Stuart & Jesse Abelson Foundation

CHICAGO, IL EIN: 20-1704222

Stuart & Jesse Abelson Foundation is a private foundation focused on Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking, based in CHICAGO, IL. IRS filing data is available from 2020 through 2024. As of 2024, the organization holds $5.3M in total assets. In 2024, it awarded 8 grants totaling $600K. Net investment income was $1.5M.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$5.3M

+20.1% YoY

Annual Giving

$600K

+20.0% YoY

Grant Count

8

+14.3% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$75K

+5.0% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Stuart & Jesse Abelson Foundation reported a distributable amount of $505K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

About Stuart & Jesse Abelson Foundation

Based on IRS filings

Stuart & Jesse Abelson Foundation is a private foundation focused on Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking, based in CHICAGO, IL. IRS filing data is available from 2020 through 2024. As of 2024, the organization holds $5.3M in total assets. In 2024, it awarded 8 grants totaling $600K. Net investment income was $1.5M.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

Grant Distribution by State

4states

Cities

ChicagoMontgomerySan FranciscoSeattle

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$429K$859K$1M$2M20202021202220232024
Metric202420232022
Total Assets$5,313,882$4,425,870$4,622,002
Revenue$1,561,644$577,863$402,904
Expenses$676,230$577,609$556,951
Qualifying Distributions$608,070$511,515$509,814
Net Investment Income$1,511,807$467,828$270,762
Distributable Amount$504,588$445,469$456,742

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$150K$300K$450K$600K4 grants20204 grants20216 grants20227 grants20238 grants2024

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 8 recipients in 2024

COMPANIS$100KUCSF FOUNDATION$100KCALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SC…$100KFIELD MUSEUM$100KLINCOLN PARK ZOO$50KENVIRONMENTAL LAW & POLI…$50KEQUAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE$50KWORKING IN THE SCHOOLS$50K

Grant Size Distribution

29 grants across all recorded years

3<$50K10$50–100K16$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Companis ($100,000), Ucsf Foundation ($100,000), California Academy of Sciences ($100,000).

RecipientPurposeAmount
COMPANIS SEATTLE, WAGENERAL$100,000
LINCOLN PARK ZOO CHICAGO, ILGENERAL$50,000
ENVIRONMENTAL LAW & POLICY CENTER CHICAGO, ILGENERAL$50,000
UCSF FOUNDATION SAN FRANCISCO, CAGENERAL$100,000
EQUAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE MONTGOMERY, ALGENERAL$50,000
CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES SAN FRANCISCO, CAGENERAL$100,000
FIELD MUSEUM CHICAGO, ILGENERAL$100,000
WORKING IN THE SCHOOLS CHICAGO, ILGENERAL$50,000

Leadership & Key People

Officers and directors from IRS filings

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

NameTitleHoursCompensation
H DEBRA LEVINTRUSTEE
JESSE F ABELSONTRUSTEE

Subject Areas

Focus areas based on grantmaking activity

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Stuart & Jesse Abelson Foundation?

Stuart & Jesse Abelson Foundation is a private foundation focused on Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking, based in CHICAGO, IL. It holds $5.3M in total assets as of 2024.

How large is Stuart & Jesse Abelson Foundation?

As of 2024, Stuart & Jesse Abelson Foundation holds $5.3M in total assets with $1.6M in annual revenue. It awarded 8 grants totaling $600K in 2024.

Where does Stuart & Jesse Abelson Foundation operate?

Stuart & Jesse Abelson Foundation has awarded grants in Alabama, California, Illinois, Washington.

What size grants does Stuart & Jesse Abelson Foundation award?

In 2024, Stuart & Jesse Abelson Foundation awarded 8 grants totaling $600K — an average of about $75K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is Stuart & Jesse Abelson Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, Stuart & Jesse Abelson Foundation reported a distributable amount of $505K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

What is Stuart & Jesse Abelson Foundation's EIN?

Stuart & Jesse Abelson Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-1704222. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.

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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings.

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