Modestus Bauer Foundation
The Modestus Bauer Foundation is a Form 990-PF (a private foundation) based in Chicago, Illinois. In filing year 2025, it made 136 grants totaling $1,015,000 to charitable organizations; the listed grants include recipients in Illinois and other states.
Modestus Bauer Foundation at a glance
In short: Modestus Bauer Foundation gave $1.0M across 136 grants in 2025 (avg $7K), mostly in Illinois. 14% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,015,000
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 136
- -0.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $7,463
- +0.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $11,846,190
- +1.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 14% first-time grantees (19 of 136, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (67% 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 Modestus Bauer 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: 300 S Wacker Dr 500, Chicago, IL 60606
Phone: (312) 372-1947
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Modestus Bauer Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Jewish United Fund ($102K). Together the top 10 received $336K.
Grant Size Distribution
720 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 713 grants of 720 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In filing year 2025, 67% of grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois, followed by 8% to recipients in the District of Columbia, 5% in California, 4% in Florida, and 2% in Minnesota. The listed grants also include recipients in Ohio.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 136 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Modestus Bauer Foundation open to new grantees?
14%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 19 of 136 grantees (14%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $8K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 84% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+0%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 109% 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 $981K (2020) to $1.0M (2021). In 2025 it made 136 grants totaling $1.0M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Jewish United Fund Chicago, IL | General Charitable Use | $101,600 |
| Northshore University Health System Evanston, IL | General Charitable Use | $45,000 |
| Planned Parenthood of Illinois Chicago, IL | General Charitable Use | $35,000 |
| Israel Cancer Research Fund Northfield, IL | General Charitable Use | $28,000 |
| Highland Park Community Foundation Highland Park, IL | General Charitable Use | $25,500 |
| Anti-Defamation League Chicago, IL | General Charitable Use | $21,000 |
| World Central Kitchens Inc Washington, DC | General Charitable Use | $20,000 |
| Northwestern Memorial Foundation Chicago, IL | General Charitable Use | $20,000 |
| Northern Illinois Food Bank Geneva, IL | General Charitable Use | $20,000 |
| Mayo Foundation Rochester, MN | General Charitable Use | $20,000 |
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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 | $11,846,190 | $1,375,573 | $1,173,931 | $1,015,000 | 136 | $1,055,000 | $1,279,325 | $968,785 |
| 2024 | $11,644,548 | $1,976,138 | $1,171,071 | $1,015,000 | 137 | $1,054,000 | $1,879,067 | $942,856 |
| 2023 | $10,839,481 | $646,255 | $1,151,567 | $1,008,500 | 141 | $1,047,000 | $554,949 | $882,245 |
| 2022 | $11,344,793 | $681,271 | $1,172,894 | $1,015,000 | 152 | $1,053,000 | $583,495 | $915,603 |
| 2021 | $11,836,416 | $1,981,686 | $1,184,681 | $1,024,450 | 154 | $1,060,450 | $1,878,975 | $969,506 |
| 2020 | $11,037,663 | $1,023,925 | $1,110,397 | $980,600 | 139 | — | $935,352 | $869,342 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Modestus Bauer Foundation reported a distributable amount of $969K 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 went to organizations with varied missions. For example, Planned Parenthood of Illinois describes its work as providing and promoting reproductive health care, education, and rights. Northern Illinois Food Bank says it provides meals and food access through a network of pantries and programs, while the Greater Chicago Food Depository describes its mission as ending hunger in Cook County. Other supported organizations include Lake Forest College, which provides post-secondary education, and Ravinia Festival Association, whose stated mission is to enrich lives through music.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation made 136 grants totaling $1,015,000. Grants ranged from $500 to $101,600, with a median grant of $5,000. The largest awards included $101,600 to Jewish United Fund, $45,000 to Northshore University Health System, $35,000 to Planned Parenthood of Illinois, and $28,000 to Israel Cancer Research Fund. Other notable grants included $25,500 to Highland Park Community Foundation, $20,000 each to World Central Kitchens, Northwestern Memorial Foundation, Northern Illinois Food Bank, Mayo Foundation, and Cleveland Clinic Foundation, and $19,500 to Greater Chicago Food Depository. The listed purposes for these grants were general charitable use.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Robert J. Lawrence as director and president; Linda N. Lawrence as director and assistant secretary; Lawrence A. Reich as director and vice president; and David Reich as director and secretary.
Modestus Bauer Foundation is led by Robert J. Lawrence, Director & President on every filing since 2020; all 4 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Robert J. Lawrence
Director & President
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
$9K (2020) → $9K (2025)
David Reich
Director & Secretary
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
$9K (2020) → $9K (2025)
Lawrence A. Reich
Director & Vice President
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
$9K (2020) → $9K (2025)
Linda N. Lawrence
Director & Assistant Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$9K (2020) → $9K (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 $9K, to Robert J Lawrence (Director & President). 4 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Modestus Bauer Foundation
How much does Modestus Bauer Foundation give each year?
Modestus Bauer Foundation gave $1.0M across 136 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.0M across 137 grants.
What is Modestus Bauer Foundation's typical grant size?
Modestus Bauer Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $7,463, across 136 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Modestus Bauer Foundation that year got $3K on average.
Where does Modestus Bauer Foundation give grants?
Modestus Bauer Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 67% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were District of Columbia (8%) and California (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (32 grants), Washington, DC (13 grants), Highland Park, IL (7 grants) and Jupiter, FL (6 grants).
Does Modestus Bauer Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Modestus Bauer Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (136 of 136) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Modestus Bauer Foundation's largest grantees?
Modestus Bauer Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Jewish United Fund ($101,600), Northshore University Health System ($45,000) and Planned Parenthood of Illinois ($35,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 18% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Modestus Bauer Foundation?
Modestus Bauer Foundation reported $11.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $969K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Modestus Bauer Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations with varied missions. For example, Planned Parenthood of Illinois describes its work as providing and promoting reproductive health care, education, and rights. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Modestus Bauer 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 Modestus Bauer Foundation's EIN?
Modestus Bauer Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-4473692. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Modestus Bauer 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 5, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 4, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 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 5, 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 Modestus Bauer Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Modestus Bauer Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/modestus-bauer-foundation-morg_161c00f2498d4280a9cb6d75bbac809b
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_364473692_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Modestus Bauer Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/modestus-bauer-foundation-morg_161c00f2498d4280a9cb6d75bbac809b},
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 Modestus Bauer 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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