The Henderson Foundation
The Henderson Foundation is a private foundation based in Gurnee, Illinois. Its 2025 filing lists grants to charitable organizations including a hospital, scholarship fund, food bank, social-service organizations, and performing-arts organizations.
The Henderson Foundation at a glance
In short: The Henderson Foundation gave $195K across 29 grants in 2025 (avg $7K), mostly in Illinois. 10% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $195,075
- -59.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 29
- -27.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $6,727
- -44.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,500
- Total assets
- $3,302,158
- +1.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 10% first-time grantees (3 of 29, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (88% 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 Henderson 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: C/O 1 South Greenleaf St Ste L, Gurnee, IL 60031
Phone: (847) 336-3820
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Henderson Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Rush University Hospital ($40K). Together the top 10 received $141K.
Grant Size Distribution
178 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 175 grants of 178 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 88% of grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois, 5% each to recipients in Minnesota and Florida, and 1% each to recipients in North Dakota and New York.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 29 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Henderson Foundation open to new grantees?
10%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 3 of 29 grantees (10%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $7K. How we count
Medians: $6K first-time, $5K repeat.
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 $117K (2019) to $483K (2024). In 2025 it made 29 grants totaling $195K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Rush University Hospital Chicago, IL | Scholarship | $40,000 |
| College of Lake County - Scholarship FD Grayslake, IL | Benevolence | $20,000 |
| Northern Illinois Food Bank Waukegan, IL | Benevolence | $10,500 |
| Pads of Lake County Waukegan, IL | Benevolence | $10,500 |
| Christian Outreach of Lutherans Waukegan, IL | Benevolence | $10,125 |
| Village Church of Gurnee Gurnee, IL | Benevolence | $10,000 |
| Love Inc Gurnee, IL | Benevolence | $10,000 |
| Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra Orlando, FL | Benevolence | $10,000 |
| Big Great Lakes Gurnee, IL | Benevolence | $10,000 |
| University of Minnesota Foundation Minneapolis, MN | Benevolence | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Henderson Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $3,302,158 | $326,998 | $268,311 | $195,075 | 29 | $268,311 | $176,547 |
| 2024 | $3,250,317 | $1,038,642 | $510,941 | $482,654 | 40 | $510,941 | $838,833 |
| 2023 | $2,724,981 | $57,394 | $158,342 | $153,200 | 33 | $158,342 | $57,394 |
| 2022 | $2,825,929 | $282,827 | $256,885 | $249,810 | 38 | $256,885 | $55,099 |
| 2021 | $2,799,987 | $1,281,586 | $132,793 | $119,066 | 38 | — | $36,466 |
| 2019 | $1,293,593 | $34,205 | $124,511 | $116,810 | 38 | — | $31,330 |
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 show support for organizations with varied activities. Northern Illinois Food Bank says it provides meals through a network of food pantries and programs. BiG Great Lakes describes its work as providing an educational environment, meaningful jobs, and community activities for adults with disabilities. Erie Family Health Centers says it provides high-quality, affordable care. The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra describes its work as presenting symphonic music and providing education and cultural leadership.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation gave $195,075 through 29 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $200 to $40,000, with a median of $5,500. The largest listed award was $40,000 to Rush University Hospital for a scholarship. Other notable grants included $20,000 to College of Lake County Scholarship Fund; $10,500 each to Northern Illinois Food Bank and PADS of Lake County; and $10,125 to Christian Outreach of Lutherans. The foundation also gave $10,000 each to Village Church of Gurnee, Love Inc, Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, BiG Great Lakes, and University of Minnesota Foundation.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Thomas S. Henderson as President, and Judy K. Henderson and J. John Henderson as Directors.
The Henderson Foundation is led by Thomas S. Henderson, President on every filing since 2024; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Thomas S. Henderson
President
On filings since 2024
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
J. John Henderson
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Judy K. Henderson
Director
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Donald E. Henderson (2019–2023) — Chairman
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 Henderson Foundation
How much does The Henderson Foundation give each year?
The Henderson Foundation gave $195K across 29 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $483K across 40 grants.
What is The Henderson Foundation's typical grant size?
The Henderson Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,500, and its average grant was $6,727, across 29 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Henderson Foundation that year got $6K on average.
Where does The Henderson Foundation give grants?
The Henderson Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 88% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Minnesota (5%) and Florida (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were Gurnee, IL (8 grants), Chicago, IL (5 grants), Waukegan, IL (4 grants) and Orlando, FL (2 grants).
Does The Henderson Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 29 grants with a stated purpose on The Henderson Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Benevolence" (28 grants).
Who are The Henderson Foundation's largest grantees?
The Henderson Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Rush University Hospital ($40,000), College of Lake County - Scholarship FD ($20,000) and Northern Illinois Food Bank ($10,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 36% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Henderson Foundation?
The Henderson Foundation reported $3.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $327K.
What does The Henderson Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations with varied activities. Northern Illinois Food Bank says it provides meals through a network of food pantries and programs. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Henderson 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 The Henderson Foundation's EIN?
The Henderson Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-0733102. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Henderson 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS January 29, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS December 24, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS September 26, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS January 24, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 8, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 11, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Henderson Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Henderson Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-henderson-foundation-morg_9182187c91e5401bb2995d2fa843ed6f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_260733102_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Henderson Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-henderson-foundation-morg_9182187c91e5401bb2995d2fa843ed6f},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. 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 Henderson 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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