Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation
The Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1979, it supports students, faculty, and researchers through awards and fellowships for interdisciplinary research and design exploration related to architecture, landscape architecture, interior architecture, urban design, and engineering.
Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation at a glance
In short: Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation gave $172K across 19 grants in 2025 (avg $9K), top state Texas. 50% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $171,513
- -16.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 19
- -13.6% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $9,027
- -2.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $2,094,002
- -5.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 50% first-time grantees (5 of 10, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Texas (17% 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 Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The filing says applicants must provide a portfolio of their work, a written proposal describing a research subject, and a travel itinerary necessary for the research. Eligibility and requirements vary by award. For example, the Research Prize is open to faculty teaching in specified professionally accredited U.S. programs; proposals must be developed in a studio or seminar and involve interdisciplinary collaboration. The filing says each award competition has a submission deadline.
- Contact
Application contact: Iker Gil
Mailing address: 224 S Michigan Avenue Suite 1000, Chicago, IL 60604
Phone: (312) 427-4202
Website: https://www.somfoundation.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
5 open opportunities from Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation
China Fellowship Grant
Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation
Amount
US $15,000
Deadline
Deadline not published
European Research Prize Grant
Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation
Amount
€20,000
Deadline
Deadline not published
Gordon Bunshaft Award Grant
Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation
Amount
US $5,000
Deadline
Deadline not published
Who Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Auburn University Co Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation ($15K). Together the top 10 received $126K.
Grant Size Distribution
90 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 90 grants of 90 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Foundation’s programs span the United States, Europe, and China. In filing year 2025, listed grant recipients included organizations in Alabama, Texas, Michigan, Minnesota, California, and Illinois, as well as recipients in Dublin and Catalonia. Among the reported shares of grant dollars by recipient state, Texas accounted for 17%, Michigan 15%, California 14%, and Alabama 9%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 19 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation open to new grantees?
50%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 10 grantees (50%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $12K; repeat grants $7K. How we count
Medians: $15K first-time, $6K repeat.
- 50% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 25% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 115% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 $131K (2020) to $205K (2024). In 2025 it made 19 grants totaling $172K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Auburn University Co Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation Auburn, AL | Research | $15,000 |
| The University of Texas at San Antonio Co Skidmore Owings & Merrill Found San Antonio, TX | Research | $15,000 |
| University of Michigan Co Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation Ann Arbor, MI | Research | $15,000 |
| University of Minnesota Co Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation Minneapolis, MN | Research | $15,000 |
| Rebecca Henig Co Skidmore Owings ME Atherton, CA | Scholarship Fellowship | $14,000 |
| Technological University Dublin Co Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation | Research | $11,760 |
| Beni Lawson Co Skidmore Owings Merr Aurora, IL | Scholarship Award | $10,000 |
| Erin Kurtycz Co Skidmore Owings Mer Battle Creek, MI | Scholarship Award | $10,000 |
| Ferras Coulibaly Co Skidmore Owings Worcester, MA | Scholarship Award | $10,000 |
| Salma Rodriguez Co Skidmore Owings El Paso, TX | Scholarship Award | $10,000 |
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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 | $2,094,002 | $213,172 | $345,094 | $171,513 | 19 | $308,906 | $138,284 | $269,047 |
| 2024 | $2,225,924 | $190,210 | $365,761 | $204,504 | 22 | $331,797 | $74,034 | $244,310 |
| 2023 | $2,401,475 | $167,175 | $312,485 | $141,683 | 12 | $273,605 | $54,245 | $221,932 |
| 2022 | $2,546,785 | $224,515 | $270,641 | $137,028 | 22 | $240,129 | $69,638 | $239,552 |
| 2021 | $2,592,908 | $108,748 | $280,579 | $148,500 | 15 | — | $48,360 | $232,919 |
| 2020 | $2,764,735 | $141,201 | $243,488 | $131,229 | 8 | — | $66,912 | $202,840 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation reported a distributable amount of $269K 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
The Foundation’s stated goal is to advance the design profession’s ability to address the key topics of its time by supporting people and groups with high design aspirations. Its programs include research prizes and fellowships in design and engineering fields.
