Stephenson Foundation
The Stephenson Foundation is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. It gave $942,000 through 11 grants in 2024 to organizations including Christian ministries, youth programs, and educational institutions.
Stephenson Foundation at a glance
In short: Stephenson Foundation gave $942K across 11 grants in 2024 (avg $86K), mostly in Wisconsin. 45% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $942,000
- +34.6% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 11
- +57.1% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $85,636
- -14.4% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $27,000
- Total assets
- $21,034,986
- -0.7% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 45% first-time grantees (5 of 11, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Wisconsin (53% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Stephenson Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and contributes only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 444 West Lake Street 4000, Chicago, IL 60606
Phone: (312) 372-2000
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Stephenson Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Intervarsity Christian Fellowship ($500K). Together the top 10 received $932K.
Grant Size Distribution
34 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 13 grants of 34 (38%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2024 grant dollars went primarily to organizations in Wisconsin (53%), followed by New York (13%), Michigan (9%), Massachusetts (8%), and Colorado (8%). Other listed recipients were in Louisiana, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Illinois.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Stephenson Foundation open to new grantees?
45%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 5 of 11 grantees (45%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $39K; repeat grants $125K. How we count
Medians: $25K first-time, $56K repeat.
- 45% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+18%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 81% 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 (2019–2024). 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 2019 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $500K (2020) to $942K (2024). In 2024 it made 11 grants totaling $942K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Intervarsity Christian Fellowship Madison, WI | As Needed | $500,000 |
| The Bowery Mission New York, NY | As Needed | $100,000 |
| New City Kids Grand Rapids, MI | As Needed | $85,000 |
| Young Life Colorado Springs, CO | As Needed | $75,000 |
| President and Fellows of Harvard College Cambridge, MA | As Needed | $50,000 |
| Trinity Anglican Church Lafayette, LA | As Needed | $27,000 |
| Resurrection Brooklyn Brooklyn, NY | As Needed | $25,000 |
| The Veritas Forum Cambridge, MA | As Needed | $25,000 |
| Yale Center for Faith & Culture New Haven, CT | As Needed | $25,000 |
| Trustees of Dartmouth College Hanover, NH | As Needed | $20,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $21,034,986 | $862,733 | $1,011,850 | $942,000 | 11 | $944,954 | $795,837 | $1,166,071 |
| 2023 | $21,184,103 | $721,910 | $853,340 | $700,000 | 7 | $702,686 | $666,755 | $1,050,711 |
| 2022 | $21,315,533 | $5,210,602 | $949,781 | $820,000 | 7 | $822,279 | $3,610,791 | $850,967 |
| 2021 | $17,054,712 | $4,900,474 | $837,697 | $800,000 | 6 | $805,425 | $6,321,170 | $697,218 |
| 2020 | $12,991,935 | $5,709,280 | $521,126 | $500,000 | 3 | — | $157,528 | $464,027 |
| 2019 | $7,803,781 | $263,501 | $525,338 | $501,000 | 7 | — | $240,953 | $443,630 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Stephenson Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.2M for 2024 — 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 2024 grants included support for organizations whose own stated missions include youth development, Christian ministry, and higher education. For example, New City Kids describes its work as providing academic, leadership, musical, and spiritual development for children, alongside a paid internship experience for high school students. Young Life describes its work as helping adolescents encounter the person of Jesus Christ through activities including weekly club meetings, Bible studies, camps, and short-term missions. Harvard College describes its mission as undergraduate, graduate, and professional education and research across academic domains.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 11 grants totaling $942,000. Grants ranged from $10,000 to $500,000, with a median grant of $27,000. Among the largest were $500,000 to InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in Madison, Wisconsin; $100,000 to The Bowery Mission in New York; $85,000 to New City Kids in Grand Rapids, Michigan; and $75,000 to Young Life in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The listed purposes were “as needed.”
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Scott Gerard Stephenson and Beth Frances Johnston Stephenson as trustees.
Stephenson Foundation's 2024 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Beth Frances Johnston Stephenson
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Scott Gerard Stephenson
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2024. "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 Stephenson Foundation
How much does Stephenson Foundation give each year?
Stephenson Foundation gave $942K across 11 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $700K across 7 grants.
What is Stephenson Foundation's typical grant size?
Stephenson Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $27,000, and its average grant was $85,636, across 11 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Stephenson Foundation that year got $39K on average.
Where does Stephenson Foundation give grants?
Stephenson Foundation gives mostly in Wisconsin: 53% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (13%) and Michigan (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were Cambridge, MA (2 grants).
Does Stephenson Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 11 grants with a stated purpose on Stephenson Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "As Needed" (11 grants).
Who are Stephenson Foundation's largest grantees?
Stephenson Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Intervarsity Christian Fellowship ($500,000), The Bowery Mission ($100,000) and New City Kids ($85,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 73% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Stephenson Foundation?
Stephenson Foundation reported $21.0M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $945K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.2M (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 Stephenson Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants included support for organizations whose own stated missions include youth development, Christian ministry, and higher education. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Stephenson Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and contributes only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Stephenson Foundation's EIN?
Stephenson Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 35-7124435. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2024.
Does Stephenson 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS August 24, 2020)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Stephenson Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/stephenson-foundation-morg_1884d6b8c24245c585beb4097d2eccfa
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_357124435_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Stephenson Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/stephenson-foundation-morg_1884d6b8c24245c585beb4097d2eccfa},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-13. 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 Stephenson 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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