Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation
The Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation is a 501(c)(3) corporate foundation based in Chicago, Illinois, established in 1979. The foundation is affiliated with the renowned architecture and engineering firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), which was founded in 1936. The foundation supports architectural and engineering education and research through grants, awards, and fellowships.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$2.2M
-7.3% YoY
Annual Giving
$205K
+44.3% YoY
Grant Count
22
+83.3% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$9K
-21.3% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation's mission is dedicated to investing in and supporting the next generation of designers. Its primary focus areas include:
- Architectural and engineering education
- Architectural and engineering research
- Scholarship awards
- Research prizes and jury stipends
Grantmaking
The foundation makes grants and awards to support its educational and research mission. Recent grant activity includes:
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation funds projects across multiple regions:
United States: California, Texas, Pennsylvania, Illinois (Chicago), New York, and San Francisco
International: Chongqing, Louvain-la-Neuve, and other international locations
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of Fiscal Year Ending August 2024:
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total Assets | $2,225,924 |
| Total Revenue | $190,210 |
| Total Expenses | $365,761 |
| Net Income | -$175,551 |
| Total Liabilities | $0 |
Revenue Breakdown (FY 2024):
- Grants and contributions: $103,528
- Investment income and dividends: $107,123
- Net loss from sale of non-inventory assets: -$21,316
- Miscellaneous revenues: $875
Year-over-Year Changes (FY 2024 vs. FY 2023):
- Total revenues increased 13.8%
- Grants and contributions increased 27.7%
- Investment income increased 22.5%
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $2,225,924 | $2,401,475 | $2,546,785 |
| Revenue | $190,210 | $167,175 | $224,515 |
| Expenses | $365,761 | $312,485 | $270,641 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $331,797 | $273,605 | $240,129 |
| Net Investment Income | $74,034 | $54,245 | $69,638 |
| Distributable Amount | $244,310 | $221,932 | $239,552 |
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 2024
Grant Size Distribution
79 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
5 open opportunities from Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation
China Fellowship Grant
SKIDMORE OWINGS & MERRILL FOUNDATION
Amount
US $15,000
Deadline
Rolling / Open
European Research Prize Grant
SKIDMORE OWINGS & MERRILL FOUNDATION
Amount
€20,000
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Gordon Bunshaft Award Grant
SKIDMORE OWINGS & MERRILL FOUNDATION
Amount
US $5,000
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
- Iker Gil – Director (as of August 2023, compensation: $75,000)
- Scott Duncan – Co-chairman
- Leo Chow – Co-chairman
The foundation operates with a board of directors whose members contribute their expertise.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| MR SCOTT DUNCAN | CO-CHAIRMAN | 0.1 | — |
| MR LEO CHOW | CO-CHAIRMAN | 0.1 | — |
| MS LAURA ETTELMAN | TREASURER | 0.1 | — |
| MR KENT JACKSON | SECRETARY | 0.1 | — |
| MR BRANT COLETTA | DIRECTOR | 0.1 | — |
| MR COLIN KOOP | DIRECTOR | 0.1 | — |
| MR CHRISTOPHER COOPER | DIRECTOR | 0.1 | — |
| MR KENNETH LEWIS | DIRECTOR | 0.1 | — |
| MR PAUL DANNA | DIRECTOR | 0.1 | — |
| MR MARK SARKISIAN | DIRECTOR | 0.1 | — |
| MR MICHAEL DUNCAN | DIRECTOR | 0.1 | — |
| MR ADAM SEMEL | DIRECTOR | 0.1 | — |
| MS CARRIE BYLES | DIRECTOR | 0.1 | — |
| MS XUAN FU | DIRECTOR | 0.1 | — |
| MR JONATHAN STEIN | DIRECTOR | 0.1 | — |
| MR LIANG-YU CHIEN | DIRECTOR | 0.1 | — |
| MR DOUGLAS VOIGHT | DIRECTOR | 0.1 | — |
| MR THOMAS BEHR | DIRECTOR | 0.1 | — |
| MR ERIC LONG | DIRECTOR | 0.1 | — |
| MR OLIN MCKENZIE | DIRECTOR | 0.1 | — |
| MS CARRIE MOORE | DIRECTOR | 0.1 | — |
| MS JULIA MURPHY | DIRECTOR | 0.1 | — |
Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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