The Dancing Skies Foundation
The Dancing Skies Foundation is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. Its 2025 filing reports $510,000 in grants to 18 charitable organizations.
The Dancing Skies Foundation at a glance
In short: The Dancing Skies Foundation gave $510K across 18 grants in 2025 (avg $28K), mostly in Illinois. 11% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $510,000
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 18
- +5.9% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $28,333
- -5.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $17,500
- Total assets
- $6,320,236
- +1.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 11% first-time grantees (2 of 18, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (75% 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 The Dancing Skies Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it contributes only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 134 N Lasalle Street Suite 1050, Chicago, IL 60602
Phone: (312) 726-4162
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Dancing Skies Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Ravinia Festival Association ($190K). Together the top 10 received $445K.
Grant Size Distribution
83 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 69 grants of 83 (83%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 75% of grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois, 11% to New York, 8% to Kentucky, and 2% each to the District of Columbia and Michigan.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 18 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Dancing Skies Foundation open to new grantees?
11%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 18 grantees (11%) were first-time recipients. With only 18 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $31K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $20K repeat.
- 89% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+7%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 126% of 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 $475K (2022) to $543K (2021). In 2025 it made 18 grants totaling $510K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Ravinia Festival Association Highland Park, IL | Charitable | $190,000 |
| Fourth Presbyterian Church Chicago, IL | Charitable | $50,000 |
| The Night Ministry Chicago, IL | Charitable | $45,000 |
| Berea College Berea, KY | Charitable | $40,000 |
| The Joffrey Ballet Chicago, IL | Charitable | $25,000 |
| Doctors Without Borders New York, NY | Charitable | $20,000 |
| Fisher Center for Alzheimers Research New York, NY | Charitable | $20,000 |
| Planned Parenthood Chicago, IL | Charitable | $20,000 |
| Tacf Chicago, IL | Charitable | $20,000 |
| Michael J Fox Foundation New York, NY | Charitable | $15,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Dancing Skies 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 | $6,320,236 | $609,718 | $542,484 | $510,000 | 18 | $523,590 | $590,824 | $416,574 |
| 2024 | $6,248,002 | $366,482 | $546,981 | $510,000 | 17 | $522,994 | $347,494 | $373,389 |
| 2023 | $6,433,500 | $349,846 | $517,448 | $485,000 | 16 | $497,288 | $333,186 | $374,690 |
| 2022 | $6,596,102 | $342,248 | $512,373 | $475,000 | 16 | $488,260 | $324,865 | $391,895 |
| 2021 | $6,766,227 | $443,603 | $583,058 | $542,500 | 16 | $556,493 | $424,545 | $452,614 |
| 2020 | $6,905,682 | $364,864 | $524,301 | $495,000 | 13 | — | $348,070 | $395,927 |
| 2019 | $7,065,119 | $243,076 | $531,095 | $495,000 | 13 | — | $225,675 | $393,286 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Dancing Skies Foundation reported a distributable amount of $417K 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 2025 grants went to organizations with varied missions. For example, Ravinia Festival Association describes its work as enriching lives through music, performances, education, professional training, and community engagement. The Night Ministry says it provides human connection, housing support, and health care to people experiencing homelessness or poverty. Berea College describes its mission as transforming the lives of students and families by admitting students of high promise and low means.
Other 2025 grantees include The Joffrey Ballet, which describes itself as a ballet company and dance education organization; The Hope Foundation, which funds adult cancer clinical-trial research and related resources; and Charity Navigator, which provides information and tools to help donors make giving decisions.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation made 18 grants totaling $510,000. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $190,000, with a median of $17,500. Among the largest reported grants were $190,000 to Ravinia Festival Association, $50,000 to Fourth Presbyterian Church, $45,000 to The Night Ministry, $40,000 to Berea College, and $25,000 to The Joffrey Ballet. Other reported grants included $20,000 each to Doctors Without Borders, Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research, Planned Parenthood, and TACF.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Audrey Weaver as president and Meredith Erickson and Karl Leinberger as directors.
The Dancing Skies Foundation is led by Audrey Weaver, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Audrey Weaver
President
On filings since 2019
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Karl Leinberger
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Meredith Erickson
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.
Frequently asked questions about The Dancing Skies Foundation
How much does The Dancing Skies Foundation give each year?
The Dancing Skies Foundation gave $510K across 18 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $510K across 17 grants.
What is The Dancing Skies Foundation's typical grant size?
The Dancing Skies Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $17,500, and its average grant was $28,333, across 18 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Dancing Skies Foundation that year got $10K on average.
Where does The Dancing Skies Foundation give grants?
The Dancing Skies Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 75% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (11%) and Kentucky (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (7 grants) and New York, NY (3 grants).
Does The Dancing Skies Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 18 grants with a stated purpose on The Dancing Skies Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable" (18 grants).
Who are The Dancing Skies Foundation's largest grantees?
The Dancing Skies Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Ravinia Festival Association ($190,000), Fourth Presbyterian Church ($50,000) and The Night Ministry ($45,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 56% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Dancing Skies Foundation?
The Dancing Skies Foundation reported $6.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $524K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $417K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Dancing Skies Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations with varied missions. For example, Ravinia Festival Association describes its work as enriching lives through music, performances, education, professional training, and community engagement. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Dancing Skies Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it contributes only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Dancing Skies Foundation's EIN?
The Dancing Skies Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-3286007. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Dancing Skies 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
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 2, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 25, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Dancing Skies Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Dancing Skies Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-dancing-skies-foundation-morg_e2628edcf7434a5ca8e8fcb334077dd1
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_263286007_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Dancing Skies Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-dancing-skies-foundation-morg_e2628edcf7434a5ca8e8fcb334077dd1},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Dancing Skies 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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