Sweeney Family Foundation
The Sweeney Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. Its 2025 IRS filing is marked as the organization’s final return, indicating that it appears to have wound down or stopped grantmaking.
Sweeney Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Sweeney Family Foundation gave $2.4M across 15 grants in 2025 (avg $160K), mostly in Wisconsin. 60% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $2,397,779
- +2227.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 15
- +66.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $159,852
- +1296.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 60% first-time grantees (9 of 15, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Wisconsin (95% 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 Sweeney Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests; its filing says it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 53 W Jackson Blvd Suite 1638, Chicago, IL 60604
Phone: (312) 704-1066
Website: https://www.sweeneyfamilyfoundation.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Sweeney Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Greater Milwaukee Foundation- Charitable Family Fund ($2.2M). Together the top 10 received $2.4M.
Grant Size Distribution
62 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 61 grants of 62 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 95% of grant dollars went to recipients in Wisconsin, 3% to recipients in Illinois, and 1% to recipients in New York.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 15 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Sweeney Family Foundation open to new grantees?
60%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 9 of 15 grantees (60%) were first-time recipients. With only 15 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $257K; repeat grants $14K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $11K repeat.
- 33% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 2424% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $87K (2019) to $2.4M (2025). In 2025 it made 15 grants totaling $2.4M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Greater Milwaukee Foundation- Charitable Family Fund Milwaukee, WI | Charitable Family Fund | $2,247,279 |
| Doctors Without Borders New York, NY | General | $30,000 |
| Housing Opportunties and Maintenance for the Elderly (Home) Chicago, IL | General | $20,000 |
| Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago Chicago, IL | General | $15,000 |
| Lotus Legal Clinic Milwaukee, WI | General | $15,000 |
| The Night Ministry Chicago, IL | General | $15,000 |
| Rooted and Rising Washington Park Milwaukee, WI | General | $12,500 |
| Aspire Hillside, IL | General | $10,000 |
| Centro San Bonifacio Chicago, IL | General | $10,000 |
| Maryknoll Sisters Maryknoll, NY | Mission Project Funding | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Sweeney Family Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
— = not provided.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | $75,297 | $2,410,648 | $2,397,779 | 15 | $2,397,779 | $70,131 | $95,540 |
| 2024 | $1,064,084 | $194,006 | $109,028 | $103,000 | 9 | $103,015 | $189,110 | $96,712 |
| 2023 | $976,606 | $96,311 | $114,171 | $108,000 | 10 | $108,145 | $90,285 | $89,813 |
| 2022 | $993,903 | $73,682 | $98,173 | $95,000 | 12 | $95,028 | $70,537 | $92,947 |
| 2021 | $1,014,887 | $43,301 | $119,434 | $112,000 | 16 | $112,015 | $38,819 | $100,409 |
| 2020 | $1,091,444 | $222,150 | $125,488 | $117,500 | 14 | — | $218,432 | $74,635 |
| 2019 | $994,782 | $175,504 | $92,042 | $87,000 | 15 | — | $172,772 | $71,991 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Sweeney Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $96K 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 available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations serving people experiencing homelessness or poverty, survivors of trafficking and sexual violence, and Hispanic immigrant communities. These are descriptions of grantees’ work, not stated priorities of the foundation: The Night Ministry says it provides human connection, housing support, and health care to people who are unhoused or experiencing poverty; Lotus Legal Clinic says it combines legal services, victims’ rights representation, and therapeutic arts programming for survivors; and Centro San Bonifacio says it promotes self-development in the Hispanic immigrant community through projects related to health, education, solidarity, and human rights.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 15 grants totaling $2,397,779. Grant amounts ranged from $2,500 to $2,247,279, with a median of $10,000. The largest grant was $2,247,279 to Greater Milwaukee Foundation–Charitable Family Fund for a charitable family fund. Other notable grants included $30,000 to Doctors Without Borders; $20,000 to Housing Opportunities and Maintenance for the Elderly (HOME); and $15,000 each to Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago, Lotus Legal Clinic, and The Night Ministry.
The foundation’s 2025 filing states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Barbara Sweeney, Margaret Powell, and Rose Sweeney as directors.
Sweeney Family Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Margaret Powell
Director
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
$1K (2020) → $0 (2025)
Barbara Sweeney
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rose Sweeney
Director
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $2K, to Margaret Powell (Director).
Frequently asked questions about Sweeney Family Foundation
How much does Sweeney Family Foundation give each year?
Sweeney Family Foundation gave $2.4M across 15 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $103K across 9 grants.
What is Sweeney Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Sweeney Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $159,852, across 15 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Sweeney Family Foundation that year got $257K on average.
Where does Sweeney Family Foundation give grants?
Sweeney Family Foundation gives mostly in Wisconsin: 95% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (7 grants) and Milwaukee, WI (5 grants).
Does Sweeney Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 87% of Sweeney Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (13 of 15) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Sweeney Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Sweeney Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Greater Milwaukee Foundation- Charitable Family Fund ($2,247,279), Doctors Without Borders ($30,000) and Housing Opportunties and Maintenance for the Elderly (Home) ($20,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 96% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
What does Sweeney Family Foundation fund?
The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations serving people experiencing homelessness or poverty, survivors of trafficking and sexual violence, and Hispanic immigrant communities. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Sweeney Family Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests; its filing says it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
How much is Sweeney Family Foundation required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2025, Sweeney Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $96K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is Sweeney Family Foundation's EIN?
Sweeney Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-4261717. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Sweeney Family 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
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS April 29, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS March 3, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 23, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 5, 2023)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 22, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 10, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 27, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Live grants for the work Sweeney Family Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Sweeney Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Sweeney Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/sweeney-family-foundation-morg_c9c93becd79e433e914d67c979203375
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_364261717_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Sweeney Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/sweeney-family-foundation-morg_c9c93becd79e433e914d67c979203375},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-20. 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 Sweeney Family 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.
Sweeney Family Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?