Openlands
Openlands is a Chicago-based public charity that protects natural and open spaces in northeastern Illinois and the surrounding region. Its work includes land protection, restoration, forestry, conservation planning, policy, and community engagement; its 2025 grants supported Illinois projects including wetland restoration, native gardens, and habitat improvements.
Openlands at a glance
In short: Openlands gave $316K across 19 grants in 2025 (avg $17K), mostly in Illinois. 74% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $315,938
- +28.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 19
- -9.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $16,628
- +41.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $43,306,045
- +12.5% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 74% first-time grantees (14 of 19, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Openlands
- Next open deadline
- February 1, 2027 (Openlands School Garden Growth Grant)
- Contact
Mailing address: 25 E Washinton St 1650, Chicago, IL 60602-1708
Phone: (312) 863-6250
Website: https://openlands.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Openlands
Who Openlands funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The Wetlands Initiative ($165K). Together the top 10 received $255K.
Grant Size Distribution
106 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 103 grants of 106 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Openlands’ stated geographic focus is northeastern Illinois and the surrounding region. Its website identifies Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge, Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, Lake County, and Cook County as key land-preservation focus areas. All grant dollars reported for filing year 2025 went to recipients in Illinois. The ComEd Green Region application covered eligible project sites in ComEd’s service territory across the counties listed on the application page.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 19 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Openlands open to new grantees?
74%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 14 of 19 grantees (74%) were first-time recipients. With only 19 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $8K; repeat grants $41K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $10K repeat.
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 $152K (2020) to $2.7M (2023). In 2025 it made 19 grants totaling $316K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Wetlands Initiative Chicago, IL | Subgrant to The Wetlands Initiative for wetland restoration at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie | $165,341 |
| Origin Woods Restoration Chicago, IL | ComEd Green Region 2025 Grant - Origin Woods Restoration | $10,000 |
| Friends of the Woodstock Public Library Woodstock, IL | ComEd Green Region 2025 Grant - Prairie Roots: Planting Connections at the Woodstock Public Library | $10,000 |
| Logan Square Preservation Chicago, IL | ComEd Green Region 2025 Grant - Emil Biorn Community Garden and Memorial Park | $10,000 |
| DeKalb County Regional Office Of Education DeKalb, IL | ComEd Green Region 2025 Grant - The Basics Toddler Gardens | $10,000 |
| The Conservation Foundation Naperville, IL | ComEd Green Region 2025 Grant - Dixie Briggs Fromm Prairie Restoration Project | $10,000 |
| The Theosophical Society in America Wheaton, IL | ComEd Green Region 2025 Grant - Nurturing a Local Arboretum in a Time of Climate Change and Species Loss | $10,000 |
| NeighborSpace Chicago, IL | ComEd Green Region 2025 Grant - La Esquinita Community Garden | $10,000 |
| Kendall County Forest Preserve District Yorkville, IL | ComEd Green Region 2025 Grant - KCFPD Connecting Trail Corridors (Hoover, Subat and Fox River Bluffs Forest Preserve) Pollinator Habitat Enhancement Project | $10,000 |
| Forest Preserve District of DuPage County Wheaton, IL | ComEd Green Region 2025 Grant - New greenhouse for native seed collection and distribution in DuPage forest preserves, preserving pollinator habitat | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Openlands?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $43,306,045 | $11,496,900 | $7,659,942 | $315,938 | 19 | $863,088 |
| 2024 | $38,497,137 | $10,319,469 | $9,197,012 | $246,854 | 21 | $940,635 |
| 2023 | $35,209,048 | $8,069,742 | $10,894,567 | $2,651,223 | 22 | $754,662 |
| 2022 | $37,358,789 | $8,469,184 | $6,324,598 | $197,103 | 19 | $112,128 |
| 2021 | $37,602,836 | $9,254,791 | $6,221,189 | $246,076 | 25 | $340,141 |
| 2020 | $33,720,529 | $7,148,714 | $6,210,968 | $151,608 | 16 | $-403,906 |
| 2019 | $29,960,693 | $12,415,232 | $6,333,681 | $331,056 | 26 | $308,176 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
Openlands’ stated mission is to protect the natural and open spaces of northeastern Illinois and the surrounding region to ensure cleaner air and water, protect natural habitats and wildlife, and help balance and enrich people’s lives.
Its programs include forestry and community engagement, ecological restoration and greenways, land preservation, and policy. In 2025, its filing described continuing the first phase of a 1,500-acre grassland bird restoration project in the Grant Creek Watershed at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. The filing also described land acquisitions and transfers to regional partners, and the Lands In Harmony program, which gave private landowners opportunities to learn about sustainable land management.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, Openlands reported 19 grants totaling $315,938. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $165,341, with a median of $10,000. The largest grant was $165,341 to The Wetlands Initiative for wetland restoration at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. Openlands’ filing says The Wetlands Initiative was selected as a partner and subgrantee under a federal America the Beautiful Challenge grant.
Other 2025 grants included $10,000 each to NeighborSpace for La Esquinita Community Garden, The Conservation Foundation for the Dixie Briggs Fromm Prairie Restoration Project, and the Theosophical Society in America for an arboretum project. NeighborSpace describes its mission as preserving Chicago community gardens as locally managed assets; The Conservation Foundation says it works to preserve and restore natural areas, protect rivers and watersheds, and promote environmental stewardship. The Theosophical Society describes its objectives as including the study of religion, philosophy, and science.
