William M Hales Foundation
The William M Hales Foundation is a private foundation based in Kenilworth, Illinois. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, with recipients in Illinois, Colorado, Wisconsin, South Dakota, and California.
William M Hales Foundation at a glance
In short: William M Hales Foundation gave $366K across 25 grants in 2025 (avg $15K), top state Illinois. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $366,000
- +3.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 25
- +4.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $14,640
- -0.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $12,500
- Total assets
- $4,608,252
- +2.1% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Illinois (47% 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 William M Hales 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: 408 Green Bay Road P O Box 63, Kenilworth, IL 60043
Phone: (312) 630-6000
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who William M Hales Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Oglala Lakota College ($30K). Together the top 10 received $240K.
Grant Size Distribution
76 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 71 grants of 76 (93%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, grant dollars were distributed among recipients in Illinois (47%), Colorado (16%), Wisconsin (14%), South Dakota (12%), and California (7%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 25 itemized grants.
Cities
How William M Hales Foundation gives
- 84% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+1%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 94% 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 (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 $251K (2021) to $366K (2025). In 2025 it made 25 grants totaling $366K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Oglala Lakota College Kyle, SD | General Support | $30,000 |
| Center of Hope Chicago, IL | General Support | $30,000 |
| Clearwater Camp Foundation Minocqua, WI | General Support | $30,000 |
| Greater Chicago Food Depository Chicago, IL | General Support | $25,000 |
| Sierra Club Foundation Oakland, CA | General Support | $25,000 |
| Mediators Foundation Inc Boulder, CO | General Support | $20,000 |
| Chicago Symphony Orchestra Chicago, IL | General Support | $20,000 |
| Living Lands & Waters East Moline, IL | General Support | $20,000 |
| Beloit College Beloit, WI | General Support | $20,000 |
| Big City Mountaineers Arvada, CO | General Support | $20,000 |
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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 | $4,608,252 | $517,239 | $412,356 | $366,000 | 25 | $382,234 | $488,745 | $405,235 |
| 2024 | $4,513,490 | $415,386 | $408,068 | $353,000 | 24 | $369,330 | $385,646 | $382,286 |
| 2023 | $4,496,036 | $343,495 | $380,688 | $342,000 | 1 | $344,019 | $320,058 | $353,952 |
| 2022 | $4,534,727 | $80,047 | $406,243 | $362,200 | 1 | $376,821 | $163,157 | $359,527 |
| 2021 | $4,860,877 | $403,418 | $292,973 | $251,200 | 25 | $266,721 | $380,184 | $394,530 |
| 2020 | $4,750,299 | $134,144 | $289,391 | $256,200 | 24 | — | $112,997 | $320,770 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, William M Hales Foundation reported a distributable amount of $405K 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 statement is provided. Its 2025 grantees include organizations with varied missions. Oglala Lakota College describes its work as preparing students for professional and vocational opportunities in Lakota country while teaching Lakota culture and language. The Greater Chicago Food Depository says its mission is to end hunger, and the Sierra Club Foundation says it works to educate and empower people to protect and improve the natural and human environment. Other grantees include the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association, which describes its mission as enriching, inspiring, and transforming lives through music, community engagement, and education, and Big City Mountaineers, which provides nature-based experiences for youth from disinvested communities.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 25 grants totaling $366,000. Grant amounts ranged from $2,000 to $30,000, with a median of $12,500. Notable grants included $30,000 each to Oglala Lakota College and Clearwater Camp Foundation; $25,000 each to the Greater Chicago Food Depository and Sierra Club Foundation; and $20,000 each to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Mediators Foundation, and Big City Mountaineers.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Catherine L Hales as president, Erik W Hales as vice president, Rebecca Farrell as secretary, and Clara Hales as treasurer.
William M Hales Foundation is led by Catherine L. Hales, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Catherine L. Hales
President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Erik W. Hales
Vice President
Director → Vice President, 2022
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Clara Hales
Treasurer
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rebecca Farrell
Secretary
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: John W. Hales (2020–2021) — Secretary, Treasurer & Director
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 William M Hales Foundation
How much does William M Hales Foundation give each year?
William M Hales Foundation gave $366K across 25 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $353K across 24 grants.
What is William M Hales Foundation's typical grant size?
William M Hales Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $12,500, and its average grant was $14,640, across 25 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does William M Hales Foundation give grants?
William M Hales Foundation's top state is Illinois, with 47% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Colorado (16%) and Wisconsin (14%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (8 grants), Winnetka, IL (2 grants) and Northfield, IL (2 grants).
Does William M Hales Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of William M Hales Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (25 of 25) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are William M Hales Foundation's largest grantees?
William M Hales Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Oglala Lakota College ($30,000), Center of Hope ($30,000) and Clearwater Camp Foundation ($30,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 25% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is William M Hales Foundation?
William M Hales Foundation reported $4.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $382K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $405K (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 William M Hales Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grantees include organizations with varied missions. Oglala Lakota College describes its work as preparing students for professional and vocational opportunities in Lakota country while teaching Lakota culture and language. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from William M Hales 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 William M Hales Foundation's EIN?
William M Hales Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-3735095. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does William M Hales 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 November 7, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS August 11, 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 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
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). William M Hales Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/william-m-hales-foundation-morg_fb46d91411194826ad5404e890216490
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_363735095_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{William M Hales Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/william-m-hales-foundation-morg_fb46d91411194826ad5404e890216490},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 William M Hales 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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