The Lake County Community
The Lake County Community Foundation is a public charity based in Grayslake, Illinois, that pools charitable resources and makes grants to benefit Lake County. It describes its role as bringing together donors, dollars, and ideas to build permanent funds and improve quality of life for county residents.
Key facts about The Lake County Community
In short: The Lake County Community gave $1.5M across 44 grants in 2025 (avg $34K), mostly in Illinois. 28% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- EIN
- 20-3654399
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,517,124
- Grants made (2025)
- 44
- Average grant
- $34,480
- Median grant
- $25,500
- New grantees (estimate)
- 28% first-time grantees (12 of 43, 2025)
- Total assets
- $26,906,757
- Primary geography
- Illinois (97% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- How to apply
- For the Growing Communities priority area, organizations register or sign in to the Foundation’s online application system and submit a letter of inquiry. Full details ↓
- Deadline
- The 2026 Growing Communities letter of inquiry was due January 30, 2026, at 5 p.m.
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990 · View filing
Total Assets
$26.9M
+6.1% YoY
Annual Giving
$1.5M
+10.8% YoY
Grant Count
44
-8.3% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$34K
+20.9% YoY
Is The Lake County Community open to new grantees?
28%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 12 of 43 grantees (28%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $20K; repeat grants $34K. How we count
Medians: $12K first-time, $30K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 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.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of life of Lake County’s most vulnerable residents through civic leadership, collective philanthropy, and partnerships with grant recipients. Its stated basic-needs areas include affordable, nutritious food; health care; safe and affordable housing; transportation; education and workforce opportunities; and immigration and legal support services. It also identifies access to affordable, nutritious food as a proactive funding priority, with grants for that work made by invitation.
Examples of supported organizations illustrate the range of grantee work. PADS Lake County says it provides trauma-informed support, resources, and shelter to people experiencing a housing crisis. Reading Power describes its work as literacy tutoring for elementary-school children. Mano a Mano Family Resource Center says it empowers immigrants and their families in Lake County to participate fully in American life. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own missions.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the Foundation reported 44 grants totaling $1,517,124. Grant amounts ranged from $5,500 to $230,829, with a median of $25,500. The largest listed award was $230,829 to Sedgebrook Opco (SL-VII) LLC for a scholarship program. Other notable grants included $140,000 to Ravinia Festival Association for a capital campaign; $80,000 to PADS Lake County for operating support; $75,000 to Lake-McHenry Habitat for Humanity for program support; and $60,000 to Lake County Crisis Center for the operating support.
Review Cycle
** The 2026 Growing Communities letter of inquiry was due January 30, 2026, at 5 p.m.
Open Grants
4 open opportunities from The Lake County Community
Lake County Community Foundation Grant Program - Early Childhood Education Priority Area Grants
The Lake County Community
Amount
US $5,000 - US $10,000
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Lake County Community Foundation Grant Program - Growing Communities Priority Area
The Lake County Community
Amount
US $5,000 - US $30,000
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Lake County Community Foundation Grant Program - Nonprofit Capacity Building Priority Area Grants
The Lake County Community
Amount
US $1,000 - US $5,000
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Ready to take the next step with The Lake County Community?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Foundation’s stated work and mission focus on Lake County, Illinois. Its 2025 filing data shows that 97% of grant dollars went to Illinois recipients; the remaining reported shares were Florida, Wyoming, and New York at 1% each, and Connecticut at 0%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of all 44 itemized 2025 grant dollars.
Cities
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 2025
Grant Size Distribution
261 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| SEDGEBROOK OPCO (SL-VII) LLC Lincolnshire, IL | SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM | $230,829 |
| RAVINIA FESTIVAL ASSOCIATION Highland Park, IL | CAPITAL CAMPAIGN | $140,000 |
| PADS LAKE COUNTY Waukegan, IL | OPERATING SUPPORT | $80,000 |
| LAKE-MCHENRY HABITAT FOR HUMANITY Gurnee, IL | PROGRAM SUPPORT | $75,000 |
| FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF LAKE Lake Forest, IL | OPERATING SUPPORT | $60,500 |
| LAKE COUNTY CRISIS CENTER FOR THE Zion, IL | OPERATING SUPPORT | $60,000 |
| READING POWER INC Lake Bluff, IL | OPERATING SUPPORT | $60,000 |
| ANN & ROBERT H LURIE CHILDRENS Chicago, IL | OPERATING SUPPORT | $50,000 |
| JOSSELYN Northbrook, IL | OPERATING SUPPORT | $50,000 |
| MANO A MANO FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER Round Lake Park, IL | OPERATING SUPPORT | $50,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $26,906,757 | $2,194,383 | $3,152,056 | $1,517,124 |
| 2024 | $25,353,374 | $3,770,565 | $2,823,875 | $1,369,308 |
| 2023 | $20,485,729 | $4,808,735 | $2,621,096 | $1,380,771 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $26,906,757 | $25,353,374 | $20,485,729 |
| Revenue | $2,194,383 | $3,770,565 | $4,808,735 |
| Expenses | $3,152,056 | $2,823,875 | $2,621,096 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $-552,723 | $264,394 | $442,046 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS August 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 7, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 14, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 6, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Kris Hoult as board chair; Malcolm Newsome as vice chair; Nadine Johnson as treasurer; and Amber Webb as secretary. Directors listed are Jeanne Ang, Bruce Boyd, Steve Bugg, Lisa Cowhey, Steve Fox, and John Gibbons.