Openlands’ filing describes the ComEd Green Region grants as reviewed and recommended by a volunteer advisory committee of local government representatives and conservation community members, with ComEd approving the final grantee list. The 2026 application portal is closed. For that cycle, eligible applicants included nonprofits, schools and school districts, housing authorities, and local government entities in ComEd’s service territory. Some applicant types needed a letter of support from a local government entity. Past grantees had to complete grant requirements, including a final report; additional repeat-award restrictions applied.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Joann Seagren as Chair, Glenn Reed as Vice-Chair, James Rachlin as Treasurer, and Alan Bell as Secretary. Directors listed are Alexa Rice, Anne Tucker, Bill Clarkin, Carey Roberts, Carrie McNally, and Chris Wu.
Openlands is led by Michael Davidson, President & CEO on the 2025 filing; 5 of 32 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Michael Davidson
President & CEO
New on the 2025 filing
35 hrs/week
$233K (2025)
Joann M. Seagren
Chair
On filings since 2022
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Monica Jirak
Director of Development
New on the 2025 filing
35 hrs/week
$101K (2025)
Paul Spector
Director of Finance
New on the 2025 filing
35 hrs/week
$111K (2025)
Bill Clarkin
Director
Committee Chair → Director, 2021
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Carrie C. McNally
Director
Chair → Director, 2021
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Garrett Handley Dee
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
George W. Davis
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jill Allread
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jonathan Copulsky
Director
Committee Chair → Director, 2021
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Joseph C. Russo
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Nicole Williams
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Daisy Feidt
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Matt Dobry
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kerl Lajeune
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Martina Keller
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Raed Mansour
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sachin Master
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Alexa Rice
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Daniel Lauderback
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lynn Y. Buhl
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Patrick Hanley
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Anne Tucker
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Carey Roberts
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Chris Wu
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Douglas Voigt
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Laura Rosenkranz
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Daniella Pereira
COO
Vice President of Community Conservation → Vice President Community Conservation, 2023
Vice President Community Conservation → COO, 2024
On filings since 2021
35 hrs/week
$116K (2021) → $158K (2025)
Emily Reusswig
Vice President of Policy & Land Preservation
Director of Communications → Vice President of Conservation & Policy, 2024
Vice President of Conservation & Policy → Vice President of Policy & Land Preservation, 2025
On filings since 2023
35 hrs/week
$105K (2023) → $133K (2025)
Alan M. Bell
Secretary
Committee Chair → Secretary, 2021
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Glenn W. Reed
Vice Chair
Director → Vice Chair, 2021
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
James Rachlin
Treasurer
On filings since 2023
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (28)
- Former: Gerald Adlemann (2023–2024) — Executive Director · Filing note: Thru 111323
- Former: Diane Sotiros (2019–2023) — Chief Administrative Officer
- Former: Jonathan C. Hamill (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Rommel Noguera (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Wendy J. Paulson (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Stephanie Carper (2023) — Director of Development
- Former: Anthony T. Dean (2019–2022) — Honorary Board Member
- Former: Gary F. Balling (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Gerald W. Adelmann (2019–2022) — President & CEO
- Former: Hugh D. Frisbie (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Jamie Rachlin (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Jeffrey R. Rode (2019–2022) — Treasurer
- Former: Mashall Field V (2019–2022) — Honorary Board Member
- Former: Richard J. Carlson (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Robert Megquier (2019–2022) — Executive Vice President
- Former: Shaun C. Block (2019–2022) — Honorary Board Member
- Former: Kristen Jones (2022) — Director
- Former: Matthew Dobry (2022) — Director
- Former: Dan Lauderback (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Jo Ann M. Seagren (2019–2021) — Chair
- Former: Mark M. Harris (2019–2021) — Vice Chair
- Former: Patrick Shaw (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Nora Hennessey (2020–2021) — Vice President of External Relations
- Former: Andrew Otting (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Dinesh Goburdhun (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Leslie Jones (2019–2020) — Director · Filing note: Thru 5/2020
- Former: Molly Meyer (2019–2020) — Director · Filing note: Thru 9/2020
- Former: Jennifer Van Valkenburg (2019) — Vice President of Development
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 $233K, to Michael Davidson (President and CEO). 5 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Openlands
How much does Openlands give each year?
Openlands gave $316K across 19 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $247K across 21 grants.
What is Openlands's typical grant size?
Openlands's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $16,628, across 19 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Openlands that year got $8K on average.
Where does Openlands give grants?
Openlands gives mostly in Illinois: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (9 grants) and Wheaton, IL (2 grants).
Does Openlands give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 19 grants with a stated purpose on Openlands's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support.
Who are Openlands's largest grantees?
Openlands's largest 2025 grantees include The Wetlands Initiative ($165,341), Origin Woods Restoration ($10,000) and Friends of the Woodstock Public Library ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 59% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Openlands?
Openlands reported $43.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $11.5M.
What does Openlands fund?
Openlands’ stated mission is to protect the natural and open spaces of northeastern Illinois and the surrounding region to ensure cleaner air and water, protect natural habitats and wildlife, and help balance and enrich people’s lives. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Openlands?
Openlands has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check openlands.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Openlands's EIN?
Openlands's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-2649603. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 26, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 20, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 4, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 16, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS July 25, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 30, 2024)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 26, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Openlands funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/openlands-morg_1144ed68496f49ab93c826f2f1397fc4
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_362649603_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Openlands funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/openlands-morg_1144ed68496f49ab93c826f2f1397fc4},
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 Openlands'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.
Openlands down — hundreds of funders to go?