The Irving Harris Foundation
The Irving Harris Foundation is a small, private family foundation established in 1946 and based in Chicago, Illinois. As a 501(c)(3) organization, it operates as a philanthropic entity focused on advancing human potential, social justice, and equity across multiple sectors. The foundation has announced plans to sunset in 2032, with a commitment to spend down its remaining financial assets and shift power and resources more quickly to communities most impacted by systemic oppression.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
—
Annual Giving
$22.1M
+63.2% YoY
Grant Count
337
+8.7% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$66K
+50.1% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The Irving Harris Foundation enhances the quality of life for children, families, and communities by advancing human potential, social justice, and equity, and creative experience and expression. The foundation's work is inspired by its founder, Irving Harris, who believed all people should have the right to thrive.
The foundation funds across five primary focus areas:
- Reproductive Health & Justice
- Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health
- Early Childhood
- Jewish Values
- Arts & Culture
The foundation has become increasingly intentional about naming systemic racism, gender discrimination, and oppression as root causes of the issues it seeks to address. It takes an intersectional racial equity lens across all work, prioritizing BIPOC-led and women-led organizations.
Grantmaking
Grant Range
$500 to $1,000,000+, with most grants falling in the $50,000–$150,000 range
Invitation Only
- Decision timeline: Not applicable due to invitation-only approach
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation takes a Chicago-centered approach with national and international reach. Its funding extends to organizations in Illinois, New York, California, and internationally to Israel. The foundation prioritizes Chicago-based organizations while maintaining strategic investments nationally.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of Most Recent Filings (2023–2024):
- Total assets: $143,436,773–$166,263,578
- Total revenues: −$8,935,456 (2023)
- Total expenses: $18,203,797 (2023)
- Total liabilities: $11.4M (2023)
- Total giving: $17,780,039 (2024)
- Annual giving: Approximately $15 million
The foundation's negative revenue reflects investment market performance and the strategic drawdown of assets in preparation for its 2032 sunset date.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | — | — | — |
| Revenue | — | — | — |
| Expenses | — | — | — |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | — | — | — |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
250 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Board & Executive Leadership:
- Alicia Lieberman – Chair/Director
- Phyllis Glink – Secretary/Executive Director
- Walter Gilliam – Treasurer
- Joan Harris – Member/Program Director
- Paula Wolff – Director
- Paul Thissen – Director/Chair
- Yavilah McCoy – Director
- Eric Reeves – Director
Staff:
- Jawania Williams – Director of Operations
- Denise Castillo Dell Isola – Senior Program Officer
- Tonia Spence – Program Officer
- Joanna Lauen – Senior Program Officer
- Ausannette Garcia-Goyette – Senior Program Officer
The foundation employs approximately 12–18 staff members.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALICIA LIEBERMAN | CHAIR/DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| PHYLLIS GLINK | SECRETARY/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $385,696 |
| WALTER GILLIAM | TREASURER | 1 | — |
| JOAN HARRIS | MEMBER/PROGRAM DIRECTOR | 40 | $100,000 |
| PAULA WOLFF | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| PAUL THISSEN | DIRECTOR/CHAIR | 1 | — |
| YAVILAH MCCOY | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| ERIC REEVES | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| DANIEL MEYER | MEMBER | 1 | — |
| GEORGE POLSKY | MEMBER | 1 | — |
| JAMES POLSKY | MEMBER | 1 | — |
| NANCY MEYER | MEMBER | 1 | — |
| DAVID HARRIS | MEMBER | 1 | — |
| BEN HARRIS | MEMBER | 1 | — |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
The Irving Harris Foundation has been active in supporting organizations addressing systemic inequities. Recent grantees include organizations working in violence prevention and intervention, early childhood development, reproductive health and justice, and arts and culture. The foundation continues to disseminate diversity-informed tenets for work with infants, children, and families through its website, conference sessions, and workshops, supporting the advancement of infant and early childhood mental health consultation practice nationally.
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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