The Van Dam Charitable Foundation
The Van Dam Charitable Foundation is a private foundation located in Chicago, Illinois. Its 2024 filing reports $350,181 in grants to 15 organizations, with most grant dollars going to recipients in Illinois.
The Van Dam Charitable Foundation at a glance
In short: The Van Dam Charitable Foundation gave $350K across 15 grants in 2024 (avg $23K), mostly in Illinois. 20% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $350,181
- +50.0% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 15
- -11.8% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $23,345
- +70.0% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $4,234,240
- -1.9% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 20% first-time grantees (3 of 15, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (97% 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 Van Dam Charitable 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: 399 W Fullerton Pkwy 14E, Chicago, IL 60614
Phone: (312) 927-1171
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Van Dam Charitable Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Timeline Theatre ($226K). Together the top 10 received $342K.
Grant Size Distribution
74 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 68 grants of 74 (92%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s 2024 grant dollars went primarily to Illinois recipients: 97% were allocated to Illinois, 3% to Massachusetts, and less than 1% to New York.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 15 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Van Dam Charitable Foundation open to new grantees?
20%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 3 of 15 grantees (20%) were first-time recipients. With only 15 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $29K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 80% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 42% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 137% 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 $200K (2020) to $350K (2024). In 2024 it made 15 grants totaling $350K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Timeline Theatre Chicago, IL | General Fund | $226,349 |
| Fourth Church Chicago, IL | General Fund | $40,804 |
| Landmarks Illinois Chicago, IL | General Fund | $25,000 |
| Deerfield Academy Deerfield, MA | General Fund | $10,000 |
| Northwestern University Evanston, IL | General Fund | $10,000 |
| University of Chicago Chicago, IL | General Fund | $10,000 |
| University of Michigan Palatine, IL | General Fund | $10,000 |
| Auditorium Theatre Chicago, IL | General Fund | $5,000 |
| Chicago Parks Foundation Chicago, IL | General Fund | $2,510 |
| CCDS Chicago, IL | General Fund | $2,500 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $4,234,240 | $358,884 | $439,393 | $350,181 | 15 | $353,200 | $281,666 | $258,720 |
| 2023 | $4,314,749 | $222,853 | $286,930 | $233,500 | 17 | $233,520 | $174,921 | $238,016 |
| 2022 | $4,378,826 | $138,606 | $286,856 | $258,103 | 15 | $258,123 | $96,573 | $242,125 |
| 2021 | $4,527,076 | $283,397 | $261,813 | $246,500 | 13 | $246,500 | $268,084 | $247,449 |
| 2020 | $4,505,492 | $294,806 | $211,860 | $199,609 | 14 | — | $282,555 | $240,845 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Van Dam Charitable Foundation reported a distributable amount of $259K 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 went to organizations including a theater, a church, universities, a historic-preservation organization, and other charitable organizations. Grant purposes listed in the filing were “general fund.”
Among the grantees described in their own words, the University of Chicago says its mission is to communicate and create knowledge and foster a community of scholars and students. Northwestern University describes its commitments as excellent teaching, innovative research, and students’ personal and intellectual growth. The Chicago Parks Foundation says it serves as a strategic partner for fundraising and charitable resources for the Chicago Park District. Breakthrough T1D says it works to accelerate breakthroughs to cure, prevent, and treat type 1 diabetes and its complications.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation awarded 15 grants totaling $350,181. Grant amounts ranged from $518 to $226,349, with a median grant of $5,000.
The largest reported grants included $226,349 to Timeline Theatre, $40,804 to Fourth Church, and $25,000 to Landmarks Illinois. Other notable grants were $10,000 each to Deerfield Academy, Northwestern University, and the University of Chicago; $5,000 to Auditorium Theatre; and $2,510 to the Chicago Parks Foundation. The filing lists these grants as supporting general funds. Breakthrough T1D is also reported as receiving $1,000 in 2024.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Anne Voshel and Whitney Nudo as directors.
The Van Dam Charitable Foundation's 2024 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Anne Voshel
Director
On filings since 2020
0.2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Whitney Nudo
Director
On filings since 2020
0.2 hrs/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 Van Dam Charitable Foundation
How much does The Van Dam Charitable Foundation give each year?
The Van Dam Charitable Foundation gave $350K across 15 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $234K across 17 grants.
What is The Van Dam Charitable Foundation's typical grant size?
The Van Dam Charitable Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $5,000, and its average grant was $23,345, across 15 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Van Dam Charitable Foundation that year got $1K on average.
Where does The Van Dam Charitable Foundation give grants?
The Van Dam Charitable Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 97% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (10 grants) and Evanston, IL (2 grants).
Does The Van Dam Charitable Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Van Dam Charitable Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (15 of 15) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Van Dam Charitable Foundation's largest grantees?
The Van Dam Charitable Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Timeline Theatre ($226,349), Fourth Church ($40,804) and Landmarks Illinois ($25,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 83% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Van Dam Charitable Foundation?
The Van Dam Charitable Foundation reported $4.2M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $353K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $259K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Van Dam Charitable Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants went to organizations including a theater, a church, universities, a historic-preservation organization, and other charitable organizations. Grant purposes listed in the filing were “general fund.” See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Van Dam Charitable 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 Van Dam Charitable Foundation's EIN?
The Van Dam Charitable Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 38-3328175. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Van Dam Charitable 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
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS October 25, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 11, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 8, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 13, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 13, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Van Dam Charitable Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Van Dam Charitable Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-van-dam-charitable-foundation-morg_98a32400d5ed452d93d4651ae46e73b6
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_383328175_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Van Dam Charitable Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-van-dam-charitable-foundation-morg_98a32400d5ed452d93d4651ae46e73b6},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Van Dam Charitable 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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