The Sue and Melvin Gray Foundation
The Sue and Melvin Gray Foundation is a private foundation based in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois. Its 2025 grants supported organizations including cultural institutions, a school, a medical research department, a children’s foundation, a congregation, and a human-rights organization.
The Sue and Melvin Gray Foundation at a glance
In short: The Sue and Melvin Gray Foundation gave $136K across 19 grants in 2025 (avg $7K), mostly in Illinois. 5% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $135,515
- -8.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 19
- -13.6% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $7,132
- +5.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $136,424
- -48.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 5% first-time grantees (1 of 19, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (96% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Sue and Melvin Gray 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: Two Mid America Plaza 400, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181
Phone: (630) 684-7291
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Sue and Melvin Gray Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Newberry Library - Conversations ($30K). Together the top 10 received $119K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($6,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
106 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 106 grants of 106 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 96% of grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois, 4% to New York, and 1% to Michigan.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 19 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Sue and Melvin Gray Foundation open to new grantees?
5%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 19 grantees (5%) 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 $10K; repeat grants $7K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $4K repeat.
- 89% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−20%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 977% 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 $136K (2025) to $199K (2020). In 2025 it made 19 grants totaling $136K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Newberry Library - Conversations Chicago, IL | General | $30,000 |
| Ryan Opera Center Chicago, IL | General | $25,000 |
| Chicago Symphony Orchestra Chicago, IL | General | $15,000 |
| Intrinsic Schools of Chicago Chicago, IL | General | $10,000 |
| Lurie Children's Memorial Foundation Chicago, IL | General | $10,000 |
| University of Chicago-Medicine & Biological Sciences Dept Chicago, IL | General | $10,000 |
| Sinai Congregation Chicago, IL | General | $6,515 |
| 1 grant to individuals Recipients not named | — | $6,000 |
| Human Rights Watch New York, NY | General | $5,000 |
| Wfmtwttw Chicago, IL | General | $5,000 |
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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 | $136,424 | $9,423 | $135,612 | $135,515 | 19 | $135,540 | $9,357 | $13,870 |
| 2024 | $262,613 | $15,186 | $148,568 | $148,500 | 22 | $148,525 | $15,143 | $19,409 |
| 2023 | $396,020 | $6,609 | $154,022 | $153,625 | 19 | $153,650 | $14,832 | $30,463 |
| 2022 | $543,625 | $11,197 | $168,634 | $168,500 | 23 | $168,525 | $11,085 | $32,629 |
| 2021 | $701,062 | $10,237 | $167,596 | $167,000 | 23 | $167,015 | $10,166 | $40,645 |
| 2020 | $858,421 | $18,027 | $198,616 | $198,500 | 26 | — | $17,936 | $48,690 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Sue and Melvin Gray Foundation reported a distributable amount of $14K 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 music, theater, education, health, religion, and human rights. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association describes its mission as enriching, inspiring, and transforming lives through music, community engagement, and education. Human Rights Watch says it defends the rights of people worldwide. Chicago Shakespeare Theater says it creates theatrical experiences for people of all ages and identities. Chikaming Open Lands says it works to preserve open space and the natural character of Berrien County.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 19 grants totaling $135,515. Grants ranged from $500 to $30,000, with a median grant of $5,000. Recent grants included $30,000 to Newberry Library – Conversations, $25,000 to Ryan Opera Center, $15,000 to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, $10,000 to Intrinsic Schools of Chicago, $10,000 to Lurie Children’s Memorial Foundation, and $10,000 to the University of Chicago-Medicine & Biological Sciences Department. It also gave $5,000 to Human Rights Watch, $2,500 to Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and $1,000 to Chikaming Open Lands.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Melvin Gray as president, Sue Gray as vice-president, and Steven F Gray as secretary.
The Sue and Melvin Gray Foundation is led by Melvin Gray, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Melvin Gray
President
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Steven F. Gray
Secretary
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sue Gray
Vice President
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
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.
Frequently asked questions about The Sue and Melvin Gray Foundation
How much does The Sue and Melvin Gray Foundation give each year?
The Sue and Melvin Gray Foundation gave $136K across 19 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $149K across 22 grants.
What is The Sue and Melvin Gray Foundation's typical grant size?
The Sue and Melvin Gray Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $7,132, across 19 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Sue and Melvin Gray Foundation that year got $10K on average.
Where does The Sue and Melvin Gray Foundation give grants?
The Sue and Melvin Gray Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 96% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (16 grants).
Does The Sue and Melvin Gray Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Sue and Melvin Gray Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (19 of 19) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Sue and Melvin Gray Foundation's largest grantees?
The Sue and Melvin Gray Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Newberry Library - Conversations ($30,000), Ryan Opera Center ($25,000) and Chicago Symphony Orchestra ($15,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($6,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 52% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Sue and Melvin Gray Foundation?
The Sue and Melvin Gray Foundation reported $136K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $136K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $14K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Sue and Melvin Gray Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants show support for organizations working in areas including music, theater, education, health, religion, and human rights. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Sue and Melvin Gray 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 Sue and Melvin Gray Foundation's EIN?
The Sue and Melvin Gray Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-3485579. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Sue and Melvin Gray Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS September 2, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 9, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 4, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 7, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 29, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Sue and Melvin Gray Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-sue-and-melvin-gray-foundation-morg_6c1c659ed3e14f13983462736e26308f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_363485579_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Sue and Melvin Gray Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-sue-and-melvin-gray-foundation-morg_6c1c659ed3e14f13983462736e26308f},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-04. 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 Sue and Melvin Gray 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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