Screen Door Philanthropies
Screen Door Philanthropies is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. In its 2025 filing, it reported 29 grants totaling $290,000 to charitable organizations, including organizations working in areas such as immigration legal advocacy, education, land conservation, domestic violence services, family court support, health care, and public space.
Screen Door Philanthropies at a glance
In short: Screen Door Philanthropies gave $290K across 29 grants in 2025 (avg $10K), mostly in New York. 34% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $290,000
- +56.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 29
- +45.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $10,000
- +8.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $9,500
- Total assets
- $5,709,199
- +17.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 34% first-time grantees (10 of 29, 2025)
- Primary geography
- New York (60% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Screen Door Philanthropies
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states in its 2025 filing that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
- Contact
Mailing address: 225 W Washington St 2200, Chicago, IL 60606
Phone: (312) 642-0006
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Screen Door Philanthropies funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Georgetown University ($20K). Together the top 10 received $157K.
Grant Size Distribution
69 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 69 grants of 69 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in New York (60%), Rhode Island (11%), Connecticut (9%), Washington, DC (7%), and Vermont (5%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 29 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Screen Door Philanthropies open to new grantees?
34%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 10 of 29 grantees (34%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $8K; repeat grants $11K. How we count
Medians: $6K first-time, $11K repeat.
- 66% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 97% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2023–2025). 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 2023 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $125K (2023) to $290K (2025). In 2025 it made 29 grants totaling $290K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Georgetown University Washington, DC | To Further Program Initiatives | $20,000 |
| Immigrant Justice Corps New York, NY | To Further Program Initiatives | $20,000 |
| Newport Festivals Foundation Inc Newport, RI | To Further Program Initiatives | $17,000 |
| Westchester Land Trust Bedford Hills, NY | To Further Program Initiatives | $17,000 |
| West Side Center Community Life New York, NY | To Further Program Initiatives | $16,000 |
| Pres & Fellos Middlebury Coll Middlebury, VT | To Further Program Initiatives | $15,000 |
| College Visions Providence, RI | To Further Program Initiatives | $14,000 |
| Hopes Door Inc Hawthorne, NY | To Further Program Initiatives | $13,000 |
| Family Legal Care New York, NY | To Further Program Initiatives | $12,500 |
| Middlesex Hospital Middletown, CT | To Further Program Initiatives | $12,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $5,709,199 | $1,126,063 | $294,155 | $290,000 | 29 | $292,084 | $488,119 | $302,617 |
| 2024 | $4,877,291 | $118,195 | $190,769 | $185,000 | 20 | $189,061 | $107,772 | $281,036 |
| 2023 | $4,949,865 | $16,044 | $132,265 | $125,000 | 20 | $130,635 | $14,416 | $257,671 |
| 2022 | $5,066,086 | $5,066,086 | — | — | — | — | $6,924 | $57,039 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Screen Door Philanthropies reported a distributable amount of $303K for 2025 — 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 2025 grants included support for organizations with varied missions. For example, Immigrant Justice Corps says it recruits and trains legal advocates committed to immigrant justice; College Visions says it helps low-income and first-generation students pursue higher education; and Westchester Land Trust says it works to conserve and enhance the natural environment in Westchester and eastern Putnam counties. Other grantees include Hope’s Door, which describes its work as providing services to victims of domestic violence, and Family Legal Care, which says it empowers unrepresented litigants in New York family courts.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation made 29 grants totaling $290,000. Grants ranged from $3,000 to $20,000, with a median of $9,500. The largest grants included $20,000 each to Georgetown University and Immigrant Justice Corps; $17,000 each to Newport Festivals Foundation and Westchester Land Trust; and $16,000 to West Side Center Community Life. The filing lists the grant purpose as “to further program initiatives.”
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Laura Desmarais, John M Desmarais, John J Desmarais, and Julia C Desmarais as directors.
Screen Door Philanthropies's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
John J. Desmarais
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Laura Desmarais
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Julia C. Desmarais
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2022–2025. "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 Screen Door Philanthropies
How much does Screen Door Philanthropies give each year?
Screen Door Philanthropies gave $290K across 29 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $185K across 20 grants.
What is Screen Door Philanthropies's typical grant size?
Screen Door Philanthropies's median grant in 2025 was $9,500, and its average grant was $10,000, across 29 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Screen Door Philanthropies that year got $8K on average.
Where does Screen Door Philanthropies give grants?
Screen Door Philanthropies gives mostly in New York: 60% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Rhode Island (11%) and Connecticut (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (8 grants), Mount Kisco, NY (2 grants) and Cambridge, MA (2 grants).
Does Screen Door Philanthropies give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 29 grants with a stated purpose on Screen Door Philanthropies's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "To Further Program Initiatives" (29 grants).
Who are Screen Door Philanthropies's largest grantees?
Screen Door Philanthropies's largest 2025 grantees include Georgetown University ($20,000), Immigrant Justice Corps ($20,000) and Newport Festivals Foundation Inc ($17,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 20% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Screen Door Philanthropies?
Screen Door Philanthropies reported $5.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $292K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $303K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Screen Door Philanthropies fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations with varied missions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Screen Door Philanthropies?
The foundation states in its 2025 filing that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Screen Door Philanthropies's EIN?
Screen Door Philanthropies's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 87-1857729. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2022–2025.
Does Screen Door Philanthropies 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 27, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2022–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Screen Door Philanthropies's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Screen Door Philanthropies funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/screen-door-philanthropies-morg_32dcc7ade3dc431aa778a5e78bd05dbd
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_871857729_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Screen Door Philanthropies funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/screen-door-philanthropies-morg_32dcc7ade3dc431aa778a5e78bd05dbd},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Screen Door Philanthropies'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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