Mary S Sigourney Award Trust

Robert & Terri Cohn Family Foundation

Naples, FL

The Robert & Terri Cohn Family Foundation funds arts and music, health, education, youth services, and programs for people with disabilities, primarily in Illinois and Missouri. Its 2025 grants ranged from $1,000 to $45,000, with a median of $5,000. It gives only to preselected organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.

Smithburg Family Foundation

Chicago, IL

The Smithburg Family Foundation funds cultural, educational, medical, and athletic support, with most of its 2024 grant dollars going to organizations in Illinois and smaller amounts to groups in Minnesota, Colorado, Washington, D.C., and Virginia. Its 2024 grants ranged from $2,000 to $35,000, with a median of $5,000. It funds only preselected organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.

Grand Victoria Foundation

Chicago, IL

Grand Victoria Foundation funds community power-building and systemic racial justice work, especially Black-led efforts and organizations accountable to Black communities and other communities of color. It focuses on Illinois and gave a median grant of $25,000 in 2024, with awards ranging from $300 to $555,150. It accepts requests through a Letter of Inquiry when the process is open, but says it is paused until October 2026.

Raymond F and Judith K McCaskey 2003

Chicago, IL

The foundation supports arts and culture, education and youth programs, humanities, hunger relief, services for blind people, and historic preservation, with most funding going to Illinois—especially Chicago—and some to Maine and other states. Its 2025 grants ranged from $1,000 to $100,000, with a median of $10,000. It funds only preselected charities and does not accept unsolicited requests.

Field Foundation of Illinois

Chicago, IL

The Field Foundation funds arts and culture, community-led investment, journalism and storytelling, and local leaders working to build community power, primarily in Chicago’s South and West Sides. Its 2025 grants had a median of $25,000, though awards ranged from $300 to more than $1.1 million. Some programs accept applications or requests, while Community Investments is invitation-based; Journalism & Storytelling requests are considered on a rolling basis.

Hobsonlucas Family Foundation

San Rafael, CA

The foundation funds a broad range of work, including higher education, arts and film, legal advocacy, health and substance-use services, youth programs, and international development. In 2024, grants ranged from $500 to $13 million, with a median of $5,000; funding went mainly to organizations in California, New York, and New Jersey. It accepts requests by letter, with no stated deadlines or award restrictions.

Sam I Am Foundation

Highland Park, IL

The foundation supports charitable organizations, including children’s health, gun-violence prevention education, Jewish community organizations, and health causes. In 2025, it made 22 grants totaling $565,653; awards ranged from $50 to $300,000, with a median of $3,750, and most funding went to Illinois. It gives only to preselected organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.

Philanthropic Ventures Foundation

Oakland, CA

Philanthropic Ventures Foundation funds grassroots community initiatives, public-school teacher projects, and donor-developed programs, with grants ranging from small teacher awards to multimillion-dollar investments; its 2024 median grant was $25,000. Most 2024 funding went to California, and a current program serves East Palo Alto and Belle Haven. It accepts email requests for its teacher grants; the profile does not state whether it accepts unsolicited requests for other programs.

Jewish Federation of Metropolitan

Chicago, IL

The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan funds human services, education, community programs, Jewish life, and crisis relief in the Chicago area, as well as support for Israel and Jewish communities worldwide. Its 2025 grants ranged from about $5,000 to $27.4 million, with a median of about $20,000. Unsolicited requests are not addressed for the Federation overall; its separate Jewish Women’s Foundation accepts letters of intent, with proposals by invitation only.

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD

Johns Hopkins University funds education, research, clinical practice, and related programs, with many large awards listed as sub-awards; its 2025 grants had a median of $100,000. Grants went mainly to recipients in California and Maryland, among other states, but no geographic restriction or policy on unsolicited requests is stated.

The Walden W and Jean Young Shaw Foundation

Chicago, IL

Maurice & Henry Freund

Chicago, IL

The Maurice & Henry Freund Foundation funds charitable organizations in areas including community assistance, Jewish communal life, education, health care, and animal rescue, with most 2024 grant dollars going to Illinois recipients. Its 67 grants ranged from $50 to $30,000, with a median of $1,000. It gives only to preselected organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.