicago Chicago, ILDonation to Charity$300,000
Northwestern Memorial Foundation Chicago, ILDonation to Charity$250,000
Rocky Mountain Crisis Denver, CODonation to Charity$10,000
100 Thousan Foundation Deerfield, ILDonation to Charity$10,000
Glencoe Public Library Glencoe, ILDonation to Charity$10,000
TRCP Washington, DCDonation to Charity$10,000
PFLAG National Washington, DCDonation to Charity$7,500
7 Rivers LGBTQ Connection La Crosse, WIDonation to Charity$7,500
Trans Law Help Wisc Madison, WIDonation to Charity$5,000
Glencoe Junior Kindergarten Glencoe, ILDonation to Charity$5,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsDistributable Amount
2025$3,771$615,000$615,015$615,00010$615,015$289
2024$3,786$590,000$590,237$590,0008$237$361
2023$4,023$300,000$300,000$300,0001$300,000$198
2022$4,023$175,000$250,102$250,0001$250,102$510
2021$79,125—————$3,897
2020$79,125$250,000$250,000$250,0001—$3,897

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Lifetract Foundation reported a distributable amount of $289 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 included support for organizations working in education, health care, crisis response, LGBTQ+ services, and library services. HOPE Chicago says its mission is to expand access to debt-free postsecondary education and support students and parents in completing those pathways. Glencoe Junior Kindergarten says it provides early childhood education for children ages 18 months to 5 years.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation reported 10 grants totaling $615,000. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $300,000, with a median grant of $10,000. Its largest grants were $300,000 to HOPE Chicago and $250,000 to Northwestern Memorial Foundation, both in Chicago. Other grants included $10,000 each to Rocky Mountain Crisis, 100 Thousan Foundation, Glencoe Public Library, and TRCP; $7,500 each to PFLAG National and 7 Rivers LGBTQ Connection; and $5,000 each to Trans Law Help Wisc and Glencoe Junior Kindergarten.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Brian Gelber as president, Franklin Gelber as vice president, and Sandra Gelber as secretary.

Lifetract Foundation is led by Brian R. Gelber, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Brian R. Gelber

    President

    On filings since 2020

    No compensation reported

  • Franklin A. Gelber

    Vice President

    On filings since 2020

    No compensation reported

  • Sandra Gelber

    Secretary

    On filings since 2020

    No compensation reported

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.

Frequently asked questions about Lifetract Foundation

How much does Lifetract Foundation give each year?

Lifetract Foundation gave $615K across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $590K across 8 grants.

What is Lifetract Foundation's typical grant size?

Lifetract Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $61,500, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Where does Lifetract Foundation give grants?

Lifetract Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 93% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (2 grants), Washington, DC (2 grants) and Glencoe, IL (2 grants).

Does Lifetract Foundation give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 10 grants with a stated purpose on Lifetract Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Donation to Charity" (10 grants).

Who are Lifetract Foundation's largest grantees?

Lifetract Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Hope Chicago ($300,000), Northwestern Memorial Foundation ($250,000) and Rocky Mountain Crisis ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 91% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Lifetract Foundation?

Lifetract Foundation reported $4K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $615K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $289 (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does Lifetract Foundation fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations working in education, health care, crisis response, LGBTQ+ services, and library services. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Lifetract 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 Lifetract Foundation's EIN?

Lifetract Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-2643205. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.

Does Lifetract 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 June 25, 2026)
  2. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). Lifetract Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 21, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/lifetract-foundation-morg_206f50f5749c4080afb18c00f532e0fb

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_262643205_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{Lifetract Foundation funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/lifetract-foundation-morg_206f50f5749c4080afb18c00f532e0fb},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-21. 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 Lifetract 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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