The Victor Foundation logo

The Victor Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Chicago, IL EIN: 42-1652732 Website

The Victor Foundation is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. Its 2024 filing reports grants to charitable organizations including reproductive health, health care, Jewish community, education, and higher-education organizations; these are areas reflected in its reported recipients, not a stated foundation mission.

The Victor Foundation at a glance

In short: The Victor Foundation gave $224K across 33 grants in 2024 (avg $7K), mostly in Minnesota. 22% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2024)
$223,695
-16.6% vs 2023
Grants made (2024)
33
+6.5% vs 2023
Average grant
$6,779
-21.6% vs 2023
Median grant
$5,000
Total assets
$6,387,561
+6.3% vs 2023
New grantees (estimate)
22% first-time grantees (6 of 27, 2024)
Primary geography
Minnesota (61% 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 Victor Foundation

Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to Apply

The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.

Contact

Mailing address: 225 W Wacker Drive 2150, Chicago, IL 60606-1224
Phone: (312) 621-0590

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who The Victor Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Planned Parenthood North Central States: $60K across 2 grantsPlanned Parenthood NorthCentral States$60K · 2 grantsAllina Health Foundation (FKA Abbott Northwestern Hospital Foundation): $32K across 2 grantsAllina Health Foundation (FKAAbbott Northwestern Hospital…$32K · 2 grantsAmerican Jewish Joint Distribution Committee: $20K across 2 grantsAmerican Jewish JointDistribution Committee$20K · 2 grantsTemple Israel: $20K across 3 grantsTemple Israel$20K · 3 grantsCamp Nebagamon (FKA CN Foundation): $10KCamp Nebagamon (FKA CNFoundation)$10KErikson Institute: $10KErikson Institute$10KJewish Agency for Israel: $10KJewish Agency for Israel$10KJewish Community Relations Council: $10KJewish Community RelationsCouncil$10KMinneapolis Jewish Federation: $10KMinneapolis Jewish Federation$10KBarnard College: $5KBarnard College$5K

The largest 2024 recipient was Planned Parenthood North Central States ($60K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $187K.

Grant Size Distribution

162 grants across all recorded years

156<$50K6$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 156 grants of 162 (96%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2024, Minnesota-based recipients received 61% of grant dollars, followed by recipients in New York (21%), Illinois (7%), Connecticut (5%), and the District of Columbia (4%).

Grant Distribution by State

14states

Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 33 itemized grants.

Cities

MinneapolisNew YorkSaint PaulChicagoMinnetonkaNew HavenHopkinsPhiladelphiaMiddletownWashingtonBethesdaSt Louis ParkAlbanyAlexandriaAtlantaBostonDenverNorwoodPortlandSaint Louis

Is The Victor Foundation open to new grantees?

22%

first-time grantees, 2024

In 2024, 6 of 27 grantees (22%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $10K. How we count

Medians: $750 first-time, $5K repeat.

  • 74% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−13%). Method
  • In 2024 it paid out 69% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. 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

$0$100K$200K$300K30 grants2020 29 grants2021 39 grants2022 31 grants2023 33 grants2024

From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $224K (2024) to $279K (2022). In 2024 it made 33 grants totaling $224K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Planned Parenthood North Central States Saint Paul, MNProgram Support$50,000
Allina Health Foundation (FKA Abbott Northwestern Hospital Foundation) Minneapolis, MNProgram Support$25,000
Temple Israel Minneapolis, MNProgram Support$12,000
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee New York, NYGeneral Operating Support/Annual Gift$10,000
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee New York, NYProgram Support$10,000
Camp Nebagamon (FKA CN Foundation) Washington, DCGeneral Operating Support/Annual Gift$10,000
Erikson Institute Chicago, ILGeneral Operating Support/Annual Gift$10,000
Jewish Agency for Israel New York, NYGeneral Operating Support/Annual Gift$10,000
Jewish Community Relations Council Minneapolis, MNGeneral Operating Support/Annual Gift$10,000
Minneapolis Jewish Federation Minnetonka, MNProgram Support$10,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2024$6,387,561$667,749$184,209$223,69533$223,885$197,363$323,633
2023$6,011,655$584,349$267,530$268,07231$274,118$240,148$296,424
2022$5,789,170$589,275$350,019$278,80539$284,369$139,503$285,902
2021$5,578,768$1,078,997$411,611$257,10029$262,611$581,189$303,821
2020$4,853,189$553,164$521,318$255,70030—$82,194$242,262

