Nesbitt Foundation
The Nesbitt Foundation is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations in California, including organizations working in education, food assistance, guide-dog services, behavioral health, senior services, and support for people who are blind.
Nesbitt Foundation at a glance
In short: Nesbitt Foundation gave $2.0M across 16 grants in 2025 (avg $128K), mostly in California. 13% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $2,040,000
- +71.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 16
- +6.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $127,500
- +60.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $112,500
- Total assets
- $43,074
- -97.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 13% first-time grantees (2 of 16, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Nesbitt Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 803878, Chicago, IL 60680
Phone: (312) 630-6000
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Nesbitt Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Pasadena Educational Foundation ($200K). Together the top 10 received $1.6M.
Grant Size Distribution
46 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $50–100K range: 20 grants of 46 (43%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars in 2025 went to recipients in California.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 16 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Nesbitt Foundation open to new grantees?
13%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 16 grantees (13%) were first-time recipients. With only 16 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $200K; repeat grants $117K. How we count
Medians: $200K first-time, $100K repeat.
- 88% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above 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 $1.0M (2020) to $2.0M (2025). In 2025 it made 16 grants totaling $2.0M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Pasadena Educational Foundation Pasadena, CA | General Support | $200,000 |
| Guide Dogs of the Desert Whitewater, CA | General Support | $200,000 |
| Nazareth House San Diego, CA | General Support | $200,000 |
| Los Angeles Regional Food Bank Vernon, CA | General Support | $200,000 |
| Pacific Clinics Los Gatos, CA | General Support | $150,000 |
| Pasadena Senior Center Pasadena, CA | General Support | $150,000 |
| United States Veterans Los Angeles, CA | General Support | $150,000 |
| The United Friends of Los Angeles, CA | General Support | $125,000 |
| Helping Hands for the Blind Chatsworth, CA | General Support | $100,000 |
| Pasadena Meals on Wheels Pasadena, CA | General Support | $100,000 |
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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 | $43,074 | $334,201 | $2,069,839 | $2,040,000 | 16 | $2,054,769 | $328,970 | $56,702 |
| 2024 | $1,778,524 | $482,501 | $1,227,286 | $1,190,000 | 15 | $1,215,021 | $472,236 | $121,195 |
| 2023 | $2,521,814 | $180,508 | $1,114,164 | $1,070,000 | 15 | $1,096,186 | $165,716 | $152,787 |
| 2022 | $3,455,950 | $134,485 | $56,300 | — | — | $36,903 | $118,642 | $191,121 |
| 2021 | $3,377,768 | $302,390 | $58,139 | — | — | $38,929 | $283,276 | $203,318 |
| 2020 | $3,133,517 | $236,640 | $1,074,857 | $1,010,000 | 15 | — | $220,126 | $197,064 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Nesbitt Foundation reported a distributable amount of $57K 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 foundation mission is stated. The 2025 grants show support for organizations serving a range of needs. Pasadena Educational Foundation describes its mission as working to achieve excellence and equity in Pasadena Unified School District schools. The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank says it mobilizes resources to fight hunger in its community, and Guide Dogs of the Desert says it provides trained guide dogs to support safe mobility, companionship, and independence.
Other 2025 grantees describe their work as including community-based care for children and families with behavioral health needs (Pacific Clinics), services to support older adults’ health, engagement, and independence (Pasadena Senior Center), meals for homebound people (Pasadena Meals on Wheels), economic opportunities and well-being for people who are blind (Helping Hands for the Blind), and youth development for low-income or at-risk young people (Woodcraft Rangers).
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 16 grants totaling $2,040,000. Grants ranged from $60,000 to $200,000, with a median of $112,500. The largest listed grants were $200,000 each to Pasadena Educational Foundation, Guide Dogs of the Desert, Nazareth House, and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. Other notable grants included $150,000 each to Pacific Clinics and Pasadena Senior Center, $100,000 each to Helping Hands for the Blind and Pasadena Meals on Wheels, and $90,000 to Woodcraft Rangers. The listed grants were for general support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Northern Trust Company is listed as trustee on the 2025 filing.
Nesbitt Foundation's only listed officer is Northern Trust Company, Trustee on every filing since 2020 (compensated).
Officers on the 2025 filing
Northern Trust Company
Trustee
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$50K (2020) → $19K (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 $19K, to Northern Trust Company (Trustee).
Frequently asked questions about Nesbitt Foundation
How much does Nesbitt Foundation give each year?
Nesbitt Foundation gave $2.0M across 16 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.2M across 15 grants.
What is Nesbitt Foundation's typical grant size?
Nesbitt Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $112,500, and its average grant was $127,500, across 16 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Nesbitt Foundation that year got $200K on average.
Where does Nesbitt Foundation give grants?
Nesbitt Foundation gives mostly in California: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Los Angeles, CA (7 grants) and Pasadena, CA (4 grants).
Does Nesbitt Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Nesbitt Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (16 of 16) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Nesbitt Foundation's largest grantees?
Nesbitt Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Pasadena Educational Foundation ($200,000), Guide Dogs of the Desert ($200,000) and Nazareth House ($200,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 29% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Nesbitt Foundation?
Nesbitt Foundation reported $43K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $2.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $57K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Nesbitt Foundation fund?
No foundation mission is stated. The 2025 grants show support for organizations serving a range of needs. Pasadena Educational Foundation describes its mission as working to achieve excellence and equity in Pasadena Unified School District schools. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Nesbitt Foundation?
The foundation 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 Nesbitt Foundation's EIN?
Nesbitt Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 95-6092682. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Nesbitt Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 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 2020 (received by the IRS May 11, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS June 1, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 5, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 7, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 1, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 8, 2026)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Nesbitt Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/nesbitt-foundation-morg_cc1fe4ce315a4bf680b442f076eb69dd
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_956092682_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Nesbitt Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/nesbitt-foundation-morg_cc1fe4ce315a4bf680b442f076eb69dd},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Nesbitt 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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