Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation
The Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation is a public charity based in Oak Park, Illinois. It connects donors, community leaders, and nonprofit organizations to support positive change in Oak Park, River Forest, and surrounding communities in western Cook County.
Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation at a glance
In short: Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation gave $2.6M across 73 grants in 2025 (avg $36K), mostly in Illinois. 32% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $2,624,168
- +33.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 73
- +12.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $35,948
- +18.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $15,000
- Total assets
- $60,972,764
- +9.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 32% first-time grantees (23 of 73, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (74% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation
- Invitation Only
-
Opportunities and processes vary by program. The Community Grants information lists awards of up to $20,000 per year, for one year, for general operating or program/project support; requests may receive full or partial funding. The Kott Trust’s 2026 grant cycle is described as open, with online applications. Women Leaders in Philanthropy proposals are by invitation only. The Future Philanthropists Fund’s 2026 application period is described as closed.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1049 Lake Street 204, Oak Park, IL 60301
Phone: (708) 848-1560
Website: https://oprfcf.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
2 open opportunities from Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation
Who Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Lawrence Technological University ($535K). Together the top 10 received $1.7M.
Grant Size Distribution
377 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 328 grants of 377 (87%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Foundation describes its work as serving Oak Park, River Forest, and surrounding communities in western Cook County, Illinois. Its 2025 grant dollars went primarily to recipients in Illinois (74%) and Michigan (20%), with smaller shares going to Massachusetts (2%), Wisconsin (1%), and Arizona (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 73 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation open to new grantees?
32%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 23 of 73 grantees (32%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $15K; repeat grants $46K. How we count
Medians: $15K first-time, $15K repeat.
- 53% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+12%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.6M (2019) to $3.0M (2023). In 2025 it made 73 grants totaling $2.6M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Lawrence Technological University Southfield, MI | To Support General Program Services | $535,000 |
| Heph Foundation Oak Park, IL | To Support General Program Services | $487,332 |
| Animal Care League Oak Park, IL | To Support General Program Services | $169,717 |
| Chicago Public Media Inc Chicago, IL | To Support General Program Services | $125,000 |
| Thrive Counseling Center Oak Park, IL | To Support General Program Services | $107,480 |
| Park District of Oak Park Oak Park, IL | To Support General Program Services | $101,112 |
| Seven Generations Ahead Oak Park, IL | To Support General Program Services | $81,014 |
| Community Connections Fund Chicago, IL | To Support General Program Services | $52,441 |
| Grace Lutheran Church and School River Forest, IL | To Support General Program Services | $42,250 |
| University of Massachusetts Amherst Foundation Amherst, MA | To Support General Program Services | $40,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $60,972,764 | $6,780,598 | $5,505,512 | $2,624,168 | 73 | $2,264,828 |
| 2024 | $55,643,298 | $6,119,259 | $4,631,019 | $1,971,852 | 65 | $1,637,261 |
| 2023 | $49,948,656 | $4,998,949 | $5,450,525 | $2,952,426 | 76 | $-118,913 |
| 2022 | $45,848,497 | $6,349,877 | $4,357,068 | $2,351,222 | 71 | $2,550,967 |
| 2021 | $52,419,162 | $12,623,010 | $3,979,881 | $2,356,710 | 92 | $7,395,035 |
| 2019 | $42,491,684 | $5,461,015 | $3,879,272 | $1,630,762 | 61 | $1,705,363 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Foundation’s mission is to unite community members to mobilize resources to advance a racially just society and equitable outcomes for residents of Oak Park, River Forest, and surrounding communities. Its vision is a racially just society in which community members thrive and prosper; its core values are equity, belonging, courage, and hope.
The Foundation’s Community Grants have focused on safety and belonging alongside health, particularly mental and behavioral health for youth and young adults. Priorities described for the 2024–25 cycle included developing a representative workforce of mental and behavioral health professionals and improving early identification, access, and treatment for young people. The Foundation says its 2025–26 Community Grants provide ongoing support for youth and young adult mental and behavioral health, including the mental health workforce pipeline. It describes its current approach as trust-based philanthropy, including multi-year unrestricted funding, streamlined processes, and support beyond the grant.
Other programs include the Future Philanthropists Fund, which supports organizations and programs explicitly involving or benefiting youth and young adults; the Women Leaders in Philanthropy Fund, whose members select cause areas annually; and the Russell & Josephine Kott Memorial Charitable Trust, which supports charitable organizations improving individuals’ lives, with an emphasis on education or medical services for older adults.