The Foundation states that it awards grants and fellowships principally to individuals and tax-exempt entities for education, research, or publication in or directly related to architecture or architectural engineering. Its filing describes required research proposals and travel itineraries, while the Foundation’s website describes programs supporting interdisciplinary research by faculty teams and independent research by students.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the Foundation reported 19 grants totaling $171,513. Grants ranged from $2,786 to $15,000, with a median of $10,000. Examples include $15,000 each for research to Auburn University, the University of Texas at San Antonio, the University of Michigan, and the University of Minnesota. The filing also lists $11,760 for research to Technological University Dublin.
The Foundation’s website lists annual programs including the Research Prize, European Research Prize, Structural Engineering Fellowship, China Fellowship, Robert L. Wesley Award, Researcher-in-Residence, and Gordon Bunshaft Award. Published award amounts include two $30,000 Research Prizes each year, a €20,000 European Research Prize, a $20,000 Structural Engineering Fellowship, and a $15,000 China Fellowship. The Foundation’s filing describes awards and fellowships as supporting education, research, or publication related to architecture or architectural engineering.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Scott Duncan and Leo Chow as co-chairmen; Laura Ettelman as treasurer; Kent Jackson as secretary; and Vram Malek as assistant treasurer. Directors listed are Thomas Behr, Carrie Byles, Liang-Yu Chien, Christopher Cooper, and Michael Duncan.
Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation is led by Leo Chow, Co-Chairman on every filing since 2020; none of the 20 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Leo Chow
Co-Chairman
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Scott Duncan
Co-Chairman
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Adam Semel
Director
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Carrie Byles
Director
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Christopher Cooper
Director
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Colin Koop
Director
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Douglas Voigt
Director
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kenneth A. Lewis
Director
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Liang-Yu Chien
Director
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mark Sarkisian
Director
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael Duncan
Director
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Thomas Behr
Director
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Xuan Fu
Director
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Carrie Moore
Director
On filings since 2023
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Eric Long
Director
On filings since 2023
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Julia Murphy
Director
On filings since 2023
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Olin McKenzie
Director
On filings since 2023
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kent Jackson
Secretary
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Laura Ettelman
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Vram Malek
Assistant Treasurer
New on the 2025 filing
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (8)
- Former: Brant Coletta (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Jonathan Stein (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Paul Danna (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: C. Keith Boswell (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Mustafa Abadan (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Gary Haney (2020) — Director
- Former: Stephen Apking (2020) — Director
- Former: Tj Gottesdiener (2020) — 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 Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation
How much does Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation give each year?
Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation gave $172K across 19 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $205K across 22 grants.
What is Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation's typical grant size?
Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $9,027, across 19 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation that year got $12K on average.
Where does Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation give grants?
Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation's top state is Texas, with 17% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Michigan (15%) and California (14%).
Does Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 19 grants with a stated purpose on Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Research" (10 grants), "Scholarship Fellowship" (5 grants) and "Scholarship Award" (4 grants).
Who are Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation's largest grantees?
Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Auburn University Co Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation ($15,000), The University of Texas at San Antonio Co Skidmore Owings & Merrill Found ($15,000) and University of Michigan Co Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation ($15,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 26% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation?
Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation reported $2.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $309K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $269K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation fund?
The Foundation’s stated goal is to advance the design profession’s ability to address the key topics of its time by supporting people and groups with high design aspirations. Its programs include research prizes and fellowships in design and engineering fields. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation?
The filing says applicants must provide a portfolio of their work, a written proposal describing a research subject, and a travel itinerary necessary for the research. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation's EIN?
Skidmore Owings & Merrill Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-2969068. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
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 July 7, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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