Sumac Foundation
Sumac Foundation is a private foundation based in Oak Park, Illinois. Its 2025 filing reports $414,500 in grants to 17 organizations. The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
Sumac Foundation at a glance
In short: Sumac Foundation gave $415K across 17 grants in 2025 (avg $24K), top state Illinois. 12% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $414,500
- +10.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 17
- +13.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $24,382
- -2.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $20,000
- Total assets
- $9,322,861
- +32.8% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 12% first-time grantees (2 of 17, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (42% 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 Sumac 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: 112 S Elmwood Ave, Oak Park, IL 60302
Phone: (708) 263-3747
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Sumac Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Gala Film Festival ($60K). Together the top 10 received $345K.
Grant Size Distribution
72 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 67 grants of 72 (93%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 filing reports that grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois (42%), Washington, DC (28%), California (10%), Virginia (10%), and New York (6%). Other listed 2025 recipients were in Maryland.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Sumac Foundation open to new grantees?
12%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 17 grantees (12%) were first-time recipients. With only 17 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $40K; repeat grants $22K. How we count
Medians: $40K first-time, $15K repeat.
- 82% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 58% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 95% 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 (2018–2025). 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 2018 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $263K (2022) to $415K (2025). In 2025 it made 17 grants totaling $415K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Gala Film Festival Washington, DC | General | $59,500 |
| CASA Central Chicago, IL | General | $45,000 |
| Mexican American Legal Defense Los Angeles, CA | General | $40,000 |
| Second Story Youth Services and SAF Dunn Loring, VA | General | $40,000 |
| Resurrection Project Chicago, IL | General | $35,000 |
| Erie Neighborhood House Chicago, IL | General | $35,000 |
| World Central Kitchen Washington, DC | General | $30,000 |
| Doctors Without Borders New York, NY | General | $25,000 |
| Global Refuge Baltimore, MD | General | $20,000 |
| Beyond Hunger Oak Park, IL | General | $15,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Sumac Foundation?
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 | $9,322,861 | $405,874 | $462,501 | $414,500 | 17 | $414,500 | $403,440 | $437,213 |
| 2024 | $7,018,829 | $631,699 | $427,264 | $375,000 | 15 | $375,000 | $337,802 | $389,470 |
| 2023 | $6,824,045 | $499,254 | $407,283 | $360,000 | 14 | $360,000 | $261,853 | $356,810 |
| 2022 | $6,729,654 | $769,324 | $342,831 | $263,000 | 14 | $263,000 | $336,687 | $374,266 |
| 2021 | $6,295,930 | $2,904,795 | $326,027 | $305,000 | 12 | — | $2,551,489 | $286,264 |
| 2020 | $3,717,162 | $434,283 | $354,912 | $348,000 | 15 | — | $74,065 | $326,246 |
| 2019 | $3,637,791 | $435,811 | $325,238 | $318,000 | 14 | — | $75,267 | $318,459 |
| 2018 | $3,527,218 | $423,191 | $276,499 | $270,000 | 14 | — | $52,649 | $290,434 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Sumac Foundation reported a distributable amount of $437K 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
The foundation’s own mission is not stated in the available information. Its 2025 grants included organizations whose own descriptions identify work in immigrant and low-income family support, crisis-response meals, hunger relief, and services for people affected by domestic violence. Erie Neighborhood House describes its mission as supporting immigrant and low-income families through education, critical services, and advocacy. World Central Kitchen says it provides meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises. Beyond Hunger describes its work as providing hunger relief and working with communities to end hunger. Sarah’s Inn says it works to improve the lives of people affected by domestic violence and break the cycle of violence.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation gave $414,500 through 17 grants. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $59,500, with a median of $20,000.
Among the largest reported grants were $59,500 to GALA Film Festival; $45,000 to Casa Central; $40,000 each to Mexican American Legal Defense and Second Story Youth Services and SAF; $35,000 each to Resurrection Project and Erie Neighborhood House; and $30,000 to World Central Kitchen. Other reported grants included $25,000 to Doctors Without Borders, $20,000 to Global Refuge, $15,000 each to Beyond Hunger, Casa Catalina Food Pantry, and Northbrook Food Pantry, and $5,000 to Sarah’s Inn.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists William A Freebairn, Kenneth T Freebairn, and Elizabeth Freebairn as trustees.
Sumac Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Elizabeth A. Freebairn
Trustee
On filings since 2018
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kenneth T. Freebairn
Trustee
On filings since 2018
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
William A. Freebairn
Trustee
On filings since 2018
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2018–2025. "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 Sumac Foundation
How much does Sumac Foundation give each year?
Sumac Foundation gave $415K across 17 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $375K across 15 grants.
What is Sumac Foundation's typical grant size?
Sumac Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $20,000, and its average grant was $24,382, across 17 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Sumac Foundation that year got $40K on average.
Where does Sumac Foundation give grants?
Sumac Foundation's top state is Illinois, with 42% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were District of Columbia (28%) and California (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (4 grants), Washington, DC (4 grants) and Oak Park, IL (2 grants).
Does Sumac Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Sumac Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (17 of 17) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Sumac Foundation's largest grantees?
Sumac Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Gala Film Festival ($59,500), CASA Central ($45,000) and Mexican American Legal Defense ($40,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 35% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Sumac Foundation?
Sumac Foundation reported $9.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $415K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $437K (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 Sumac Foundation fund?
The foundation’s own mission is not stated in the available information. Its 2025 grants included organizations whose own descriptions identify work in immigrant and low-income family support, crisis-response meals, hunger relief, and services for people affected by domestic violence. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Sumac 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 Sumac Foundation's EIN?
Sumac Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-7115395. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2018–2025.
Does Sumac 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
(9)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2018 (received by the IRS May 8, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 22, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 3, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS March 21, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS August 17, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 18, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 16, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2018–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Sumac Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Sumac Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/sumac-foundation-morg_11c1963973264fe7b3c952bd440b21d1
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_137115395_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Sumac Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/sumac-foundation-morg_11c1963973264fe7b3c952bd440b21d1},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Sumac 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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