Polen Family Foundation
Polen Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Highland Park, Illinois. Its 2024 filing reports 35 grants totaling $140,700 to charitable organizations, including recipients working in health care, human services, food access, conservation, and animal welfare.
Polen Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Polen Family Foundation gave $141K across 35 grants in 2024 (avg $4K), mostly in Illinois. 6% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $140,700
- +11.7% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 35
- +0.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $4,020
- +11.7% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $2,000
- Total assets
- $1,277,891
- +19.0% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 6% first-time grantees (2 of 35, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (63% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Polen 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: 2780 Ridge Road, Highland Park, IL 60035
Phone: (847) 689-2200
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Polen Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Shirly Ryan Abilitylab ($25K). Together the top 10 received $90K.
Grant Size Distribution
172 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 172 grants of 172 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, Illinois organizations received 63% of grant dollars, followed by organizations in Colorado (12%), New York (7%), Virginia (5%), and Massachusetts (4%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 35 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Polen Family Foundation open to new grantees?
6%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 2 of 35 grantees (6%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $4K. How we count
Medians: $4K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 94% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 68% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 224% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $84K (2021) to $141K (2024). In 2024 it made 35 grants totaling $141K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Shirly Ryan Abilitylab Chicago, IL | Charitable | $25,000 |
| Aspen Valley Hospital Foundation Aspen, CO | Charitable | $12,700 |
| Catholic Charities Carol Stream, IL | Charitable | $10,000 |
| Friends of the Israel Defense Forces Chicago, IL | Charitable | $10,000 |
| United Way Alexandria, VA | Charitable | $7,500 |
| For Autistic Kids Glenview, IL | Charitable | $5,000 |
| HP Community Foundation Highland Park, IL | Charitable | $5,000 |
| Jimmy Fund Brookline, MA | Charitable | $5,000 |
| Salvation Army Chicago, IL | Charitable | $5,000 |
| Tunnel to Towers Foundation Staten Island, NY | Charitable | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Polen Family Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,277,891 | $353,050 | $149,317 | $140,700 | 35 | $140,700 | $47,983 | $62,903 |
| 2023 | $1,074,158 | $329,533 | $136,181 | $126,000 | 35 | $126,000 | $25,642 | $48,440 |
| 2022 | $880,806 | $314,546 | $98,386 | $92,000 | 34 | $92,000 | $20,305 | $35,716 |
| 2021 | $664,646 | $156,088 | $91,466 | $84,000 | 32 | $84,000 | $33,072 | $37,017 |
| 2020 | $600,024 | $176,248 | $89,884 | $86,500 | 36 | — | $22,682 | $29,898 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Polen Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $63K for 2024 — 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 statement is provided. Its grants include support for organizations serving people affected by disability, illness, food insecurity, and adversity, as well as organizations focused on conservation and animal welfare. For example, the Cancer Wellness Center says it helps people touched by cancer find a way forward, and Northern Illinois Food Bank says it provides meals through a network of food pantries and programs.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation awarded 35 grants totaling $140,700. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $25,000, with a median of $2,000. The largest grants included $25,000 to Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, $12,700 to Aspen Valley Hospital Foundation, and $10,000 each to Catholic Charities and Friends of the Israel Defense Forces. Other recipients included For Autistic Kids ($5,000), the Jimmy Fund ($5,000), and Aspen Community Foundation ($3,500).
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Edward Polen as president, secretary, and director; Tamra Polen as treasurer and director; and Bernard A. Schlifke as assistant secretary and director.
Polen Family Foundation is led by Edward Polen, President, Secretary & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Edward Polen
President, Secretary & Director
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Bernard A. Schlifke
Assistant Secretary & Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Tamra Polen
Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Polen Family Foundation
How much does Polen Family Foundation give each year?
Polen Family Foundation gave $141K across 35 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $126K across 35 grants.
What is Polen Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Polen Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $2,000, and its average grant was $4,020, across 35 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Polen Family Foundation that year got $4K on average.
Where does Polen Family Foundation give grants?
Polen Family Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 63% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Colorado (12%) and New York (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (9 grants), Highland Park, IL (2 grants), Northbrook, IL (2 grants) and Washington DC, DC (2 grants).
Does Polen Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 35 grants with a stated purpose on Polen Family Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable" (35 grants).
Who are Polen Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Polen Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Shirly Ryan Abilitylab ($25,000), Aspen Valley Hospital Foundation ($12,700) and Catholic Charities ($10,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 34% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Polen Family Foundation?
Polen Family Foundation reported $1.3M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $141K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $63K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Polen Family Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its grants include support for organizations serving people affected by disability, illness, food insecurity, and adversity, as well as organizations focused on conservation and animal welfare. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Polen 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 Polen Family Foundation's EIN?
Polen Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-3970463. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Polen 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 September 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Polen Family Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Polen Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Polen Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/polen-family-foundation-morg_8b7f7ab77e844b6aa851624252bbb613
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_203970463_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Polen Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/polen-family-foundation-morg_8b7f7ab77e844b6aa851624252bbb613},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-22. 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 Polen 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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