The Lawlor Foundation
The Lawlor Foundation is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. Its 2025 filing reports 37 grants totaling $112,515 to charitable organizations, including organizations working in human services, international relief, education, youth development, and environmental restoration.
The Lawlor Foundation at a glance
In short: The Lawlor Foundation gave $113K across 37 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), mostly in Illinois. 3% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $112,515
- -3.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 37
- -5.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $3,041
- +1.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,000
- Total assets
- $755,037
- -9.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 3% first-time grantees (1 of 37, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (76% 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 Lawlor Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 20 North Wacker Drive 2105, Chicago, IL 60606
Phone: (312) 609-2806
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Lawlor Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was American Red Cross ($10K). Together the top 10 received $69K.
Grant Size Distribution
202 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 202 grants of 202 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 76% of grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois. The remaining shares went to New York (12%), Massachusetts (7%), Maryland (4%), and Washington, D.C. (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 37 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Lawlor Foundation open to new grantees?
3%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 37 grantees (3%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $3K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 97% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−10%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 266% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $113K (2025) to $125K (2022). In 2025 it made 37 grants totaling $113K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| American Red Cross Chicago, IL | General Fund | $10,000 |
| Catholic Charities of Chicago Chicago, IL | General Fund | $10,000 |
| Catholic Theological Union Chicago, IL | General Fund | $10,000 |
| Doctors Without Borders New York, NY | General Fund | $8,000 |
| Greater Chicago Food Despository Chicago, IL | General Fund | $8,000 |
| Oxfam America Boston, MA | General Fund | $8,000 |
| Catholic Relief Services Baltimore, MD | General Fund | $4,000 |
| Foundation for Homan Square Chicago, IL | General Fund | $4,000 |
| The Wetlands Initiative Chicago, IL | General Fund | $4,000 |
| Cnewa New York, NY | General Fund | $3,000 |
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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 | $755,037 | $70,208 | $151,239 | $112,515 | 37 | $142,742 | $63,537 | $53,568 |
| 2024 | $836,068 | $80,966 | $157,023 | $117,022 | 39 | $149,626 | $73,920 | $55,034 |
| 2023 | $912,125 | $30,985 | $158,401 | $122,509 | 42 | $148,278 | $43,182 | $57,344 |
| 2022 | $1,039,541 | $115,960 | $169,633 | $125,010 | 41 | $158,975 | $103,739 | $66,572 |
| 2021 | $1,093,214 | $73,738 | $158,871 | $115,507 | 43 | $148,423 | $64,337 | $69,296 |
| 2020 | $1,178,347 | $18,876 | $155,911 | $119,521 | 43 | — | $50,021 | $68,106 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Lawlor Foundation reported a distributable amount of $54K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The available information does not state the foundation’s own mission. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of organizations. For example, the Foundation for Homan Square describes its work as promoting affordable housing, home ownership, and community redevelopment for low-income and underprivileged Chicago residents. The Wetlands Initiative says it works to restore Midwest wetlands, improve water quality, and increase wildlife habitat and biodiversity. Urban Initiatives describes its work as sports-based youth development to address equity gaps for Chicago students.
Other 2025 recipients include organizations whose stated work involves housing support and health care for people experiencing homelessness or poverty, as described by The Night Ministry, and higher education, as described by Dominican University.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 37 grants totaling $112,515. Grants ranged from $15 to $10,000, with a median of $2,000. The largest awards included $10,000 each to the American Red Cross, Catholic Charities of Chicago, and Catholic Theological Union. Other notable grants included $8,000 each to Doctors Without Borders, Greater Chicago Food Depository, and Oxfam America; and $4,000 each to Catholic Relief Services, the Foundation for Homan Square, and The Wetlands Initiative. The listed grants were designated for general fund support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists WM J Lawlor III as director/president and secretary/treasurer. It also lists John F Lawlor, James B Lawlor, and David Lawlor as directors, and Michael J Lawlor as executive director.
The Lawlor Foundation is led by Michael J. Lawlor, Executive Director on every filing since 2020; 1 of 5 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Michael J. Lawlor
Executive Director
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
$10K (2020) → $10K (2025)
Wm J. Lawlor III
Director, President, Secretary & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
David Lawlor
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
James B. Lawlor
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
John F. Lawlor
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Blair S. Lawlor (2020) — Director & V President
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 $10K, to Michael J Lawlor (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about The Lawlor Foundation
How much does The Lawlor Foundation give each year?
The Lawlor Foundation gave $113K across 37 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $117K across 39 grants.
What is The Lawlor Foundation's typical grant size?
The Lawlor Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,000, and its average grant was $3,041, across 37 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Lawlor Foundation that year got $1K on average.
Where does The Lawlor Foundation give grants?
The Lawlor Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 76% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (12%) and Massachusetts (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (23 grants), New York, NY (3 grants), Winnetka, IL (2 grants) and Wilmette, IL (2 grants).
Does The Lawlor Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Lawlor Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (37 of 37) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Lawlor Foundation's largest grantees?
The Lawlor Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include American Red Cross ($10,000), Catholic Charities of Chicago ($10,000) and Catholic Theological Union ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 27% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Lawlor Foundation?
The Lawlor Foundation reported $755K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $143K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $54K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Lawlor Foundation fund?
The available information does not state the foundation’s own mission. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Lawlor Foundation?
The foundation 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 Lawlor Foundation's EIN?
The Lawlor Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-3620712. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Lawlor 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 17, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Lawlor Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Lawlor Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-lawlor-foundation-morg_65b2caa3686d40ffb853ab86f2579513
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_363620712_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Lawlor Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-lawlor-foundation-morg_65b2caa3686d40ffb853ab86f2579513},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Lawlor 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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