Mary Barnes Donnelley Family Foundation

CHICAGO, IL EIN: 36-3487746

The Mary Barnes Donnelley Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. Established in 1986, it operates as a 501(c)(3) organization with no employees and focuses on philanthropic giving across education and wildlife conservation sectors.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$2.8M

+1.4% YoY

Annual Giving

$153K

+8.2% YoY

Grant Count

16

-5.9% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$10K

+15.0% YoY

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

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation gives primarily for education, with additional funding directed to waterfowl conservation. Specific funding priorities include:

  • Educational scholarships and tuition support
  • Waterfowl foundation support
  • Predator management work
  • Matching gifts
  • Unrestricted grants to select organizations

Grantmaking

The foundation made 13 grants in 2024. Recent grant recipients and activities include:

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation is based in Chicago, Illinois and operates nationally, with documented grants to organizations in multiple states including Idaho and Colorado.

Grant Distribution by State

15states
+7 more states

Cities

ArlingtonBismarckBostonBrookfieldCantonChestnut HillChicagoCollege StationDallasDenverGarwoodHaverhillKenabLake ForestLowellMarkhamMelrose ParkMephisMiamiMoscow

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

As of December 2024:

  • Total Assets: $2,830,257
  • Total Revenues: $205,634
  • Total Expenses: $187,644
  • Number of Employees: 0
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$148K$295K$443K$591K20202021202220232024
Metric202420232022
Total Assets$2,830,257$2,789,825$2,830,012
Revenue$205,634$107,533$69,366
Expenses$187,644$175,910$210,293
Qualifying Distributions$158,624$148,418$172,772
Net Investment Income$157,483$72,409$49,718
Distributable Amount$162,217$161,457$165,555

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$44K$88K$131K$175K16 grants202018 grants202113 grants202217 grants202316 grants2024

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Blues Kids Foundation$25KSaint Leonard's Ministries$25KFrancisco Mendoza$13KUniversity of Idaho$10KAbolitionist Law Center$10KSista's with a PhD 501$10KUniversity of Idaho$10KOASIS$10KFrontline Focus Foundation$10KBest Friends Animal Soci…$10K

Grant Size Distribution

80 grants across all recorded years

79<$50K1$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

No grants recorded for .

Leadership & Key People

Officers and directors from IRS filings

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

NameTitleHoursCompensation
Jonathan B MellinPresident
Debra M McoySecratary
Naoma DonnelleyDirector
Laren DonnelleyDirector

Contact Information

Address: 30 S Wacker Dr Ste 2875, Chicago, IL 60606-7482

Phone: 312-726-3110

EIN: 36-3487746

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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