The S Leigh Pierson & Douglas R Conant
The S Leigh Pierson & Douglas R Conant is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. It made 19 grants totaling $118,530 in filing year 2024, supporting organizations that include a university athletics program, a museum, a theater, youth-serving organizations, and groups working on food assistance and other causes.
The S Leigh Pierson & Douglas R Conant at a glance
In short: The S Leigh Pierson & Douglas R Conant gave $119K across 19 grants in 2024 (avg $6K), mostly in Illinois. 16% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $118,530
- -56.3% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 19
- +18.8% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $6,238
- -63.2% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $2,595,561
- +7.6% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 16% first-time grantees (3 of 19, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (56% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The S Leigh Pierson & Douglas R Conant
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1300 North State Parkway 801, Chicago, IL 60610
Phone: (973) 408-6700
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The S Leigh Pierson & Douglas R Conant funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was American Writer's Museum ($25K). Together the top 10 received $81K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($30,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
106 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 97 grants of 106 (92%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2024 grant dollars were distributed among recipients in several states and Washington, DC. Illinois accounted for 56% of grant dollars, Michigan 22%, New Mexico 6%, and Washington, DC and New York 5% each. The listed recipients also included an organization in Montana.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 19 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The S Leigh Pierson & Douglas R Conant open to new grantees?
16%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 3 of 19 grantees (16%) were first-time recipients. With only 19 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $843; repeat grants $7K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 53% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving fell 69% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 111% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $119K (2024) to $450K (2020). In 2024 it made 19 grants totaling $119K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 1 grant to individuals Recipients not named | — | $30,000 |
| American Writer's Museum Chicago, IL | General Support | $25,000 |
| Hope Repertory Theatre Holland, MI | General Support | $10,000 |
| Todd Martin Youth Leadership Lansing, MI | General Support | $10,000 |
| Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose New York, NY | General Support | $6,000 |
| Juvenile Justice Initiative Evanston, IL | General Support | $6,000 |
| Agriculture Implementation Research & Education Taos, NM | General Support | $5,000 |
| Boys & Girls Club of Greater Holland Holland, MI | General Support | $5,000 |
| Greater Chicago Food Depository Chicago, IL | General Support | $5,000 |
| Partnership for Public Service Washington, DC | General Support | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The S Leigh Pierson & Douglas R Conant?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,595,561 | $93,167 | $150,023 | $118,530 | 19 | $142,160 | $85,804 | $127,720 |
| 2023 | $2,411,394 | $18,760 | $290,194 | $271,000 | 16 | $283,285 | $40,154 | $115,710 |
| 2022 | $2,337,716 | $21,360 | $240,912 | $221,500 | 20 | $231,500 | $50,492 | $122,845 |
| 2021 | $2,909,691 | $114,826 | $405,389 | $383,500 | 25 | $393,050 | $102,269 | $139,510 |
| 2020 | $2,848,527 | $188,636 | $470,784 | $450,000 | 26 | — | $179,952 | $140,607 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The S Leigh Pierson & Douglas R Conant reported a distributable amount of $128K for 2024 — 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 2024 grants show support for a range of organizations. For example, the Greater Chicago Food Depository describes its mission as ending hunger and identifies itself as a Cook County food bank; World Central Kitchen describes providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises. The Newberry Library says it preserves and makes accessible collections documenting human achievement and experience, while the Millicent Rogers Museum says it partners with Southwestern communities to share their stories, arts, and cultures.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the foundation gave $118,530 through 19 grants. Grants ranged from $500 to $30,000, with a median of $5,000. The largest awards included $30,000 to Northwestern University - an individual recipient and $25,000 to the American Writer’s Museum, both for general support. Other notable grants were $10,000 each to Hope Repertory Theatre and Todd Martin Youth Leadership, and $6,000 each to Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose and the Juvenile Justice Initiative.
Other 2024 recipients included the Partnership for Public Service ($5,000), Greater Chicago Food Depository ($5,000), Park County Community Foundation ($4,000), World Central Kitchen ($1,500), Forgotten Harvest ($1,000), Millicent Rogers Museum ($1,000), and the Newberry Library ($500). The Partnership for Public Service describes using education, research, and advocacy to help improve government; the Park County Community Foundation says it connects people and resources with community needs and opportunities. Forgotten Harvest describes its work as relieving hunger in Metro Detroit and preventing nutritious food waste.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Leigh P Pierson as president, Douglas R Conant as secretary, and Jon Vegosen as treasurer.
The S Leigh Pierson & Douglas R Conant is led by Leigh P. Pierson, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Leigh P. Pierson
President
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Douglas R. Conant
Secretary
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jon Vegosen
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 S Leigh Pierson & Douglas R Conant
How much does The S Leigh Pierson & Douglas R Conant give each year?
The S Leigh Pierson & Douglas R Conant gave $119K across 19 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $271K across 16 grants.
What is The S Leigh Pierson & Douglas R Conant's typical grant size?
The S Leigh Pierson & Douglas R Conant's median grant in 2024 was $5,000, and its average grant was $6,238, across 19 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The S Leigh Pierson & Douglas R Conant that year got $843 on average.
Where does The S Leigh Pierson & Douglas R Conant give grants?
The S Leigh Pierson & Douglas R Conant gives mostly in Illinois: 56% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Michigan (22%) and New Mexico (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (3 grants), Taos, NM (3 grants), Holland, MI (2 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Does The S Leigh Pierson & Douglas R Conant give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The S Leigh Pierson & Douglas R Conant's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (19 of 19) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The S Leigh Pierson & Douglas R Conant's largest grantees?
The S Leigh Pierson & Douglas R Conant's largest 2024 grantees include American Writer's Museum ($25,000), Hope Repertory Theatre ($10,000) and Todd Martin Youth Leadership ($10,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($30,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 38% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The S Leigh Pierson & Douglas R Conant?
The S Leigh Pierson & Douglas R Conant reported $2.6M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $142K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $128K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The S Leigh Pierson & Douglas R Conant fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for a range of organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The S Leigh Pierson & Douglas R Conant?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The S Leigh Pierson & Douglas R Conant's EIN?
The S Leigh Pierson & Douglas R Conant's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 22-3769553. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The S Leigh Pierson & Douglas R Conant 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
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work The S Leigh Pierson & Douglas R Conant funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The S Leigh Pierson & Douglas R Conant funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-s-leigh-pierson-and-douglas-r-conant-morg_e3b7f1d320a14cb5b1cb73d45f9a85e7
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_223769553_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The S Leigh Pierson \& Douglas R Conant funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-s-leigh-pierson-and-douglas-r-conant-morg_e3b7f1d320a14cb5b1cb73d45f9a85e7},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-22. 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 S Leigh Pierson & Douglas R Conant'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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