Stearns Family Charitable Fund
Stearns Family Charitable Fund is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. Its 2025 grants supported educational institutions and programs, a museum’s natural resource conservation work, services for seniors, and other charitable organizations.
Key facts about Stearns Family Charitable Fund
In short: Stearns Family Charitable Fund gave $233K across 27 grants in 2025 (avg $9K), mostly in Illinois. 8% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 36-4262723
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $232,589
- Grants made (2025)
- 27
- Average grant
- $8,614
- Median grant
- $2,500
- New grantees (estimate)
- 8% first-time grantees (2 of 26, 2025)
- Total assets
- $2,313,437
- Primary geography
- Illinois (93% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to apply
- The fund states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$2.3M
-3.0% YoY
Annual Giving
$233K
+51.1% YoY
Grant Count
27
+0.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$9K
+51.1% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Stearns Family Charitable Fund reported a distributable amount of $142K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Is Stearns Family Charitable Fund open to new grantees?
8%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 26 grantees (8%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $9K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 85% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 29% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 164% 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.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the fund is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for education, natural resource conservation, care services for seniors, medical research and support, and affordable housing advocacy.
Grantees describe their own work in varied terms. Northwestern University says it is committed to excellent teaching, innovative research, and students’ personal and intellectual growth. Accelerate Institute says it works to close the achievement gap by developing high-impact school leaders. The Field Museum’s grant purpose was natural resource conservation, while the Better Government Association says it works to address waste, corruption, and inefficiency in Illinois government through investigative journalism, litigation, and policy studies.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the fund made 27 grants totaling $232,589. Grant amounts ranged from $100 to $107,040, with a median of $2,500.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 93% of grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois, 4% to South Carolina, and 2% to Florida. The reported shares for Massachusetts and Washington, DC, were each 0%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of all 27 itemized 2025 grant dollars.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $133K (2020) to $233K (2025). In 2025 it made 27 grants totaling $233K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Northwestern University ($139K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $214K.
Grant Size Distribution
142 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 141 grants of 142 (99%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Northwestern University Evanston, IL | For Support of Educational Endeavors | $107,040 |
| Northwestern University Evanston, IL | General Support | $31,874 |
| Field Museum Chicago, IL | Natural Resource Conservation | $16,000 |
| Boys and Girls Club of Chicago Chicago, IL | General Support for Children | $15,250 |
| Hilton Head Christian Academy Bluffton, SC | Education Support | $10,000 |
| Geneva Foundation of Pres Homes Skokie, IL | Care Services for Seniors | $7,750 |
| Better Government Association Chicago, IL | Advocating for Affordable Housing | $6,000 |
| North Shore Country Day School Winnetka, IL | Education Support | $5,000 |
| North Shore Hospital Foundation Evanston, IL | Medical Research and Support | $5,000 |
| North Lawndale College Prep Chciago, IL | Training and Educational Support | $5,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $2,313,437 | $203,521 | $272,162 | $232,589 |
| 2024 | $2,383,819 | $182,360 | $192,579 | $153,925 |
| 2023 | $2,393,770 | $187,795 | $187,228 | $151,600 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $2,313,437 | $2,383,819 | $2,393,770 |
| Revenue | $203,521 | $182,360 | $187,795 |
| Expenses | $272,162 | $192,579 | $187,228 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $232,589 | $153,925 | $151,600 |
| Net Investment Income | $180,455 | $159,760 | $167,776 |
| Distributable Amount | $142,168 | $134,456 | $132,637 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS August 24, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS August 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS August 7, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS July 1, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS August 4, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 6, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Neele E Stearns as president, Bonnie Stearns as vice president, Katherine Sprenger as secretary, and Kendra Drozd as treasurer.
Stearns Family Charitable Fund is led by Neele E. Stearns, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Neele E. Stearns
President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Bonnie Stearns
Vice President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Katherine Sprenger
Secretary
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Kendra Drozd
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
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.
Contact
Mailing address: 222 N Lasalle Street Suite 300, Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: (312) 236-3003
Frequently asked questions about Stearns Family Charitable Fund
How much does Stearns Family Charitable Fund give each year?
Stearns Family Charitable Fund gave $233K across 27 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $154K across 27 grants.
What is Stearns Family Charitable Fund's typical grant size?
Stearns Family Charitable Fund's median grant in 2025 was $2,500, and its average grant was $8,614, across 27 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Stearns Family Charitable Fund that year got $3K on average.
Where does Stearns Family Charitable Fund give grants?
Stearns Family Charitable Fund gives mostly in Illinois: 93% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (6 grants), Evanston, IL (4 grants), Winnetka, IL (2 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Does Stearns Family Charitable Fund give general operating support?
Yes: 15% of Stearns Family Charitable Fund's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (4 of 27) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Education Support" (4 grants) and "Educational Support" (4 grants).
Who are Stearns Family Charitable Fund's largest grantees?
Stearns Family Charitable Fund's largest 2025 grantees include Northwestern University ($138,914 across 2 grants), Field Museum ($16,000) and Boys and Girls Club of Chicago ($15,250), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 73% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Stearns Family Charitable Fund?
Stearns Family Charitable Fund reported $2.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $233K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $142K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Stearns Family Charitable Fund fund?
No mission statement for the fund is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for education, natural resource conservation, care services for seniors, medical research and support, and affordable housing advocacy. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Stearns Family Charitable Fund?
The fund 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 Stearns Family Charitable Fund's EIN?
Stearns Family Charitable Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-4262723. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Stearns Family Charitable Fund accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
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