MJ O'Brien Family Foundation
MJ O'Brien Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Evanston, Illinois. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations and other recipients, including support for Misericordia, education, community programs, land preservation, music, and dental health.
MJ O'Brien Family Foundation at a glance
In short: MJ O'Brien Family Foundation gave $72K across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $7K), mostly in Illinois. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $71,530
- -9.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 10
- -16.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $7,153
- +8.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $357,307
- +50.7% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Illinois (94% 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 MJ O'Brien Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 2530 Crawford Ave Ste 108, Evanston, IL 60201
Phone: (847) 328-3354
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who MJ O'Brien Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 9 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Misericordia Foundation ($50K). Together the top 9 received $62K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($10,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
56 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 50 grants of 56 (89%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 94% of grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois and 6% to recipients in Wisconsin.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
Cities
How MJ O'Brien Family Foundation gives
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−3%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 234% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $72K (2025) to $143K (2021). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $72K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Misericordia Foundation Chicago, IL | General Support | $50,000 |
| 1 grant to individuals Recipients not named | — | $10,000 |
| Eileen Sheahan Memorial Scholarship Evanston, IL | Educational Support | $5,030 |
| Door County Land Trust Sturgeion Bay, WI | Land Perservation and Maintenance | $1,500 |
| United Way of Door County Sturgeon Bay, WI | General Support | $1,000 |
| McGaw YMCA Evanston, IL | Fund Community Programs | $1,000 |
| Warren Cherry Scholarship Fund Evanston, IL | Education | $1,000 |
| Birch Creek Music Performance Center Egg Harbor, WI | Support Music Education and Performance | $1,000 |
| The Egg Harbor Firefighters Inc Egg Harbor, WI | Equipment Funding | $500 |
| Misericordia Dental Clinic Chicago, IL | Support Dental Health | $500 |
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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 | $357,307 | $206,955 | $86,781 | $71,530 | 10 | $71,530 | $202,312 | $30,517 |
| 2024 | $237,139 | $80,876 | $97,046 | $79,000 | 12 | $79,000 | $76,411 | $32,186 |
| 2023 | $253,344 | $180,199 | $140,462 | $129,500 | 13 | $129,500 | $175,691 | $29,063 |
| 2022 | $213,533 | $88,618 | $84,768 | $74,000 | 9 | $74,000 | $1,709 | $34,493 |
| 2021 | $209,234 | $100,813 | $156,002 | $143,200 | 12 | $143,200 | $94,765 | $41,092 |
| 2020 | $264,420 | $74,182 | $105,526 | $98,200 | 12 | — | $68,963 | $34,322 |
| 2019 | $295,756 | $88,451 | $108,381 | $100,500 | 15 | — | $83,446 | $33,317 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, MJ O'Brien Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $31K 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
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include general support, educational assistance and scholarships, community programming, land preservation and maintenance, music education and performance, equipment funding, and dental health.
The grantee Misericordia Foundation says its purpose is to raise funds for contributions to an individual recipient describes its work as improving college access and success for first-generation and low-income Evanston students through a six-year program. Door County Land Trust says it works to preserve Door County’s lands and waters. The Warren Billy Cherry Scholarship Fund says it seeks to carry forward an Evanston educator’s commitment to educational excellence and enriching children and institutions. Birch Creek Music Performance Center describes its work as providing performance-based music instruction to young musicians. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own missions.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 10 grants totaling $71,530. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $50,000, with a median of $1,000.
The largest reported grants included $50,000 to Misericordia Foundation for general support, $10,000 to an individual recipient in Illinois for educational assistance, and $5,030 to Eileen Sheahan Memorial Scholarship for educational support. Other grants included $1,500 to Door County Land Trust for land preservation and maintenance, and $1,000 each to United Way of Door County, McGaw YMCA, Warren Cherry Scholarship Fund, and Birch Creek Music Performance Center.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Katherine Porter was listed as trustee on the 2025 filing.
MJ O'Brien Family Foundation is led by Katherine Porter, Trustee on every filing since 2022 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Katherine Porter
Trustee
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Frances M. O'Brien (2019–2021) — Trustee
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 MJ O'Brien Family Foundation
How much does MJ O'Brien Family Foundation give each year?
MJ O'Brien Family Foundation gave $72K across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $79K across 12 grants.
What is MJ O'Brien Family Foundation's typical grant size?
MJ O'Brien Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $7,153, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does MJ O'Brien Family Foundation give grants?
MJ O'Brien Family Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 94% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Wisconsin (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Evanston, IL (3 grants), Chicago, IL (2 grants) and Egg Harbor, WI (2 grants).
Does MJ O'Brien Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 20% of MJ O'Brien Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (2 of 10) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are MJ O'Brien Family Foundation's largest grantees?
MJ O'Brien Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Misericordia Foundation ($50,000), Eileen Sheahan Memorial Scholarship ($5,030) and Door County Land Trust ($1,500), 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 79% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is MJ O'Brien Family Foundation?
MJ O'Brien Family Foundation reported $357K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $72K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $31K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does MJ O'Brien Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include general support, educational assistance and scholarships, community programming, land preservation and maintenance, music education and performance, equipment funding, and dental health. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from MJ O'Brien Family Foundation?
The foundation states that it 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 MJ O'Brien Family Foundation's EIN?
MJ O'Brien Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-6843491. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does MJ O'Brien 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS August 6, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS July 6, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS June 13, 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 August 9, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 6, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 27, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). MJ O'Brien Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/mj-o-brien-family-foundation-morg_ab7c46d772f94ad69b7d69eb4b6fef15
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_366843491_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{MJ O'Brien Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/mj-o-brien-family-foundation-morg_ab7c46d772f94ad69b7d69eb4b6fef15},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 MJ O'Brien 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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