Lloyd a Fry Foundation
The Lloyd A. Fry Foundation is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. It funds programs in arts learning, education, and employment, focusing on improving conditions for low-income and underserved communities in Chicago.
Lloyd a Fry Foundation at a glance
In short: Lloyd a Fry Foundation gave $9.3M across 394 grants in 2025 (avg $24K), mostly in Illinois. 19% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $9,333,835
- -6.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 394
- -2.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $23,690
- -4.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $208,246,767
- +3.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 19% first-time grantees (60 of 319, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (81% 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 Lloyd a Fry Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The Foundation recommends that first-time applicants and returning grantees seeking support for a new project submit a letter of inquiry (LOI) before a full proposal; an LOI is not required before submitting a proposal. It allows program officers 30 days to respond. The Foundation’s application guidance says an LOI should briefly describe the project and include a project budget and other projected sources of support. Approved LOIs may proceed to a full proposal through the grants portal. The Foundation focuses on 501(c)(3) organizations based in Chicago and rarely funds organizations outside the city. It generally does not fund individuals, government entities, or 509(a)(3) supporting organizations, though exceptions are sometimes made for publicly supported charities. It also excludes general operating expenses for new grantees, capital projects, endowments, fundraising events, political activities, medical research, and religious purposes. Funds awarded for Chicago-based programs must remain in Chicago.
- Review Cycle
- The Foundation lists quarterly proposal deadlines: June 1 for arts learning, education, and employment proposals; September 1 for arts learning and employment; December 1 for education and employment; and March 2 for arts learning and education. As of October 2, 2026, the June 1 and September 1 deadlines have passed; the next listed deadlines are December 1, 2026, for education and employment, and March 2, 2027, for arts learning and education.
- Deadline
- The Foundation lists quarterly proposal deadlines: June 1 for arts learning, education, and employment proposals;…
- Contact
Application contact: The Lloyd A Fry Foundation
Mailing address: 120 South Lasalle St Ste 1950, Chicago, IL 60603
Phone: (312) 580-0310
Website: https://fryfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
3 open opportunities from Lloyd a Fry Foundation
Fry Foundation: Arts Learning Grants
Lloyd a Fry Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Fry Foundation: Education Grants
Lloyd a Fry Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Fry Foundation: Employment Grant
Lloyd a Fry Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Who Lloyd a Fry Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Chicago Community Foundation ($329K across 5 grants). Together the top 10 received $1.8M.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($10,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
1,880 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 1,497 grants of 1,880 (80%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Foundation focuses on Chicago and says it rarely funds organizations based outside the city. In 2025, 81% of grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois, 7% to New York, 5% to Washington, DC, and 2% each to California and Massachusetts.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 394 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Lloyd a Fry Foundation open to new grantees?
19%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 60 of 319 grantees (19%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $12K; repeat grants $33K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $20K repeat.
- 76% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+0%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 131% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $8.8M (2021) to $10.0M (2024). In 2025 it made 394 grants totaling $9.3M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Barack Obama Foundation Chicago, IL | For Support of the Obama Presidential Center | $250,000 |
| Metropolitan Family Services Chicago, IL | For the metropolitan peace academy and the rapid employment and development initiative (READI) | $200,000 |
| New Venture Fund Washington, DC | For connecting for impact: teacher leadership as a driver of professional learning and instructional improvement in chicago | $150,000 |
| Chicago Community Foundation Chicago, IL | For the Chicagoland Workforce Funder Alliance | $125,000 |
| Esperanza Health Centers Chicago, IL | For support of the chicago safety net learning collaborative | $125,000 |
| Institute for Nonviolence Chicago Chicago, IL | For General Operating Support | $125,000 |
| The Leadership Academy Inc Long Island City, NY | For the Chicago Partnership for Student-Centered Leadership | $125,000 |
| Leading Educators Inc Chicago, IL | For chicago school based supports: accelerating student learning and developing teacher leaders | $125,000 |
| Teach Plus Incorporated Chicago, IL | For change agent & change agent for school leaders | $125,000 |
| Teaching Lab Washington, DC | For improving student learning and developing teacher leadership through skyline implementation in chicago public schools | $125,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Lloyd a Fry Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $208,246,767 | $9,520,871 | $10,424,295 | $9,333,835 | 394 | $11,394,211 | $8,177,892 | $8,720,522 |
| 2024 | $202,104,697 | $15,165,205 | $14,362,605 | $9,995,219 | 404 | $12,057,777 | $13,279,178 | $8,780,922 |
| 2023 | $198,005,600 | $5,688,272 | $11,707,566 | $9,435,043 | 365 | $11,456,742 | $3,671,284 | $8,865,494 |
| 2022 | $195,307,873 | $7,655,383 | $14,332,973 | $9,377,009 | 372 | $11,381,254 | $5,893,108 | $9,360,970 |
| 2021 | $220,288,049 | $15,717,163 | $11,952,159 | $8,783,526 | 345 | — | $12,627,382 | $9,282,504 |
| 2020 | $179,499,313 | $9,329,713 | $11,606,189 | $8,797,081 | 359 | — | $9,566,831 | $8,522,706 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Lloyd a Fry Foundation reported a distributable amount of $8.7M for 2025 — 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 Foundation’s mission is to improve the lives of Chicagoans facing challenges rooted in systems of inequity. Its vision is a Chicago that offers education, opportunity, health, and hope for all.