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Victor Foundation reported a distributable amount of $324K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

No foundation mission is stated in the available information. Its 2024 grants included support for organizations whose own missions include access to reproductive health care, early-childhood professional education and advocacy, Jewish community needs, and liberal arts education.

For example, Planned Parenthood North Central States describes its mission as supporting access to high-quality, affordable reproductive health care services. Erikson Institute says it prepares professionals to address challenges facing young children, families, and communities. Minneapolis Jewish Federation describes its work as promoting philanthropy and addressing local and global Jewish needs. Barnard College and Wesleyan University describe their missions in terms of liberal arts education.

Grantmaking

In filing year 2024, the foundation reported 33 grants totaling $223,695. Grants ranged from $65 to $50,000, with a median grant of $5,000.

Largest reported grants included $50,000 to Planned Parenthood North Central States for program support; $25,000 to Allina Health Foundation for program support; $12,000 to Temple Israel for program support; and $10,000 each to the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Camp Nebagamon, Erikson Institute, Jewish Agency for Israel, Jewish Community Relations Council, Minneapolis Jewish Federation, and Planned Parenthood North Central States. The filing lists both program support and general operating support/annual gifts among grant purposes.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2024 filing lists Robert Lewis Barrows as president and director; Linda Masters Barrows as secretary, treasurer, and director; and Stephen H Barrows as vice president and director. It also lists Michael C McQuinn as vice president and Lauren K MacDonald as assistant treasurer.

The Victor Foundation is led by Robert Lewis Barrows, President & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 5 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.

Officers on the 2024 filing

  • Robert Lewis Barrows

    President & Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Linda Masters Barrows

    Secretary, Treasurer & Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Stephen H. Barrows

    Vice President & Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Lauren K. Macdonald

    Assistant Treasurer

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Michael C. McQuinn

    Vice President

    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 Victor Foundation

How much does The Victor Foundation give each year?

The Victor Foundation gave $224K across 33 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $268K across 31 grants.

What is The Victor Foundation's typical grant size?

The Victor Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $5,000, and its average grant was $6,779, across 33 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Victor Foundation that year got $1K on average.

Where does The Victor Foundation give grants?

The Victor Foundation gives mostly in Minnesota: 61% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (21%) and Illinois (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Minneapolis, MN (11 grants), New York, NY (7 grants), Saint Paul, MN (2 grants) and Chicago, IL (2 grants).

Does The Victor Foundation give general operating support?

Yes: 76% of The Victor Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (25 of 33) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Program Support" (8 grants).

Who are The Victor Foundation's largest grantees?

The Victor Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Planned Parenthood North Central States ($60,000 across 2 grants), Allina Health Foundation (FKA Abbott Northwestern Hospital Foundation) ($32,000 across 2 grants) and American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee ($20,000 across 2 grants), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 50% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.

How large is The Victor Foundation?

The Victor Foundation reported $6.4M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $224K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $324K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.

What does The Victor Foundation fund?

No foundation mission is stated in the available information. Its 2024 grants included support for organizations whose own missions include access to reproductive health care, early-childhood professional education and advocacy, Jewish community needs, and liberal arts education. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from The Victor Foundation?

The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is The Victor Foundation's EIN?

The Victor Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 42-1652732. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.

Does The Victor 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 October 2026.

Data update history

(6)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 15, 2021)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2022)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 14, 2023)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 10, 2024)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 9, 2025)
  6. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). The Victor Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-victor-foundation-morg_c096649faa1f474f93ee436dd57c8be9

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_421652732_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{The Victor Foundation funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-victor-foundation-morg_c096649faa1f474f93ee436dd57c8be9},
  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 Victor 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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