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. Its 2025 filing, the latest on this page, reports 7 grants totaling $655,000.
Stephenson Foundation at a glance
In short: Stephenson Foundation gave $655K across 7 grants in 2025 (avg $94K), top state New York. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $655,000
- -30.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 7
- -36.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $93,571
- +9.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $100,000
- Total assets
- $21,453,492
- +2.0% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- New York (43% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated November 2026.
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 7 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Central Presbyterian Church ($180K). Together the top 7 received $655K.
Grant Size Distribution
38 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 15 grants of 38 (39%).
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 2025 grant dollars across all 7 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Stephenson Foundation gives
- Giving fell 20% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 53% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $500K (2020) to $942K (2024). In 2025 it made 7 grants totaling $655K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Central Presbyterian Church New York, NY | As Needed | $180,000 |
| Eleazar Wheelock House Hanover, NH | As Needed | $125,000 |
| Apostles by the Sea Inc Santa Rosa Beach, FL | As Needed | $100,000 |
| The Bowery Mission New York, NY | As Needed | $100,000 |
| The Veritas Forum Cambridge, MA | As Needed | $100,000 |
| Trinity Anglican Church Lafayette, LA | As Needed | $25,000 |
| Yale Center for Faith & Culture New Haven, CT | As Needed | $25,000 |
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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 | $21,453,492 | $1,148,270 | $730,301 | $655,000 | 7 | $658,200 | $1,076,169 | $1,247,337 |
| 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 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 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.” Its 2025 filing, the latest on this page, reports 7 grants totaling $655,000.
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 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 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, 2019–2025. "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 Stephenson Foundation
How much does Stephenson Foundation give each year?
Stephenson Foundation gave $655K across 7 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $942K across 11 grants.
What is Stephenson Foundation's typical grant size?
Stephenson Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $100,000, and its average grant was $93,571, across 7 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Stephenson Foundation give grants?
Stephenson Foundation's top state is New York, with 43% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New Hampshire (19%) and Florida (15%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (2 grants).
Does Stephenson Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 7 grants with a stated purpose on Stephenson Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "As Needed" (7 grants).
Who are Stephenson Foundation's largest grantees?
Stephenson Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Central Presbyterian Church ($180,000), Eleazar Wheelock House ($125,000) and Apostles by the Sea Inc ($100,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 62% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Stephenson Foundation?
Stephenson Foundation reported $21.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $658K 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 2019–2025.
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 November 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS September 3, 2026)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS August 24, 2020)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Live grants for the work Stephenson Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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Browse active grant opportunities in Stephenson Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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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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