Mendelson-Wolff Family Foundation
The Mendelson-Wolff Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. Its 2025 filing lists grants to charitable organizations including universities, Jewish organizations, arts organizations, and other nonprofits.
Mendelson-Wolff Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Mendelson-Wolff Family Foundation gave $126K across 17 grants in 2025 (avg $7K), mostly in Illinois. 41% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $126,198
- +75.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 17
- -32.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $7,423
- +158.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,000
- Total assets
- $1,601,107
- +9.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 41% first-time grantees (7 of 17, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (75% 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 Mendelson-Wolff Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it contributes only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1040 N Lake Shore Drive 10A, Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: (312) 286-9347
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Mendelson-Wolff Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The University of Chicago ($50K). Together the top 10 received $123K.
Grant Size Distribution
82 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 81 grants of 82 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 75% of grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois, 24% to recipients in New York, and 1% to recipients in California.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Mendelson-Wolff Family Foundation open to new grantees?
41%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 7 of 17 grantees (41%) were first-time recipients. With only 17 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $8K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 53% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 201% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 147% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2022–2025). 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 2022 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $42K (2022) to $126K (2025). In 2025 it made 17 grants totaling $126K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The University of Chicago Chicago, IL | Exempt Purpose of Organization | $50,000 |
| Jewish United Fund USA Rockville Centre, NY | Exempt Purpose of Organization | $28,712 |
| Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning Chicago, IL | Exempt Purpose of Organization | $15,000 |
| Skyart Chicago, IL | Exempt Purpose of Organization | $9,308 |
| Temple Sholom Chicago, IL | Exempt Purpose of Organization | $5,155 |
| University of Chicago Booth Chicago, IL | Exempt Purpose of Organization | $5,000 |
| Anshe Emet Chicago, IL | Exempt Purpose of Organization | $4,128 |
| Grant Park Music Fest Chicago, IL | Exempt Purpose of Organization | $2,500 |
| University of Illinois - Champaign Urbana, IL | Exempt Purpose of Organization | $2,000 |
| BABY2BABYORG Los Angeles, CA | Exempt Purpose of Organization | $1,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Mendelson-Wolff Family 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 | $1,601,107 | $426,613 | $148,345 | $126,198 | 17 | $127,413 | $211,575 | $86,549 |
| 2024 | $1,468,542 | $432,289 | $83,282 | $71,805 | 25 | $72,851 | $273,090 | $60,683 |
| 2023 | $1,198,092 | $299,981 | $85,450 | $68,525 | 26 | $69,929 | $35,644 | $48,573 |
| 2022 | $985,243 | $57,022 | $71,931 | $41,945 | 14 | $46,705 | $145 | $46,559 |
| 2021 | $1,000,152 | $1,000,386 | $234 | — | — | — | $152 | $3,104 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Mendelson-Wolff Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $87K 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 show support for organizations including the University of Chicago, Jewish United Fund USA, Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning, SkyART, and Temple Sholom.
Among its 2025 grantees, Restore Justice Foundation received $512. Restore Justice describes its mission as working for a more humane criminal-legal system in Illinois by developing policy solutions affecting youth subject to extreme sentencing in adult court and educating the community about those policies and the state legislative process.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 17 grants totaling $126,198. Grant amounts ranged from $25 to $50,000, with a median of $2,000.
Among its largest 2025 grants were $50,000 to the University of Chicago, $28,712 to Jewish United Fund USA, $15,000 to Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning, $9,308 to SkyART, and $5,155 to Temple Sholom. Each was listed for the “exempt purpose of organization.”
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Stephen S Wolff as president, Marla A Mendelson as vice president, Rachel S Wolff as secretary, and Hannah T Wolff as treasurer.
Mendelson-Wolff Family Foundation is led by Stephen S. Wolff, President on every filing since 2021; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Stephen S. Wolff
President
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Hannah T. Wolff
Treasurer
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Marla A. Mendelson
Vice President
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Rachel S. Wolff
Secretary
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "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 Mendelson-Wolff Family Foundation
How much does Mendelson-Wolff Family Foundation give each year?
Mendelson-Wolff Family Foundation gave $126K across 17 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $72K across 25 grants.
What is Mendelson-Wolff Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Mendelson-Wolff Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,000, and its average grant was $7,423, across 17 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Mendelson-Wolff Family Foundation that year got $6K on average.
Where does Mendelson-Wolff Family Foundation give grants?
Mendelson-Wolff Family Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 75% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New York (24%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (10 grants).
Who are Mendelson-Wolff Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Mendelson-Wolff Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include The University of Chicago ($50,000), Jewish United Fund USA ($28,712) and Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning ($15,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 74% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Mendelson-Wolff Family Foundation?
Mendelson-Wolff Family Foundation reported $1.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $127K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $87K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Mendelson-Wolff Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations including the University of Chicago, Jewish United Fund USA, Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning, SkyART, and Temple Sholom. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Mendelson-Wolff Family Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it contributes only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Mendelson-Wolff Family Foundation's EIN?
Mendelson-Wolff Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 87-4000252. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Does Mendelson-Wolff Family 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
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS August 23, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS August 13, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS June 23, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 12, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Mendelson-Wolff Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Mendelson-Wolff Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/mendelson-wolff-family-foundation-morg_16287c1a841046cf939efd77d28dd3fa
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_874000252_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Mendelson-Wolff Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/mendelson-wolff-family-foundation-morg_16287c1a841046cf939efd77d28dd3fa},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-13. 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 Mendelson-Wolff Family 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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