Grantees in the 2025 filing included organizations with varied missions. For example, Thrive Counseling Center describes its work as providing community-centered mental health services, while Beyond Hunger describes providing hunger relief and working with communities to end hunger. The Firehouse Dream describes its mission as providing a safe space for BIPOC youth to heal and thrive; Animal Care League describes its work as caring for lost and abandoned domestic animals. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the Foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the Foundation reported 73 grants totaling $2,624,168. Grant amounts ranged from $5,250 to $535,000, with a median of $15,000. The largest listed awards included $535,000 to Lawrence Technological University, $487,332 to Heph Foundation, $169,717 to Animal Care League, $125,000 to Chicago Public Media, and $107,480 to Thrive Counseling Center. The filing lists the purpose for these awards as supporting general program services.
The Foundation’s website announced $270,000 in 2025–26 Community Grants to 16 nonprofit organizations serving West Cook County. It also reported that 18 organizations received $265,000 in Community Grants in 2024–25.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Kelly Turner as chair and Tawfiq Farraj, William Planek, Kevin Robinson, Sarah Jolie, Jon Hale, Ana Garcia Doyle, Mario Lucero, Tawa Mitchell, and Alejandro Bodipo-Memba as directors. The Foundation’s website identifies Carrie Summy as president and CEO.
Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation is led by Antonio Martinez Jr., President & CEO on every filing since 2019; 2 of 17 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Antonio Martinez Jr.
President & CEO
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$150K (2019) → $190K (2025)
Kelly Turner
Chair
Vice Chair → Chair, 2024
On filings since 2022
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jon Hale
Director
On filings since 2019
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
William Planek
Director
On filings since 2019
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Alejandro Bodipo-Memba
Director
On filings since 2021
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kevin Robinson
Director
Director → Treasurer, 2023
Treasurer → Director, 2025
On filings since 2021
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ana Garcia Doyle
Director
On filings since 2022
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sarah Jolie
Director
On filings since 2023
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Tiffiny Bolden
Director
On filings since 2023
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mario Lucero
Director
On filings since 2024
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Tawfiq Farraj
Director
On filings since 2024
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
John Borrero
Director
New on the 2025 filing
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Tawa Mitchell
Director
New on the 2025 filing
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sheryl Martin
Chief Financial Officer
On filings since 2024
24 hrs/week
$78K (2024) → $70K (2025)
Douglas Dixon
Vice Chair
Director → Vice Chair, 2024
On filings since 2023
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Iv Ashton
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2023
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lisa Johnson
Treasurer
Director → Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2023
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (21)
- Former: Denise Burns (2019–2024) — Director
- Former: Phil Hausken (2019–2024) — Secretary
- Former: Bruce Wojack (2019–2023) — Chair
- Former: Barbara Watkins (2019–2022) — Secretary
- Former: Case Hoogendoorn (2019–2022) — Counsel
- Former: Donna Myers (2019–2022) — Immediate Past Chair
- Former: Janet Hanley (2019–2022) — Treasurer
- Former: Ross Fasano (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Wendell Rayburn (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Doug Dixon (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: A. Kelly Turner (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Barbara Rohm Rossa (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Cuyler Brown (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Eric Weinheimer (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: John Hedges (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Phillip Jimenez (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: John Houseal (2019) — Director
- Former: Judy Greffin (2019) — Director
- Former: Michele Donley (2019) — Director
- Former: Stacey Williams (2019) — Director
- Former: Uduak Udofia (2019) — Director
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $190K, to Antonio Martinez Jr (President and CEO). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation
How much does Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation give each year?
Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation gave $2.6M across 73 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $2.0M across 65 grants.
What is Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation's typical grant size?
Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $15,000, and its average grant was $35,948, across 73 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation that year got $15K on average.
Where does Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation give grants?
Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 74% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest state was Michigan (20%). The most frequent recipient cities were Oak Park, IL (30 grants), Chicago, IL (19 grants), Maywood, IL (6 grants) and River Forest, IL (3 grants).
Does Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (73 of 73) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Who are Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation's largest grantees?
Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Lawrence Technological University ($535,000), Heph Foundation ($487,332) and Animal Care League ($169,717), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 45% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation?
Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation reported $61.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $6.8M.
What does Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation fund?
The Foundation’s mission is to unite community members to mobilize resources to advance a racially just society and equitable outcomes for residents of Oak Park, River Forest, and surrounding communities. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation?
Opportunities and processes vary by program. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation's EIN?
Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-4150724. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 10, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 10, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 5, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 12, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 11, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Live grants for the work Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/oak-park-river-forest-community-foundation-morg_ce9f484005864cf9b8af943e04bffb53
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_364150724_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/oak-park-river-forest-community-foundation-morg_ce9f484005864cf9b8af943e04bffb53},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-20. 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 Oak Park-River Forest Community 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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