Sethness Family Foundation
The Sethness Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Northbrook, Illinois. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations in areas including education, the arts, social services, health, and historic preservation.
Sethness Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Sethness Family Foundation gave $219K across 55 grants in 2025 (avg $4K), top state Illinois. 20% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $219,000
- +14.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 55
- +14.6% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $3,982
- -0.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,500
- Total assets
- $2,793,423
- -0.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 20% first-time grantees (11 of 55, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (22% 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 Sethness Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 707 Skokie Blve Suite 600, Northbrook, IL 60062
Phone: (847) 400-0099
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Sethness Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Society of MSK ($15K). Together the top 10 received $105K.
Grant Size Distribution
252 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 252 grants of 252 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 filing reports grant dollars going to recipients in multiple states. The largest listed shares were Illinois (22%), New York (19%), New Hampshire (13%), New Jersey (8%), and Florida (5%). The grants also included recipients in Massachusetts, Texas, and Iowa, among other locations.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 55 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Sethness Family Foundation open to new grantees?
20%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 11 of 55 grantees (20%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $4K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $3K repeat.
- 76% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−16%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 98% 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 (2020–2025). 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $179K (2020) to $261K (2022). In 2025 it made 55 grants totaling $219K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Society of MSK New York, NY | Msk society campaign 2023-2025 - $10,000pediatric cancer patient care - $5,000 | $15,000 |
| Brick Presbyterian Church Brick Township, NJ | Unrestricted - $3,500CHURCH School - $10,000 | $13,500 |
| Central Park Conservancy New York, NY | Unrestricted - $5,000CONSERVANCY Women's Committee - $5,000 | $10,000 |
| Special Olympics Chicago, IL | Unrestricted | $10,000 |
| Digs with Dignity Chicago, IL | Unrestricted | $10,000 |
| International Committee of the Red | Unrestricted | $10,000 |
| Nantucket Historical Association Nantucket, MA | Unrestricted | $10,000 |
| Community Fnd of the Texas Hill COU Kerrville, TX | Kerr County Flood Relief | $10,000 |
| Harris Theater of Music Dance Chicago, IL | Unrestricted | $10,000 |
| New London Barn Playhouse New London, NH | Unrestricted | $6,000 |
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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 | $2,793,423 | $260,545 | $286,806 | $219,000 | 55 | $219,000 | $215,134 | $223,215 |
| 2024 | $2,819,684 | $76,506 | $252,590 | $192,000 | 48 | $192,000 | $33,607 | $212,648 |
| 2023 | $2,995,768 | $218,176 | $258,635 | $193,500 | 48 | $193,500 | $181,241 | $183,756 |
| 2022 | $3,036,227 | $115,234 | $319,814 | $260,500 | 51 | $260,500 | $2,752 | $195,433 |
| 2021 | $3,240,807 | $446,132 | $306,708 | $228,015 | 50 | $228,015 | $296,125 | $245,261 |
| 2020 | $3,101,383 | $377,803 | $238,911 | $178,500 | 37 | — | $190,270 | $191,945 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Sethness Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $223K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations working in several fields. For example, Digs with Dignity describes its work as furnishing homes for people in need in partnership with Chicago social service agencies; Big Shoulders Fund says it supports underserved schools providing values-based education; and the Nantucket Historical Association says it preserves and interprets Nantucket’s history.
Other 2025 recipients include the School of American Ballet, whose stated mission is training students for professional careers in classical ballet, and New London Barn Playhouse, which says it enriches and entertains its community through theater.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 55 grants totaling $219,000. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $15,000, with a median of $2,500. Among the largest listed awards were $15,000 to the Society of MSK, including support for its campaign and pediatric cancer patient care; $13,500 to Brick Presbyterian Church for unrestricted support and church school; and $10,000 each to Central Park Conservancy, Special Olympics, Digs with Dignity, the International Committee of the Red Cross, Nantucket Historical Association, Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country for Kerr County flood relief, and Harris Theater of Music and Dance.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Holly M. Sethness as president/director, Elizabeth S. Walcher as vice president/director, Charlotte H. Sethness as treasurer/director, and Randall Romei as secretary/director.
Sethness Family Foundation is led by Holly M. Sethness, President & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Holly M. Sethness
President & Director
On filings since 2020
0.2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Charlotte H. Sethness
Treasurer & Director
Vice President & Director → Treasurer & Director, 2021
On filings since 2020
0.2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Randall Romei
Secretary & Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Elizabeth S. Walcher
Vice President & Director
On filings since 2024
0.2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: Elizabeth B. Sethness (2020–2023) — Vice President & Director
- Former: Ashley P. Gosnell Mody (2021) — Vice President
- Former: Ashley P. Gosnell (2020) — Vice President & Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 Sethness Family Foundation
How much does Sethness Family Foundation give each year?
Sethness Family Foundation gave $219K across 55 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $192K across 48 grants.
What is Sethness Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Sethness Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,500, and its average grant was $3,982, across 55 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Sethness Family Foundation that year got $5K on average.
Where does Sethness Family Foundation give grants?
Sethness Family Foundation's top state is Illinois, with 22% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (19%) and New Hampshire (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (11 grants), New York, NY (7 grants), New London, NH (5 grants) and Vero Beach, FL (2 grants).
Does Sethness Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 82% of Sethness Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (45 of 55) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Sethness Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Sethness Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Society of MSK ($15,000), Brick Presbyterian Church ($13,500) and Central Park Conservancy ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 18% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Sethness Family Foundation?
Sethness Family Foundation reported $2.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $219K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $223K (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 Sethness Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations working in several fields. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Sethness Family Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Sethness Family Foundation's EIN?
Sethness Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 83-2750234. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Sethness 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 October 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 May 28, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Sethness Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/sethness-family-foundation-morg_7ab5529b8ae04bb4802bae1649df6dcd
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_832750234_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Sethness Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/sethness-family-foundation-morg_7ab5529b8ae04bb4802bae1649df6dcd},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Sethness 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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