Skip & Meg Herman Family Foundation
The Skip & Meg Herman Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. In its 2025 filing, it reported making 24 grants totaling $79,000 to charitable organizations, with listed recipients in Illinois, Montana, Ohio, New York, and Washington, DC.
Skip & Meg Herman Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Skip & Meg Herman Family Foundation gave $79K across 24 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), mostly in Illinois. 29% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $79,000
- +23.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 24
- +14.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $3,292
- +7.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $862,480
- -0.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 29% first-time grantees (7 of 24, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (54% 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 Skip & Meg Herman Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 3800 N Lake Shore Drive 15B, Chicago, IL 60613-3301
Phone: (312) 494-4414
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Skip & Meg Herman Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was American Prairie Foundation ($10K). Together the top 10 received $68K.
Grant Size Distribution
103 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 102 grants of 103 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 54% of grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois and 29% to recipients in Montana. The remaining reported shares were Ohio (6%), New York (5%), and Washington, DC (3%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 24 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Skip & Meg Herman Family Foundation open to new grantees?
29%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 7 of 24 grantees (29%) were first-time recipients. With only 24 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 4 points. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $3K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $1K repeat.
- 63% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 27% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 165% 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 $64K (2024) to $139K (2020). In 2025 it made 24 grants totaling $79K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| American Prairie Foundation Bozeman, MT | General Fund | $10,000 |
| Jewish United Fund Chicago, IL | General Fund | $10,000 |
| Montana Land Reliance Helena, MT | General Fund | $10,000 |
| Nourishing Hope Chicago, IL | General Fund | $10,000 |
| Goodman Theatre Chicago, IL | General Fund | $10,000 |
| Greater Chicago Food Depository Chicago, IL | General Fund | $5,000 |
| The Shane Center Centerburg, OH | General Fund | $5,000 |
| Billings Clinic Foundation Billings, MT | General Fund | $2,500 |
| American Cancer Research Alliance New York, NY | General Fund | $2,500 |
| The Chicago Community Foundation - Innovation 80 Chicago, IL | General Fund | $2,500 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The foundation reported 24 grants in 2025, 21 in 2024, and 16 in 2023.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $862,480 | $72,811 | $84,189 | $79,000 | 24 | $83,339 | $72,811 | $50,639 |
| 2024 | $863,627 | $65,798 | $70,959 | $64,250 | 21 | $69,569 | $60,479 | $44,523 |
| 2023 | $868,788 | $28,944 | $144,147 | $138,500 | 16 | $143,556 | $60,431 | $45,780 |
| 2022 | $983,991 | $24,954 | $118,107 | $108,200 | 21 | $108,200 | $20,909 | $51,144 |
| 2021 | $1,077,144 | $436,132 | $128,834 | $126,250 | 21 | $126,250 | $415,112 | $35,693 |
| 2020 | $769,846 | $5,218 | $142,767 | $139,250 | 18 | — | — | $44,138 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Skip & Meg Herman Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $51K 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 mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 giving included organizations whose own missions span several areas. Nourishing Hope says it provides food, mental health support, and social services to help neighbors thrive; the Greater Chicago Food Depository says its mission is to end hunger. The American Prairie Foundation describes its mission as creating a large nature reserve for people and wildlife, while American Rivers says it works to protect and restore rivers.
Other 2025 recipients describe missions involving healthcare and research (Billings Clinic Foundation), teaching and research (Northwestern University), criminal justice reform (The Innocence Project), and ovarian cancer research and child literacy (Amy Krouse Rosenthal Foundation). These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 24 grants totaling $79,000. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $10,000, with a median grant of $1,000. The largest listed grants were $10,000 each to American Prairie Foundation, Jewish United Fund, Montana Land Reliance, Nourishing Hope, and Goodman Theatre. Other notable grants included $5,000 to Greater Chicago Food Depository and The Shane Center, and $2,500 each to Billings Clinic Foundation, American Cancer Research Alliance, and The Chicago Community Foundation – Innovation 80.
Additional 2025 grants included $1,500 to Northwestern University and $1,000 each to The Innocence Project, Amy Krause Rosenthal Foundation, and American Rivers.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Sidney N. Herman as president and director; Margaret D. Herman as treasurer, secretary, and director; and Rockney W. Hudson as assistant secretary and director.
Skip & Meg Herman Family Foundation is led by Sidney N. Herman, President & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Sidney N. Herman
President & Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Margaret D. Herman
Treasurer, Secretary & Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rockney W. Hudson
Assistant Secretary & Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
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 Skip & Meg Herman Family Foundation
How much does Skip & Meg Herman Family Foundation give each year?
Skip & Meg Herman Family Foundation gave $79K across 24 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $64K across 21 grants.
What is Skip & Meg Herman Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Skip & Meg Herman Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $3,292, across 24 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Skip & Meg Herman Family Foundation that year got $4K on average.
Where does Skip & Meg Herman Family Foundation give grants?
Skip & Meg Herman Family Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 54% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Montana (29%) and Ohio (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (8 grants), New York, NY (3 grants), Helena, MT (2 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Does Skip & Meg Herman Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Skip & Meg Herman Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (24 of 24) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Skip & Meg Herman Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Skip & Meg Herman Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include American Prairie Foundation ($10,000), Jewish United Fund ($10,000) and Montana Land Reliance ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 38% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Skip & Meg Herman Family Foundation?
Skip & Meg Herman Family Foundation reported $862K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $83K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $51K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Skip & Meg Herman Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 giving included organizations whose own missions span several areas. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Skip & Meg Herman Family Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Skip & Meg Herman Family Foundation's EIN?
Skip & Meg Herman Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-3033542. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Skip & Meg Herman 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 September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 27, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 26, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 28, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 3, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 13, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 5, 2026)
Live grants for the work Skip & Meg Herman Family Foundation funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Skip & Meg Herman Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/skip-and-meg-herman-family-foundation-morg_a3a1880cc632492db4520df7b3b094ee
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_263033542_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Skip \& Meg Herman Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/skip-and-meg-herman-family-foundation-morg_a3a1880cc632492db4520df7b3b094ee},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-20. 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 Skip & Meg Herman 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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