The Jerome Mirza Foundation
The Jerome Mirza Foundation is a private foundation based in Bloomington, Illinois. Its 2025 filing reports 13 grants totaling $769,478, all to recipients in Illinois, and states that it contributes only to preselected charitable organizations.
The Jerome Mirza Foundation at a glance
In short: The Jerome Mirza Foundation gave $769K across 13 grants in 2025 (avg $59K), mostly in Illinois. 15% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $769,478
- -5.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 13
- -7.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $59,191
- +2.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $35,000
- Total assets
- $23,177,277
- +13.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 15% first-time grantees (2 of 13, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (100% 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 Jerome Mirza 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.
- Contact
Mailing address: 202 N Center Street Suite 1A, Bloomington, IL 61701
Phone: (309) 827-8011
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Jerome Mirza Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The Tinervin Family Foundation ($250K). Together the top 10 received $725K.
Grant Size Distribution
71 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 44 grants of 71 (62%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars reported for 2025 went to recipients in Illinois. The listed recipients are located in communities including Bloomington, Champaign, Chicago, Evanston, Galesburg, Normal, and Rockford.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Jerome Mirza Foundation open to new grantees?
15%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 13 grantees (15%) were first-time recipients. With only 13 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $126K; repeat grants $47K. How we count
Medians: $126K first-time, $35K repeat.
- 85% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−4%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 82% 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 $763K (2021) to $911K (2019). In 2025 it made 13 grants totaling $769K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Tinervin Family Foundation Bloomington, IL | Support of Operations | $250,000 |
| Connections for the Homeless Evanston, IL | Support of Operations | $125,000 |
| U of I College of Law Champaign, IL | Support of Operations | $100,000 |
| Illinois Prairie Community Foundation Bloomington, IL | Support of Operations | $55,000 |
| Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Foundation Chicago, IL | Support of Operations | $50,000 |
| Holiday Spectacular Bloomington, IL | Support of Operations | $35,000 |
| Public Interest Law Initiative Chicago, IL | Support of Operations | $35,000 |
| Illinois Bar Foundation Chicago, IL | Support of Operations | $25,000 |
| Knox College Galesburg, IL | Support of Operations | $25,000 |
| Prairie Fire Theatre Normal, IL | Support of Operations | $25,000 |
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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 | $23,177,277 | $1,766,376 | $999,069 | $769,478 | 13 | $853,087 | $1,654,060 | $1,045,280 |
| 2024 | $20,442,738 | $1,567,696 | $1,007,604 | $809,971 | 14 | $893,882 | $1,453,974 | $950,915 |
| 2023 | $18,165,254 | $670,471 | $992,295 | $785,523 | 15 | $885,036 | $378,998 | $834,139 |
| 2022 | $16,114,325 | $510,451 | $1,143,209 | $800,141 | 15 | $892,315 | $263,877 | $868,588 |
| 2021 | $21,211,343 | $1,312,757 | $1,002,405 | $763,345 | 14 | $858,680 | $1,192,432 | $993,050 |
| 2020 | $19,619,201 | $1,056,922 | $958,978 | $773,179 | 14 | — | $954,087 | $862,707 |
| 2019 | $17,880,515 | $155,716 | $1,126,647 | $911,317 | 18 | — | $282,527 | $842,247 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Jerome Mirza Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.0M 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 include support for organizations working in areas such as homelessness services, legal access, education, community philanthropy, adaptive sailing, and the arts. These areas reflect the missions of individual grantees, not a stated mission of the foundation.
For example, Connections for the Homeless says it works to end homelessness by preventing evictions and providing shelter and housing. Prairie State Legal Services says it provides or coordinates free civil legal services for low-income people. Music Connections Foundation says it provides early-childhood music education, including service to children with special needs and children in low-income situations.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 13 grants totaling $769,478. Grant amounts ranged from $2,000 to $250,000, with a median grant of $35,000.
Among the reported grants were $250,000 to The Tinervin Family Foundation; $125,000 to Connections for the Homeless; $100,000 to U of I College of Law; $55,000 to Illinois Prairie Community Foundation; $50,000 to Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Foundation; and $35,000 each to Holiday Spectacular and Public Interest Law Initiative. Other listed grants included $25,000 each to Illinois Bar Foundation, Knox College, Prairie Fire Theatre, and Prairie State Legal Services, and $17,478 to Music Connections Foundation. The listed purposes were support of operations.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Deborah D Parsons as president/director, Candace R Mirza as director, and Thomas M Harris Jr as secretary/director.
The Jerome Mirza Foundation is led by Deborah D. Parsons, President & Director on every filing since 2019; 2 of 3 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Deborah D. Parsons
President & Director
On filings since 2019
2.6 hrs/week
$15K (2019) → $15K (2025)
Candace R. Mirza
Director
On filings since 2019
1.6 hrs/week
$15K (2019) → $15K (2025)
Thomas M. Harris Jr.
Secretary & Director
On filings since 2019
1.5 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 $15K, to Deborah D Parsons (President/Director). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about The Jerome Mirza Foundation
How much does The Jerome Mirza Foundation give each year?
The Jerome Mirza Foundation gave $769K across 13 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $810K across 14 grants.
What is The Jerome Mirza Foundation's typical grant size?
The Jerome Mirza Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $35,000, and its average grant was $59,191, across 13 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Jerome Mirza Foundation that year got $126K on average.
Where does The Jerome Mirza Foundation give grants?
The Jerome Mirza 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 Bloomington, IL (4 grants) and Chicago, IL (3 grants).
Does The Jerome Mirza Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 13 grants with a stated purpose on The Jerome Mirza Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Support of Operations" (13 grants).
Who are The Jerome Mirza Foundation's largest grantees?
The Jerome Mirza Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include The Tinervin Family Foundation ($250,000), Connections for the Homeless ($125,000) and U of I College of Law ($100,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 62% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Jerome Mirza Foundation?
The Jerome Mirza Foundation reported $23.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $853K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.0M (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 Jerome Mirza Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations working in areas such as homelessness services, legal access, education, community philanthropy, adaptive sailing, and the arts. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Jerome Mirza Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Jerome Mirza Foundation's EIN?
The Jerome Mirza Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 37-1392755. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Jerome Mirza 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 June 12, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 28, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work The Jerome Mirza Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Jerome Mirza Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Jerome Mirza Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-jerome-mirza-foundation-morg_8fd60a2bc8674af9b744e11ff8f738ab
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_371392755_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Jerome Mirza Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-jerome-mirza-foundation-morg_8fd60a2bc8674af9b744e11ff8f738ab},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 Jerome Mirza 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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