The Winthrop Foundation
The Winthrop Foundation is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. In its 2025 filing, it reported giving $50,000 through 20 grants to preselected charitable organizations.
The Winthrop Foundation at a glance
In short: The Winthrop Foundation gave $50K across 20 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), top state Virginia. 5% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $50,000
- +4.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 20
- +11.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $2,500
- -6.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,750
- Total assets
- $487,308
- -2.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 5% first-time grantees (1 of 20, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Virginia (30% 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 Winthrop Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 803878, Chicago, IL 60680
Phone: (312) 630-6000
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Winthrop Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Sound Future Foundation ($15K). Together the top 10 received $40K.
Grant Size Distribution
104 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 104 grants of 104 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grant dollars were distributed among recipients in Virginia (30%), Illinois (26%), Colorado (19%), Wisconsin (11%), and Michigan (6%), among other states.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 20 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Winthrop Foundation open to new grantees?
5%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 20 grantees (5%) were first-time recipients. With only 20 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $3K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 90% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−11%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 126% 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 $41K (2020) to $56K (2022). In 2025 it made 20 grants totaling $50K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Sound Future Foundation Charlottesville, VA | General Support | $15,000 |
| Denver Botanic Gardens Denver, CO | General Support | $5,000 |
| M&M Area Community Foundation Menominee, MI | General Support | $3,000 |
| Crivitz Area Food Pantry Crivitz, WI | General Support | $3,000 |
| International Crane Foundation Baraboo, WI | General Support | $2,500 |
| Opportunity International Chicago, IL | General Support | $2,500 |
| Mullen High School Denver, CO | General Support | $2,500 |
| Guild of the Chicago History Museum Chichago, IL | General Support | $2,000 |
| Evanston Community Foundation Evanston, IL | General Support | $2,000 |
| Ms Society Coloradowyoming Denver, CO | General Support | $2,000 |
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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 | $487,308 | $42,484 | $52,507 | $50,000 | 20 | $51,102 | $41,614 | $40,661 |
| 2024 | $497,314 | $37,850 | $51,861 | $48,000 | 18 | $49,265 | $35,626 | $39,165 |
| 2023 | $511,415 | $34,531 | $57,914 | $54,000 | 20 | $55,868 | $32,835 | $35,756 |
| 2022 | $534,998 | $25,121 | $59,791 | $56,000 | 22 | $57,936 | $23,391 | $37,705 |
| 2021 | $569,668 | $34,615 | $49,452 | $45,500 | 24 | $47,410 | $32,862 | $42,355 |
| 2020 | $584,537 | $18,941 | $45,066 | $41,000 | 21 | — | $20,298 | $36,558 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Winthrop Foundation reported a distributable amount of $41K 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 foundation mission is stated. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations whose own missions describe addressing the environmental impact of live events, connecting people with plants, providing food to local households, and helping cranes and their natural heritage thrive. Other recipients describe work supporting people living in poverty through financial solutions, support, and training, and mobilizing community resources for social change.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation gave $50,000 through 20 grants. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $15,000, with a median grant of $1,750.
The largest grant was $15,000 to Sound Future Foundation, whose stated mission is to research and develop solutions to the environmental impact of live events. Other notable grants included $5,000 to Denver Botanic Gardens; $3,000 each to Crivitz Area Food Pantry and M&M Area Community Foundation; and $2,500 each to International Crane Foundation and Opportunity International. The filing lists each of these grants as general support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Nancy K. Robinson as trustee.
The Winthrop Foundation is led by Nancy K. Robinson, Trustee on every filing since 2020 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Nancy K. Robinson
Trustee
On filings since 2020
5 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 Winthrop Foundation
How much does The Winthrop Foundation give each year?
The Winthrop Foundation gave $50K across 20 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $48K across 18 grants.
What is The Winthrop Foundation's typical grant size?
The Winthrop Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,750, and its average grant was $2,500, across 20 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Winthrop Foundation that year got $1K on average.
Where does The Winthrop Foundation give grants?
The Winthrop Foundation's top state is Virginia, with 30% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Illinois (26%) and Colorado (19%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (4 grants), Denver, CO (3 grants), Evanston, IL (2 grants) and Boca Grande, FL (2 grants).
Does The Winthrop Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Winthrop Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (20 of 20) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Winthrop Foundation's largest grantees?
The Winthrop Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Sound Future Foundation ($15,000), Denver Botanic Gardens ($5,000) and M&M Area Community Foundation ($3,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 46% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Winthrop Foundation?
The Winthrop Foundation reported $487K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $51K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $41K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Winthrop Foundation fund?
No foundation mission is stated. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations whose own missions describe addressing the environmental impact of live events, connecting people with plants, providing food to local households, and helping cranes and their natural heritage thrive. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Winthrop Foundation?
The foundation states that it 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 Winthrop Foundation's EIN?
The Winthrop Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-7482508. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Winthrop 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 2020 (received by the IRS November 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS July 1, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS July 3, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS September 3, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS June 10, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 7, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Winthrop Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Winthrop Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-winthrop-foundation-morg_8a0262475e854f10a26b72cb0a33add2
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_367482508_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Winthrop Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-winthrop-foundation-morg_8a0262475e854f10a26b72cb0a33add2},
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 Winthrop 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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