The Lake County Community is led by Kris Hoult, Board Chair since 2025 (on filings since 2022); 1 of 17 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Kris Hoult
Board Chair
Director → Board Chair, 2025
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jeanne Ang
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John Sonnier
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lisa Cowhey
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Steve Fox
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Steve Bugg
Director
Director → Board Chair, 2022
Board Chair → Director, 2025
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ali O'Brien
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Bruce Boyd
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Heather Sannes
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John Gibbons
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Pastor Amy Heinrich
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Reginald Jones
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Topiltzin Gomez
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Maggie Morales
Executive Di
Executive Director → Executive Di, 2025
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$133K (2025)
Malcolm Newsome
Vice Chair
Director → Vice Chair, 2022
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Amber Webb
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Nadine Johnson
Treasurer
Director → Treasurer, 2022
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (23)
- Former: Tiffany Alexander (2019–2024) — Secretary
- Former: Sarah Morales (2022–2024) — Executive Di
- Former: Robert A. Davis (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Martha R. Hinchman (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Scott Humphrey (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Steve Sullivan (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Anthony Vega (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Bert Carstens (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: C Lawrence Connolly (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Edward U Notz Jr. (2019–2021) — Former Director
- Former: Gale Strenger Wayne (2019–2021) — Director & Vice Chair
- Former: Jessica Strausbaugh (2019–2021) — Assistant Treasurer
- Former: Kenneth Gotsch (2019–2021) — Director & Treasurer
- Former: Laura Brown Hoult (2019–2021) — Former Director
- Former: Mary Reidy McMahon (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Amy Heinrich (2021) — Director
- Former: Edwin K Hoult (2021) — Director
- Former: Horacio Lopez (2019–2020) — Director & Secretary
- Former: John Geiringer (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Shana Hayes (2020) — Director
- Former: Carol Crenshaw (2019) — Former Assistant Treasurer
- Former: Miah Armour (2019) — Executive Director
- Former: Sean Hayes (2019) — Director
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
Contact
Mailing address: 1200 University Center Dr 333, Grayslake, IL 60030-2614
Phone: (847) 377-0520
Website: https://lakecountycf.org
Frequently asked questions about The Lake County Community
How much does The Lake County Community give each year?
The Lake County Community gave $1.5M across 44 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $1.4M across 48 grants.
What is The Lake County Community's typical grant size?
The Lake County Community's median grant in 2025 was $25,500, and its average grant was $34,480, across 44 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Lake County Community that year got $20K on average.
Where does The Lake County Community give grants?
The Lake County Community gives mostly in Illinois: 97% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Waukegan, IL (9 grants), Lake Forest, IL (6 grants), Highland Park, IL (5 grants) and Chicago, IL (4 grants).
Does The Lake County Community give general operating support?
Yes: 61% of The Lake County Community's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (27 of 44) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990. Recurring purposes include "Program Support" (13 grants).
Who are The Lake County Community's largest grantees?
The Lake County Community's largest 2025 grantees include Sedgebrook Opco (SL-VII) LLC ($230,829), Ravinia Festival Association ($140,000) and Pads Lake County ($80,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 30% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Lake County Community?
The Lake County Community reported $26.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $2.2M.
What does The Lake County Community fund?
The Foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of life of Lake County’s most vulnerable residents through civic leadership, collective philanthropy, and partnerships with grant recipients. Its stated basic-needs areas include affordable, nutritious food; health care; safe and affordable housing; transportation; education and workforce opportunities; and immigration and legal support services. It also identifies access to affordable, nutritious food as a proactive funding priority, with gran…
How do I apply for a grant from The Lake County Community?
For the Growing Communities priority area, organizations register or sign in to the Foundation’s online application system and submit a letter of inquiry. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Lake County Community's EIN?
The Lake County Community's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-3654399. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Here's the math on researching The Lake County Community by hand.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Lake County Community's focus areas in our free grants database
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More Funders in Illinois
The Lake County Community down — hundreds of funders to go?