Richard & Martha Melman Foundation
The Richard & Martha Melman Foundation is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. Established in 1997, it provides philanthropic support through grantmaking to charitable organizations, with a particular focus on providing short-term capital gains for its grantees.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
—
Annual Giving
$394K
+30.5% YoY
Grant Count
9
-40.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$44K
+117.5% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation's primary funding areas include:
- Education
- Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking
- Human Services
The foundation primarily supports charitable organizations in Illinois.
Grantmaking
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation primarily funds organizations in Illinois, with a concentration in the Chicago area.
Grant Distribution by State
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of 2024:
- Total Assets: $2,348,975
- Total Giving: $393,600
- Total Revenues: $149,341
- Total Expenses: $416,814
As of 2023:
- Total Assets: $2,620,000
- Total Revenues: $1,200,000
- Total Expenses: $327,000
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | — | — | — |
| Revenue | — | — | — |
| Expenses | — | — | — |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | — | — | — |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 9 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
85 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Richard Melman is the founder and namesake of the foundation. He is the founder and chairman of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, which operates more than 100 restaurants nationwide. In 2015, Melman received the James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his lifetime body of work in the restaurant industry and its positive impact on American food culture.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| RICHARD MELMAN | DIRECTOR | 2 | — |
| MARTHA MELMAN | DIRECTOR | 2 | — |
| RJ MELMAN | DIRECTOR | 2 | — |
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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