Tengelsen Family Foundation
Tengelsen Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. In 2024, it gave $806,460 through 17 grants, including support for a scholars program, adaptive sports, and charitable organizations in Chicago.
Key facts about Tengelsen Family Foundation
In short: Tengelsen Family Foundation gave $920K across 17 grants in 2025 (avg $54K), mostly in Illinois. 43% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 20-5950073
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $919,952
- Grants made (2025)
- 17
- Average grant
- $54,115
- Median grant
- $10,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 43% first-time grantees (6 of 14, 2025)
- Total assets
- $1,892,339
- Primary geography
- Illinois (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to apply
- The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$1.9M
+65.4% YoY
Annual Giving
$920K
+14.1% YoY
Grant Count
17
+0.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$54K
+14.1% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Tengelsen Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $22K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Is Tengelsen Family Foundation open to new grantees?
43%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 6 of 14 grantees (43%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $108K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $15K repeat.
- 50% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 115% 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.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s own mission is not stated. Its 2024 grants included support for education, adaptive sports, mental health, food education, and other charitable purposes.
Big Shoulders Fund describes its mission as supporting underserved schools that provide a quality, values-based education for Chicago’s children. NAMI Chicago says it educates to fight stigma and discrimination, advocates for its community, and shares hope, connection, and expertise with people on their mental health journeys. Pilot Light says it partners with PreK–12 teachers to provide training, curriculum, and resources for experiential food education in classrooms.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 17 grants totaling $806,460. Grants ranged from $100 to $475,875, with a median grant of $9,150. Its largest awards included $475,875 to Big Shoulders Fund for the Tengelsen Family Scholars Program and $200,000 to Shirley Ryan AbilityLab for Tengelsen Family Adaptive Sports. Other notable grants were $25,000 each to NAMI Chicago and Contextos Chicago, and $20,000 to Pilot Light.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All 2024 grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $146K (2019) to $1.1M (2020). In 2025 it made 17 grants totaling $920K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Big Shoulders Fund ($588K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $917K.
Grant Size Distribution
89 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 77 grants of 89 (87%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Big Shoulders Fund Chicago, IL | Tengelsen Family Scholars Program | $475,875 |
| Shirley Ryan Ability Lab Chicago, IL | Tengelsen Family Sports for Kids Program | $200,000 |
| Big Shoulders Fund Chicago, IL | Donation Towards Exempt Purpose | $112,500 |
| Wolcot School Chicago, IL | Scholars Program | $43,000 |
| NAMI Chicago Chicago, IL | Donation Towards Exempt Purpose | $20,500 |
| Pilot Light Chicago, IL | Donation Towards Exempt Purpose | $20,000 |
| Shirley Ryan Ability Lab Chicago, IL | Donation Towards Exempt Purpose | $15,000 |
| Boys Hope Girls Hope Wilmette, IL | Donation Towards Exempt Purpose | $10,000 |
| Mt Carmel High School Chicago, IL | Donation Towards Exempt Purpose | $10,000 |
| Leo High School Chicago, IL | Donation Towards Exempt Purpose | $5,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,144,081 | $1,901,651 | $913,068 | $806,460 |
| 2023 | $155,098 | $502,592 | $531,762 | $477,451 |
| 2022 | $183,943 | $250,467 | $493,701 | $428,535 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $1,892,339 | $1,144,081 | $155,098 |
| Revenue | $1,795,238 | $1,901,651 | $502,592 |
| Expenses | $1,044,092 | $913,068 | $531,762 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $2,065,763 | $1,757,312 | $529,945 |
| Net Investment Income | $13,881 | — | $780 |
| Distributable Amount | $22,377 | $8,231 | $8,061 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 9, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 25, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Jennifer Tengelsen as president/secretary, Erich Tengelsen as vice-president/treasurer, and Lauren J Wolven as director.
Tengelsen Family Foundation is led by Jennifer Tengelsen, President & Secretary on every filing since 2019; 1 of 3 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Jennifer Tengelsen
President & Secretary
On filings since 2019
20 hrs/week
$30K (2020) → $30K (2025)
Lauren J. Wolven
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Erich Tengelsen
Vice President & Treasurer
On filings since 2019
4 hrs/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 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $30K, to Jennifer Tengelsen (President/Secretary).
Contact
Mailing address: 4633 W Diversey Ave Box 125, Chicago, IL 60639
Phone: (773) 698-6570
Frequently asked questions about Tengelsen Family Foundation
How much does Tengelsen Family Foundation give each year?
Tengelsen Family Foundation gave $920K across 17 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $806K across 17 grants.
What is Tengelsen Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Tengelsen Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $54,115, across 17 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Tengelsen Family Foundation that year got $10K on average.
Where does Tengelsen Family Foundation give grants?
Tengelsen Family Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (13 grants).
Who are Tengelsen Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Tengelsen Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Big Shoulders Fund ($588,375 across 2 grants), Shirley Ryan Ability Lab ($216,000 across 3 grants) and Wolcot School ($43,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 92% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Tengelsen Family Foundation?
Tengelsen Family Foundation reported $1.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $2.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $22K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Tengelsen Family Foundation fund?
The foundation’s own mission is not stated. Its 2024 grants included support for education, adaptive sports, mental health, food education, and other charitable purposes. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Tengelsen Family Foundation?
The foundation 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 Tengelsen Family Foundation's EIN?
Tengelsen Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-5950073. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Tengelsen Family Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
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