The Sidley Austin Foundation
The Sidley Austin Foundation is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. Its 2025 grants supported organizations including civil legal aid providers, universities, a children’s play-space nonprofit, and community organizations.
The Sidley Austin Foundation at a glance
In short: The Sidley Austin Foundation gave $4.0M across 293 grants in 2025 (avg $14K), top state Illinois. 24% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $4,032,509
- +6.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 293
- -5.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $13,763
- +13.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $16,939,708
- +134.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 24% first-time grantees (59 of 249, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (24% 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 Sidley Austin 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: One South Dearborn 2300, Chicago, IL 60603
Phone: (312) 853-7854
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Sidley Austin Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Public Counsel ($517K). Together the top 10 received $1.9M.
Grant Size Distribution
1,640 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 1,551 grants of 1,640 (95%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, grant dollars by recipient state were distributed as follows: Illinois, 24%; New York, 23%; California, 18%; District of Columbia, 16%; and Maryland, 6%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 293 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Sidley Austin Foundation open to new grantees?
24%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 59 of 249 grantees (24%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $19K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 57% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 40% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 $2.9M (2022) to $5.0M (2021). In 2025 it made 293 grants totaling $4.0M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Public Counsel Los Angeles, CA | General Support | $517,408 |
| Legal Aid Society New York, NY | General Support | $393,750 |
| Legal Aid Chicago Chicago, IL | General Support | $150,000 |
| Kaboom Inc Bethesda, MD | General Support | $101,500 |
| Northwestern Memorial Foundation Chicago, IL | General Support | $100,000 |
| Northwestern University Chicago, IL | General Support | $100,000 |
| United Way of Metropolitan Chicago Inc Chicago, IL | General Support | $100,000 |
| University of Miami Miami, FL | General Support | $100,000 |
| Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia Washington, DC | General Support | $90,000 |
| NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc New York, NY | General Support | $75,000 |
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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 | $16,939,708 | $13,737,422 | $4,033,990 | $4,032,509 | 293 | $4,032,990 | $237,422 | $291,179 |
| 2024 | $7,236,276 | $4,733,239 | $3,776,647 | $3,774,083 | 310 | $3,766,508 | $232,880 | $224,058 |
| 2023 | $6,279,684 | $4,904,634 | $4,254,437 | $4,247,603 | 366 | $4,247,628 | $401,415 | $174,439 |
| 2022 | $5,662,053 | $48,097 | $2,881,916 | $2,872,984 | 261 | $2,873,009 | $123,088 | $331,172 |
| 2021 | $9,183,524 | $216,839 | $4,981,025 | $4,968,949 | 410 | $4,968,974 | $209,003 | $566,788 |
| 2020 | $13,563,518 | $8,302,884 | $4,923,253 | $4,914,129 | 360 | — | $297,638 | $425,358 |
| 2019 | $10,000,018 | $4,195,915 | $3,651,067 | $3,644,043 | 361 | — | $190,504 | $387,919 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Sidley Austin Foundation reported a distributable amount of $291K 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 grants show support for organizations working in areas including civil legal services, higher education, community development, and children’s play spaces. Public Counsel describes its work as advancing civil rights and racial and economic justice through legal advocacy. Legal Aid Chicago says it provides civil legal aid to people living in poverty and other vulnerable groups. KABOOM! says it works with communities to address play-space inequity, while United Way of Metro Chicago describes its work as building stronger neighborhoods and equitable opportunities across the Chicago region.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 293 grants totaling $4,032,509. Grant amounts ranged from $100 to $517,408, with a median of $5,000. Its largest listed grants included Public Counsel ($517,408), Legal Aid Society in New York ($393,750), Legal Aid Chicago ($150,000), and KABOOM! ($101,500). Other listed grants of $100,000 went to Northwestern Memorial Foundation, Northwestern University, United Way of Metropolitan Chicago, and the University of Miami. The listed grants were for general support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Yvette Ostolaza as president; Timothy F. Bergen as secretary; Michael S. Mork as treasurer; and Nancy Kevin as assistant treasurer. It lists Michael J. Schmidtberger and Brian Fahrney as directors. Mark D. Hopson is listed as a director whose term ended in March 2025.
The Sidley Austin Foundation is led by Yvette Ostolaza, President since 2025 (on filings since 2023); none of the 7 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Yvette Ostolaza
President
President & Director → President, 2025
On filings since 2023
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mark D. Hopson
Director
On filings since 2019
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael J. Schmidtberger
Director
On filings since 2019
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Brian Fahrney
Director
New on the 2025 filing
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael S. Mork
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nancy Kevin
Assistant Treasurer
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Timothy F. Bergen
Secretary
On filings since 2019
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Larry A. Barden (2019–2022) — President & Director · Filing note: Ended 81522
- Former: Yvette Ostolaza Start (2022) — President & 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.
Frequently asked questions about The Sidley Austin Foundation
How much does The Sidley Austin Foundation give each year?
The Sidley Austin Foundation gave $4.0M across 293 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $3.8M across 310 grants.
What is The Sidley Austin Foundation's typical grant size?
The Sidley Austin Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $13,763, across 293 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Sidley Austin Foundation that year got $6K on average.
Where does The Sidley Austin Foundation give grants?
The Sidley Austin Foundation's top state is Illinois, with 24% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (23%) and California (18%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (73 grants), Chicago, IL (51 grants), New York, NY (33 grants) and Dallas, TX (21 grants).
Does The Sidley Austin Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Sidley Austin Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (293 of 293) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Sidley Austin Foundation's largest grantees?
The Sidley Austin Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Public Counsel ($517,408), Legal Aid Society ($393,750) and Kaboom Inc ($222,500 across 6 grants), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 28% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Sidley Austin Foundation?
The Sidley Austin Foundation reported $16.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $4.0M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $291K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Sidley Austin Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants show support for organizations working in areas including civil legal services, higher education, community development, and children’s play spaces. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Sidley Austin 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 Sidley Austin Foundation's EIN?
The Sidley Austin Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-3980527. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Sidley Austin 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 13, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 12, 2026)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 15, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 12, 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 13, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 10, 2024)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Sidley Austin Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-sidley-austin-foundation-morg_8be64f53182f44b9a3b40aade8cb4ab7
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_203980527_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Sidley Austin Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-sidley-austin-foundation-morg_8be64f53182f44b9a3b40aade8cb4ab7},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Sidley Austin 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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