The Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Family
The Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Family is a private foundation based in Wilmington, Delaware. Its 2025 filing reports 14 grants totaling $1,405,000, primarily to organizations in Illinois.
The Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Family at a glance
In short: The Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Family gave $1.4M across 14 grants in 2025 (avg $100K), mostly in Illinois. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,405,000
- -4.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 14
- +133.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $100,357
- -59.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $19,802,329
- -4.8% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Illinois (94% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to The Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Family
- 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: Foundation Source 501 Silverside Rd, Wilmington, DE 19809-1377
Phone: (800) 839-1754
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Family funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Big Shoulders Fund ($775K). Together the top 10 received $1.4M.
Grant Size Distribution
22 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $100–250K range: 9 grants of 22 (41%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, the reported distribution of grant dollars was 94% to Illinois, 4% to Maryland, 2% to New York, and 1% to Florida.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 14 itemized grants.
Cities
How The Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Family gives
- 21% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 142% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (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 $150K (2021) to $1.5M (2024). In 2025 it made 14 grants totaling $1.4M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Big Shoulders Fund Chicago, IL | Sullivan Fellows Program and Covered Schools | $775,000 |
| Northwestern University Evanston, IL | Shapiro Hall fund | $125,000 |
| Northlight Theatre Inc Evanston, IL | Interplay fund | $100,000 |
| Northwestern Memorial Foundation Chicago, IL | Ruchim Endowment fund | $100,000 |
| University of Chicago Chicago, IL | Biological Sciences Division Research fund | $100,000 |
| United States Naval Academy Foundation Inc Baltimore, MD | Athletics and General Support fund | $50,000 |
| Come to Believe Foundation New York, NY | General & Unrestricted | $25,000 |
| Cristo Rey Jesuit High School Chicago, IL | General & Unrestricted | $25,000 |
| Evanston Northwestern Healthcare Evanston, IL | General & Unrestricted | $25,000 |
| Josephinum Academy Chicago, IL | General & Unrestricted | $25,000 |
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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 | $19,802,329 | $787,743 | $1,775,559 | $1,405,000 | 14 | $1,474,396 | $767,536 | $1,036,514 |
| 2024 | $20,790,145 | $20,084,375 | $1,497,021 | $1,477,627 | 6 | $1,489,403 | $19,572,360 | $90,433 |
| 2023 | $685,869 | $144,537 | $9,333 | — | — | $8,438 | $143,969 | $41,224 |
| 2022 | $550,665 | $12,593 | $9,075 | — | — | $8,444 | $11,962 | $41,343 |
| 2021 | $547,147 | $8,649 | $158,918 | $150,000 | 2 | $158,918 | $8,649 | $49,893 |
| 2020 | $697,416 | $9,171 | $294,127 | $285,000 | 5 | — | $9,171 | $49,075 |
| 2019 | $982,372 | $21,384 | $832,200 | $802,500 | 5 | — | $21,384 | $118,126 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Family reported a distributable amount of $1.0M 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 2025 grants went to organizations working in areas including education, higher education, health care, and the arts. For example, Big Shoulders Fund describes its work as supporting underserved schools that provide quality, values-based education for Chicago children. Northwestern University describes its commitments as excellent teaching, innovative research, and students’ personal and intellectual growth. Northlight Theatre says it seeks to entertain and enlighten audiences through theatrical experiences and to champion new work.
Other 2025 grantees describe their work as including the University of Chicago’s communication and creation of knowledge; Come to Believe Foundation’s college model for students often underrepresented at selective universities; and Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s clinical care, research, scientific discovery, and education. Neighborhood Health Clinic says it provides medical and dental care to low-income, uninsured working residents of Collier County. One Acre Fund describes its mission as helping chronically hungry farm families in Africa address hunger and poverty.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation gave $1,405,000 through 14 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $10,000 to $775,000, with a median grant of $25,000. The largest awards included $775,000 to Big Shoulders Fund for its Sullivan Fellows Program and Covered Schools; $125,000 to Northwestern University for its Shapiro Hall fund; and $100,000 each to Northlight Theatre for its Interplay fund, Northwestern Memorial Foundation for its Ruchim Endowment fund, and the University of Chicago for its Biological Sciences Division Research fund. Other reported awards included $50,000 to the United States Naval Academy Foundation for athletics and general support, and $25,000 to Come to Believe Foundation for general and unrestricted purposes.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Susanne Sullivan as director and vice president, and Timothy P Sullivan as president, director, and secretary.
The Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Family is led by Timothy P Sullivan, President, Director & Secretary on every filing since 2019; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Timothy P Sullivan
President, Director & Secretary
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Susanne Sullivan
Director & Vice President
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
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 Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Family
How much does The Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Family give each year?
The Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Family gave $1.4M across 14 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.5M across 6 grants.
What is The Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Family's typical grant size?
The Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Family's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $100,357, across 14 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Family give grants?
The Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Family gives mostly in Illinois: 94% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (7 grants) and Evanston, IL (3 grants).
Does The Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Family give general operating support?
Yes: 50% of The Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Family's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (7 of 14) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Family's largest grantees?
The Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Family's largest 2025 grantees include Big Shoulders Fund ($775,000), Northwestern University ($125,000) and Northlight Theatre Inc ($100,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 71% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Family?
The Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Family reported $19.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.5M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.0M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Family fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations working in areas including education, higher education, health care, and the arts. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Family?
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 Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Family's EIN?
The Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Family's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-3367664. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Family 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
(4)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS April 30, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 26, 2022)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 12, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Family funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-timothy-and-susanne-sullivan-family-morg_9ae0858b921f4924b9425d33985616cf
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_203367664_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Family funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-timothy-and-susanne-sullivan-family-morg_9ae0858b921f4924b9425d33985616cf},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Family'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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