The Cooper Foundation
The Cooper Foundation is a private foundation based in Evanston, Illinois. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations working in areas including education, medical research, social services, and cultural or community programs.
The Cooper Foundation at a glance
In short: The Cooper Foundation gave $26K across 25 grants in 2025 (avg $1K), mostly in Illinois. 68% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $25,526
- Grants made (2025)
- 25
- Average grant
- $1,021
- Median grant
- $515
- Total assets
- $563,393
- +3.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 68% first-time grantees (17 of 25, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (85% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Cooper Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Its filing says to contact Julie Cohen and submit a letter stating the purposes for the funds requested, details about the organization’s purposes, and adequate proof of tax-exempt status. The filing lists no restrictions on awards.
- Contact
Application contact: Julie Cohen
Mailing address: 4545 W Augusta Blvd, Chicago, IL 60651
Phone: (773) 524-2440
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Cooper Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Jewish United Fund ($10K). Together the top 10 received $19K.
Grant Size Distribution
84 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 84 grants of 84 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 85% of grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois, 10% to California, 2% to New York, 2% to Washington, DC, and 1% to New Jersey.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 25 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Cooper Foundation open to new grantees?
68%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 17 of 25 grantees (68%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $699; repeat grants $2K. How we count
Medians: $510 first-time, $519 repeat.
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+2%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 97% 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 (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 $20K (2023) to $26K (2025). In 2025 it made 25 grants totaling $26K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Jewish United Fund Chicago, IL | General Education and Research | $10,250 |
| Parenteach Institute Evanston, IL | Promote Education | $2,500 |
| Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Manhattan Beach, CA | Promote Medical Research | $1,127 |
| The Weber Family Arts Foundation Ojai, CA | Provide Social Services | $1,000 |
| Illinois Holocaust Museum Chicago, IL | Promote Research | $1,000 |
| The Ark Chicago, IL | Provide Medical & Social Services | $540 |
| Butterfly Strong Hermosa Beach, CA | Promote Medical Research | $540 |
| Lincoln Park Zoo Chicago, IL | Promote Education | $532 |
| Alzheimers Association Chicago, IL | Promote Medical Research | $522 |
| Hillel Chicago Chicago, IL | Promote Education | $520 |
Ready to take the next step with The Cooper 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 | $563,393 | $52,292 | $37,528 | $25,526 | 25 | $25,526 | $52,292 | $26,403 |
| 2024 | $546,029 | $23,329 | $10,911 | — | — | — | $23,329 | $23,917 |
| 2023 | $432,907 | $27,112 | $33,608 | $20,300 | 20 | $20,300 | $27,112 | $22,271 |
| 2022 | $412,410 | $44,413 | $35,027 | $25,000 | 20 | $25,000 | $44,413 | $24,110 |
| 2021 | $497,657 | $48,723 | $30,629 | $21,850 | 19 | — | $48,723 | $23,475 |
| 2020 | $437,363 | $8,656 | $31,743 | $21,860 | 20 | — | $11,908 | $21,487 |
| 2019 | $443,947 | $27,764 | $29,375 | $21,700 | 19 | — | $27,764 | $21,218 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Cooper Foundation reported a distributable amount of $26K 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 grants include support for organizations with varied missions. For example, Parenteach Institute says it works to normalize and build awareness of parenting education; Pancreatic Cancer Action Network says it advances scientific research and supports people impacted by pancreatic cancer; and The Ark says it helps Chicagoland Jews facing adversity navigate toward self-reliance. Connections for the Homeless describes its work as serving the community to end homelessness, including eviction prevention, shelter, and housing services.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 25 grants totaling $25,526. Grants ranged from $152 to $10,250, with a median of $515. Among the largest grants were $10,250 to Jewish United Fund for general education and research, $2,500 to Parenteach Institute to promote education, and $1,127 to Pancreatic Cancer Action Network to promote medical research. Other grants included $1,000 to Illinois Holocaust Museum to promote research and $540 to The Ark for medical and social services.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Julie Cohen and Dave Cohen as directors.
The Cooper Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Julie Cohen
Director
Vice President & Secretary → Director, 2024
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Dave Cohen
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (4)
- Former: Gerald Freedman (2019–2023) — President & Treasurer
- Former: Caroline S. Smith (2022–2023) — Director
- Former: Richard L. Gayle (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Julie Schneider (2019–2020) — Vice President & Secretary
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 The Cooper Foundation
How much does The Cooper Foundation give each year?
The Cooper Foundation gave $26K across 25 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
What is The Cooper Foundation's typical grant size?
The Cooper Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $515, and its average grant was $1,021, across 25 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Cooper Foundation that year got $699 on average.
Where does The Cooper Foundation give grants?
The Cooper Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 85% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was California (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (12 grants) and Evanston, IL (3 grants).
Does The Cooper Foundation give general operating support?
Occasionally: 4% of The Cooper Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 25) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Promote Medical Research" (9 grants), "Provide Social Services" (4 grants) and "Promote Research" (4 grants).
Who are The Cooper Foundation's largest grantees?
The Cooper Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Jewish United Fund ($10,250), Parenteach Institute ($2,500) and Pancreatic Cancer Action Network ($1,127), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 54% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Cooper Foundation?
The Cooper Foundation reported $563K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $26K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $26K (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 The Cooper Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants include support for organizations with varied missions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Cooper Foundation?
The foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Cooper Foundation's EIN?
The Cooper Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-3209605. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 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 March 11, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS June 24, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 4, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS January 30, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 2, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 20, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 8, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Cooper Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Cooper Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-cooper-foundation-morg_08315adb89264acabe441e3d0aa93821
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_363209605_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Cooper Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-cooper-foundation-morg_08315adb89264acabe441e3d0aa93821},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 The Cooper 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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