Walter Lee Barker and Betty Ruth Barker Foundation
WALTER LEE BARKER AND BETTY RUTH is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. Its 2024 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, with awards including support for Chicago cultural and community organizations and institutions in other states.
Walter Lee Barker and Betty Ruth Barker Foundation at a glance
In short: Walter Lee Barker and Betty Ruth Barker Foundation gave $1.3M across 14 grants in 2025 (avg $93K), mostly in Illinois. 14% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,300,000
- +18.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 14
- +7.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $92,857
- +9.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $100,000
- Total assets
- $18,694,640
- -4.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 14% first-time grantees (2 of 14, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (67% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated November 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Walter Lee Barker and Betty Ruth Barker 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: 3740 N Lake Shore Dr Apt 16A, Chicago, IL 60613
Phone: (773) 590-2737
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Walter Lee Barker and Betty Ruth Barker Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Greater Chicago Food Bank ($200K). Together the top 10 received $1.1M.
Grant Size Distribution
35 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $100–250K range: 19 grants of 35 (54%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2024 grant dollars were reported as going to recipients in Illinois (64%), Massachusetts (22%), Maryland (9%), Pennsylvania (5%), and Florida (1%). The listed grants include multiple Chicago-area organizations and recipients in Boston, Hagerstown, and Pittsburgh.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 14 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Walter Lee Barker and Betty Ruth Barker Foundation open to new grantees?
14%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 14 grantees (14%) were first-time recipients. With only 14 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $50K; repeat grants $100K. How we count
Medians: $50K first-time, $100K repeat.
- 86% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 104% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2023–2025). 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 2023 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $80K (2023) to $1.3M (2025). In 2025 it made 14 grants totaling $1.3M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Greater Chicago Food Bank Chicago, IL | General Charitable Purposes | $200,000 |
| Chicago Symphony Chicago, IL | General Charitable Purposes | $100,000 |
| Cures Within Reach Chicago, IL | General Charitable Purposes | $100,000 |
| Doctors Without Borders Hagerstown, MD | General Charitable Purposes | $100,000 |
| Harvard College Boston, MA | General Charitable Purposes | $100,000 |
| Harvard Medical School Boston, MA | General Charitable Purposes | $100,000 |
| Lincoln Park Zoo Chicago, IL | General Charitable Purposes | $100,000 |
| One Day to Remember Pittsburgh, PA | General Charitable Purposes | $100,000 |
| Shedd Aquarium Chicago, IL | General Charitable Purposes | $100,000 |
| Wounded Warriors Chicago, IL | General Charitable Purposes | $100,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Walter Lee Barker and Betty Ruth Barker Foundation?
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 | $18,694,640 | $1,103,764 | $1,740,732 | $1,300,000 | 14 | $1,399,425 | $762,457 | $1,342,976 |
| 2024 | $19,552,863 | $174,459 | $1,316,612 | $1,100,000 | 13 | $1,197,915 | $401,636 | $1,266,251 |
| 2023 | $22,735,726 | $1,139,841 | $494,701 | $80,000 | 8 | $158,709 | $803,849 | $1,171,259 |
| 2022 | $20,485,815 | $22,099,318 | — | — | — | — | $17,129 | $74,584 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Walter Lee Barker and Betty Ruth Barker Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.3M 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 2024 grants went to organizations including arts and cultural institutions, a food bank, a zoo, a medical school, and charitable organizations.
One Day to Remember Inc., which received $50,000 in 2024, describes its mission as providing families a one-day respite for children whose parents have been diagnosed with terminal cancer. This is the grantee’s stated mission, not a stated mission of the foundation.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation gave $1,100,000 through 13 grants. Grants ranged from $10,000 to $120,000, with a median of $100,000. The 2023 filing reports $80,000 in grants across eight awards. Its 2025 filing, the latest on this page, reports 14 grants totaling $1.3 million.
Notable 2024 grants included $120,000 each to Harvard College and Harvard Medical School; $100,000 each to the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago Symphony, Doctors Without Borders, Greater Chicago Food Bank, Lincoln Park Zoo, Wounded Warriors, and Shedd Aquarium; and $50,000 each to Guest House Chicago, One Day to Remember, and Cures Within Reach. The listed awards were for general charitable purposes.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Lawrence Elman was listed as trustee on the 2024 filing.
Walter Lee Barker and Betty Ruth Barker Foundation is led by Lawrence Elman, Trustee on every filing since 2022 — the only officer listed, and compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Lawrence Elman
Trustee
On filings since 2022
30 hrs/week
$190K (2024) → $190K (2025)
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2022–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $190K, to Lawrence Elman (Trustee).
Frequently asked questions about Walter Lee Barker and Betty Ruth Barker Foundation
How much does Walter Lee Barker and Betty Ruth Barker Foundation give each year?
Walter Lee Barker and Betty Ruth Barker Foundation gave $1.3M across 14 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.1M across 13 grants.
What is Walter Lee Barker and Betty Ruth Barker Foundation's typical grant size?
Walter Lee Barker and Betty Ruth Barker Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $100,000, and its average grant was $92,857, across 14 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Walter Lee Barker and Betty Ruth Barker Foundation that year got $50K on average.
Where does Walter Lee Barker and Betty Ruth Barker Foundation give grants?
Walter Lee Barker and Betty Ruth Barker Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 67% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Massachusetts (15%) and Maryland (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (9 grants) and Boston, MA (2 grants).
Does Walter Lee Barker and Betty Ruth Barker Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Walter Lee Barker and Betty Ruth Barker Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (14 of 14) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Walter Lee Barker and Betty Ruth Barker Foundation's largest grantees?
Walter Lee Barker and Betty Ruth Barker Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Greater Chicago Food Bank ($200,000), Chicago Symphony ($100,000) and Cures Within Reach ($100,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 31% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Walter Lee Barker and Betty Ruth Barker Foundation?
Walter Lee Barker and Betty Ruth Barker Foundation reported $18.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.4M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.3M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Walter Lee Barker and Betty Ruth Barker Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants went to organizations including arts and cultural institutions, a food bank, a zoo, a medical school, and charitable organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Walter Lee Barker and Betty Ruth Barker 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 Walter Lee Barker and Betty Ruth Barker Foundation's EIN?
Walter Lee Barker and Betty Ruth Barker Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 87-2435825. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2022–2025.
Does Walter Lee Barker and Betty Ruth Barker Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated November 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS September 11, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2022–2024
Live grants for the work Walter Lee Barker and Betty Ruth Barker Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Walter Lee Barker and Betty Ruth Barker Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/walter-lee-barker-and-betty-ruth-barker-foundation-morg_1ed4c1519c1341349a8592bffe415d6e
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_872435825_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Walter Lee Barker and Betty Ruth Barker Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/walter-lee-barker-and-betty-ruth-barker-foundation-morg_1ed4c1519c1341349a8592bffe415d6e},
note = {Accessed 2026-11-04. 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 Walter Lee Barker and Betty Ruth Barker 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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