Its three program areas are arts learning, education, and employment. The Foundation describes these areas as improving access to high-quality arts learning for low-income youth, increasing academic achievement for low-income students in historically disinvested Chicago public schools, and helping families and individuals move out of poverty. It prioritizes programs with a demonstrated record of effective services, efforts to improve program quality, innovative approaches, and policy advocacy that advances fairness and access for low-income Chicago communities. Applications should have clear expected outcomes and procedures to assess progress; specific projects are prioritized over general operating support.
Examples among its 2025 grantees include Metropolitan Family Services, whose mission is to provide and mobilize services to strengthen families and communities, and Institute for Nonviolence Chicago, whose mission is to end the cycle of violence, build peace, and restore justice in Chicago’s communities. Education grantees included Leading Educators, which says it partners with school systems to build conditions, teaching, and leadership so students furthest from opportunity can succeed, and Teaching Lab, which describes its mission as shifting the paradigm of teacher professional learning.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the Foundation reported 394 grants totaling $9,333,835. Individual grants ranged from $125 to $250,000, with a median of $5,000.
The largest reported awards included $250,000 to The Barack Obama Foundation for support of the Obama Presidential Center and $200,000 to Metropolitan Family Services for the Metropolitan Peace Academy and the Rapid Employment and Development Initiative (READI). Other major awards included $150,000 to New Venture Fund for a Chicago teacher-leadership and instructional-improvement project, and $125,000 each to Chicago Community Foundation, Esperanza Health Centers, Institute for Nonviolence Chicago, The Leadership Academy, Leading Educators, Teach Plus Incorporated, Teaching Lab, UIC College of Education Center for Urban Education Leadership, and University of Chicago Consortium on School Research.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Unmi Song as president and secretary; Amina Dickerson as chair; Graham Grady as vice chair and treasurer; and Lloyd A. Fry III, Librada Killian, Stephanie Pace Marshall, and Howard M. McCue III as directors.
Lloyd a Fry Foundation is led by Unmi Song, President & Secretary on every filing since 2020; all 7 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Unmi Song
President & Secretary
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$270K (2020) → $308K (2025)
Amina Dickerson
Chair
Vice President → Vice Chair, 2023
Vice Chair → Chair, 2024
On filings since 2020
4 hrs/week
$30K (2020) → $40K (2025)
Howard M. McCue III
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$30K (2020) → $40K (2025)
Lloyd A. Fry III
Director
Chair → Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$30K (2020) → $40K (2025)
Stephanie Pace Marshall
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$30K (2020) → $40K (2025)
Librada Killian
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
$40K (2024) → $40K (2025)
Graham Grady
Vice Chair & Treasurer
Vice Chair & Treasurer → Treasurer, 2023
Treasurer → Vice Chair & Treasurer, 2024
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
$30K (2020) → $40K (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
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $308K, to Unmi Song (President and Secretary). 7 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Lloyd a Fry Foundation
How much does Lloyd a Fry Foundation give each year?
Lloyd a Fry Foundation gave $9.3M across 394 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $10.0M across 404 grants.
What is Lloyd a Fry Foundation's typical grant size?
Lloyd a Fry Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $23,690, across 394 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Lloyd a Fry Foundation that year got $12K on average.
Where does Lloyd a Fry Foundation give grants?
Lloyd a Fry Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 81% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (7%) and District of Columbia (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (267 grants), Washington, DC (21 grants), New York, NY (20 grants) and Evanston, IL (4 grants).
Does Lloyd a Fry Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 35% of Lloyd a Fry Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (137 of 394) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Membership Grant" (9 grants).
Who are Lloyd a Fry Foundation's largest grantees?
Lloyd a Fry Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Chicago Community Foundation ($329,000 across 5 grants), The Barack Obama Foundation ($250,000) and Metropolitan Family Services ($200,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($10,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 8% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Lloyd a Fry Foundation?
Lloyd a Fry Foundation reported $208.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $11.4M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $8.7M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Lloyd a Fry Foundation fund?
The Foundation’s mission is to improve the lives of Chicagoans facing challenges rooted in systems of inequity. Its vision is a Chicago that offers education, opportunity, health, and hope for all. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Lloyd a Fry Foundation?
The Foundation recommends that first-time applicants and returning grantees seeking support for a new project submit a letter of inquiry (LOI) before a full proposal; an LOI is not required before submitting a proposal. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Lloyd a Fry Foundation's EIN?
Lloyd a Fry Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-6108775. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 11, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 2, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 12, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 10, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 8, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 13, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Lloyd a Fry Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Lloyd a Fry Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/lloyd-a-fry-foundation-morg_f891234a85464c77a8310717f884aa8a
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_366108775_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Lloyd a Fry Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/lloyd-a-fry-foundation-morg_f891234a85464c77a8310717f884aa8a},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. 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 Lloyd a Fry 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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