The Karla Scherer Foundation
The Karla Scherer Foundation is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. Its website describes support for American Culture at the University of Chicago, including graduate education and research, dissertation fellowships, and a professorship.
The Karla Scherer Foundation at a glance
In short: The Karla Scherer Foundation gave $318K across 18 grants in 2025 (avg $18K), mostly in Illinois. 22% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $318,297
- +13.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 18
- -5.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $17,683
- +19.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $7,500
- Total assets
- $2,148,172
- -74.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 22% first-time grantees (4 of 18, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (70% 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 Karla Scherer 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. The 2025 filing lists Karla Scherer as the contact; forms and materials, deadlines, and award restrictions are listed as not applicable.
- Contact
Application contact: Karla Scherer
Mailing address: 737 North Michigan Avenue Suite, 2330, Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: (312) 943-9191
Website: https://karlascherer.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Karla Scherer Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Health Network Foundation ($79K). Together the top 10 received $299K.
Grant Size Distribution
96 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 87 grants of 96 (91%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 filing reports that 70% of grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois, 25% to Ohio, 3% to Virginia, 2% to Michigan, and less than 1% to Arizona.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 18 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Karla Scherer Foundation open to new grantees?
22%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 18 grantees (22%) 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 $31K; repeat grants $14K. How we count
Medians: $19K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 67% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+17%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 96% 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 $151K (2021) to $318K (2025). In 2025 it made 18 grants totaling $318K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Health Network Foundation Cleveland, OH | General Fund | $78,797 |
| University of Chicago Chicago, IL | General Fund | $75,000 |
| Project Freedive Chicago, IL | General Fund | $51,110 |
| Planned Parenthood Chicago, IL | General Fund | $28,890 |
| Newberry Library Chicago, IL | General Fund | $20,000 |
| Chicago Symphony Orchestra Chicago, IL | General Fund | $10,000 |
| Field Museum Chicago, IL | General Fund | $10,000 |
| Lyric Opera of Chicago Chicago, IL | General Fund | $10,000 |
| Thomas Jefferson Foundation Charlottesville, VA | General Fund | $10,000 |
| Art Institute of Chicago Chicago, IL | General Fund | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Karla Scherer 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 | $2,148,172 | $478,698 | $448,095 | $318,297 | 18 | $406,764 | $215,025 | $424,937 |
| 2024 | $8,252,673 | $313,693 | $375,696 | $281,553 | 19 | $347,768 | $289,185 | $384,512 |
| 2023 | $7,400,987 | $170,626 | $355,996 | $249,650 | 23 | $325,064 | $163,273 | $357,044 |
| 2022 | $7,142,929 | $326,376 | $404,387 | $272,320 | 21 | $367,698 | $296,541 | $344,951 |
| 2021 | $6,788,277 | $129,417 | $269,038 | $150,700 | 15 | $234,143 | $130,676 | $305,778 |
| 2020 | $5,569,589 | $144,622 | $281,108 | $165,501 | 14 | — | $128,627 | $273,355 |
| 2019 | $5,643,573 | $119,552 | $326,818 | $208,443 | 15 | — | $111,074 | $268,847 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Karla Scherer Foundation reported a distributable amount of $425K 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
The Foundation’s website describes its support for the Karla Scherer Center for the Study of American Culture at the University of Chicago. This includes support for graduate education and research, two dissertation fellowships each year, and an endowment for the Karla Scherer Professorship in American Culture in the University’s Division of the Humanities.
Its 2025 grants also went to organizations in education, health, arts and culture, and other areas. The University of Chicago describes its mission as communicating and creating knowledge and fostering a community of scholars and students. Lyric Opera of Chicago says it provides cultural service to the Chicago region and nation and advances opera; the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association says its mission is to enrich, inspire, and transform lives through music, community engagement, and education. Providence St. Mel School describes its mission as providing a college-preparatory education to students from preschool through grade 12, primarily on Chicago’s West Side. Leader Dogs for the Blind says it empowers people who are blind or visually impaired with skills for safe and independent travel.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the Foundation reported 18 grants totaling $318,297. Grants ranged from $500 to $78,797, with a median of $7,500. Its largest reported grants included $78,797 to Health Network Foundation in Cleveland, $75,000 to the University of Chicago, $51,110 to Project Freedive, and $28,890 to Planned Parenthood, all listed with the purpose “general fund.” Other notable awards included $20,000 to Newberry Library and $10,000 each to Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Field Museum, and Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Karla Scherer as chair of the board, CEO, and trustee; Hadley Kimberlin as treasurer; and Amanda McKenzie as secretary.
The Karla Scherer Foundation is led by Karla Scherer, Chrm-Bd, CEO & Trustee on every filing since 2019; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Karla Scherer
Chrm-Bd, CEO & Trustee
On filings since 2019
20 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Amanda McKenzie
Secretary
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Hadley Kimberlin
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
2 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.
Frequently asked questions about The Karla Scherer Foundation
How much does The Karla Scherer Foundation give each year?
The Karla Scherer Foundation gave $318K across 18 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $282K across 19 grants.
What is The Karla Scherer Foundation's typical grant size?
The Karla Scherer Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $7,500, and its average grant was $17,683, across 18 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Karla Scherer Foundation that year got $31K on average.
Where does The Karla Scherer Foundation give grants?
The Karla Scherer Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 70% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Ohio (25%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (13 grants).
Does The Karla Scherer Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Karla Scherer Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (18 of 18) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Karla Scherer Foundation's largest grantees?
The Karla Scherer Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Health Network Foundation ($78,797), University of Chicago ($75,000) and Project Freedive ($51,110), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 64% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Karla Scherer Foundation?
The Karla Scherer Foundation reported $2.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $407K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $425K (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 Karla Scherer Foundation fund?
The Foundation’s website describes its support for the Karla Scherer Center for the Study of American Culture at the University of Chicago. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Karla Scherer 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 Karla Scherer Foundation's EIN?
The Karla Scherer Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 38-2877392. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Karla Scherer 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 2024 (received by the IRS May 14, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 11, 2026)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 22, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 14, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 12, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 6, 2024)
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Karla Scherer Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Karla Scherer Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-karla-scherer-foundation-morg_be898184ed2b4e30a14dd35e057da846
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_382877392_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Karla Scherer Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-karla-scherer-foundation-morg_be898184ed2b4e30a14dd35e057da846},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Karla Scherer 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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