Polk Family Charitable Fund
The Polk Family Charitable Fund is a private foundation based in Highland Park, Illinois. Its 2025 filing reports 72 grants totaling $274,850 to charitable organizations.
Key facts about Polk Family Charitable Fund
In short: Polk Family Charitable Fund gave $275K across 72 grants in 2025 (avg $4K), mostly in Illinois. 24% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 36-3332896
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $274,850
- Grants made (2025)
- 72
- Average grant
- $3,817
- Median grant
- $1,100
- New grantees (estimate)
- 24% first-time grantees (17 of 72, 2025)
- Total assets
- $1,597,623
- Primary geography
- Illinois (56% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- 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. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$1.6M
-8.3% YoY
Annual Giving
$275K
+16.8% YoY
Grant Count
72
+5.9% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$4K
+10.3% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Polk Family Charitable Fund reported a distributable amount of $189K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Is Polk Family Charitable Fund open to new grantees?
24%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 17 of 72 grantees (24%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $4K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $1K repeat.
- 69% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+17%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 149% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF 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.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the fund is provided. Its 2025 grantees describe a range of activities: Cradles to Crayons says it provides essential items to children in homeless or low-income situations; Wellesley College says it provides a liberal arts education for women; and the American College of Surgeons Foundation says it supports the charitable and educational work of the ACS. Other grantees include Ravinia Festival Association, which describes its work as presenting music performances, and Boulder Shelter for the Homeless, which says it creates avenues to stable housing for homeless adults.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the fund reported 72 grants totaling $274,850. Grants ranged from $300 to $50,000, with a median of $1,100. Among the largest awards were $50,000 to Cradles to Crayons; $20,000 each to the American College of Surgeons Foundation, Friends of Israel Defense Forces, and Wellesley College; and $14,000 each to the Royal Ontario Museum Foundation and Colorado Gives Foundation.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, the largest reported shares of grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois (56%), Massachusetts (10%), and Colorado (10%). Arizona accounted for 5%; a further 6% was assigned to an unidentified state in the filing data.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of all 72 itemized 2025 grant dollars.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
Grant Size Distribution
347 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| CRADLES TO CRAYONS Chicago, IL | GRANT AWARD | $50,000 |
| AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS FOUNDATION Chicago, IL | GRANT AWARD | $20,000 |
| FRIENDS OF ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES Chicago, IL | GRANT AWARD | $20,000 |
| WELLESLEY COLLEGE Wellesley, MA | GRANT AWARD | $20,000 |
| ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM FOUNDATION | GRANT AWARD | $14,000 |
| COLORADO GIVES FOUNDATION Arvada, CO | GRANT AWARD | $14,000 |
| ORT AMERICA Northbrook, IL | GRANT AWARD | $9,000 |
| SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY Boston, MA | GRANT AWARD | $8,000 |
| RAVINIA FESTIVAL ASSOCIATION Highland Park, IL | GRANT AWARD | $7,500 |
| SCHOOL ALTERNATIVES Portland, OR | GRANT AWARD | $7,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants | Grant count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,597,623 | $152,635 | $293,653 | $274,850 | 72 |
| 2024 | $1,742,861 | $231,986 | $248,757 | $235,334 | 68 |
| 2023 | $1,759,412 | $127,788 | $256,733 | $235,525 | 73 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $1,597,623 | $1,742,861 | $1,759,412 |
| Revenue | $152,635 | $231,986 | $127,788 |
| Expenses | $293,653 | $248,757 | $256,733 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $282,628 | $239,774 | $239,645 |
| Net Investment Income | $139,895 | $223,016 | $101,639 |
| Distributable Amount | $189,493 | $174,245 | $167,289 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 8, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 24, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 21, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS July 24, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS July 16, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS June 11, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 5, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists the following officers and directors: Linda E Cutler, president; Bruce R Bachmann, Edward M Polk, Sandra P Guthman, Howard J Polk, Jeffry A Lewis, Jeffrey A Polk, Barbara P Milstein, Dr Travis M Polk LT MC USN USN, and Ellen P Multack, directors.
Polk Family Charitable Fund is led by Linda E. Cutler, President since 2024 (on filings since 2019); none of the 11 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Linda E. Cutler
President
Treasurer → President, 2024
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Barbara P. Milstein
Director
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Bruce R. Bachmann
Director
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
E. Richard Polk
Director
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Edward M. Polk
Director
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Ellen P. Multack
Director
President → Director, 2024
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Howard J. Polk
Director
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Jeffrey A. Polk
Director
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Jeffry A. Lewis
Director
Vice President → Director, 2024
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Sandra P. Guthman
Director
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Travis M. Polk Lt Mc Usn Usn
Director
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
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.
Contact
Mailing address: 675 N North Court Suite 450, Palatine, IL 60067
Phone: (312) 641-5765
Frequently asked questions about Polk Family Charitable Fund
How much does Polk Family Charitable Fund give each year?
Polk Family Charitable Fund gave $275K across 72 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $235K across 68 grants.
What is Polk Family Charitable Fund's typical grant size?
Polk Family Charitable Fund's median grant in 2025 was $1,100, and its average grant was $3,817, across 72 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Polk Family Charitable Fund that year got $2K on average.
Where does Polk Family Charitable Fund give grants?
Polk Family Charitable Fund gives mostly in Illinois: 56% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Massachusetts (10%) and Colorado (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (12 grants), Portland, OR (9 grants), Highland Park, IL (7 grants) and Phoenix, AZ (6 grants).
Does Polk Family Charitable Fund give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 72 grants with a stated purpose on Polk Family Charitable Fund's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Grant Award" (71 grants).
Who are Polk Family Charitable Fund's largest grantees?
Polk Family Charitable Fund's largest 2025 grantees include Cradles to Crayons ($50,000), American College of Surgeons Foundation ($20,000) and Friends of Israel Defense Forces ($20,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 33% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Polk Family Charitable Fund?
Polk Family Charitable Fund reported $1.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $283K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $189K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Polk Family Charitable Fund fund?
No mission statement for the fund is provided. Its 2025 grantees describe a range of activities: Cradles to Crayons says it provides essential items to children in homeless or low-income situations; Wellesley College says it provides a liberal arts education for women; and the American College of Surgeons Foundation says it supports the charitable and educational work of the ACS. Other grantees include Ravinia Festival Association, which describes its work as presenting music performances, and …
How do I apply for a grant from Polk Family Charitable Fund?
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 Polk Family Charitable Fund's EIN?
Polk Family Charitable Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-3332896. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Polk Family Charitable Fund 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.
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