Williams Family Charitable Foundation
Williams Family Charitable Foundation is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. Its 2025 filing reports grants for general charitable purposes to organizations in several states, with most grant dollars going to Illinois recipients.
Williams Family Charitable Foundation at a glance
In short: Williams Family Charitable Foundation gave $183K across 60 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), mostly in Illinois. 30% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $182,500
- +79.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 60
- +114.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $3,042
- -16.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,000
- Total assets
- $2,027,108
- +18.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 30% first-time grantees (18 of 60, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (74% 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 Williams Family Charitable 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: 20 N Wacker Drive 1428, Chicago, IL 60606
Phone: (312) 372-1033
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Williams Family Charitable Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Institute for Nonviolence Chicago ($50K). Together the top 10 received $90K.
Grant Size Distribution
188 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 187 grants of 188 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, Illinois recipients received 74% of grant dollars, followed by Washington at 15%, New York at 5%, Minnesota at 2%, and Indiana at 1%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 60 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Williams Family Charitable Foundation open to new grantees?
30%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 18 of 60 grantees (30%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $3K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 37% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 97% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 143% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2021–2025). 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 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $93K (2022) to $183K (2025). In 2025 it made 60 grants totaling $183K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Institute for Nonviolence Chicago Chicago, IL | General charitable purposes | $50,000 |
| Open Books Ltd Chicago, IL | General charitable purposes | $5,000 |
| Latin School of Chicago Chicago, IL | General charitable purposes | $5,000 |
| University District Service League Seattle, WA | General charitable purposes | $5,000 |
| Dusable Museum African American His Chicago, IL | General charitable purposes | $4,500 |
| Joliet Junior College Foundation Joliet, IL | General charitable purposes | $4,000 |
| Environmental Defense Fund Incorpor New York City, NY | General charitable purposes | $4,000 |
| Greater Chicago Food Depository Chicago, IL | General charitable purposes | $4,000 |
| Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fu New York City, NY | General charitable purposes | $4,000 |
| Mayo Clinic Rochester, MN | General charitable purposes | $4,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Williams Family Charitable 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 | $2,027,108 | $545,578 | $194,412 | $182,500 | 60 | $182,500 | $311,202 | $127,588 |
| 2024 | $1,705,018 | $322,321 | $114,875 | $101,500 | 28 | $101,500 | $10,288 | $108,565 |
| 2023 | $1,478,202 | $387,432 | $124,101 | $116,000 | 38 | $116,000 | $105,022 | $78,676 |
| 2022 | $1,237,186 | $19,928 | $131,238 | $92,800 | 33 | $92,800 | $11,745 | $78,502 |
| 2021 | $1,298,180 | $1,028,985 | $103,757 | $95,198 | 29 | $95,198 | $860,947 | $71,508 |
| 2020 | $372,953 | $372,989 | $36 | — | — | — | $16,520 | $4,585 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Williams Family Charitable Foundation reported a distributable amount of $128K 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
The foundation’s 2025 filing lists grant purposes as general charitable purposes. Its grantees work in varied areas: for example, the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago says its mission is to end violence and build peace and restore justice in Chicago communities; Open Books describes literacy and reading and writing programs; and Friends of the Chicago River works to protect and restore the Chicago-Calumet River system. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not a stated mission of the foundation.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 60 grants totaling $182,500. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $50,000, with a median of $2,000. The largest grant listed was $50,000 to the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago. Other notable awards included $5,000 each to Open Books Ltd, Latin School of Chicago, and University District Service League, and $4,500 to Dusable Museum African American His.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Richard John Williams as President & Director; Marlene Goodale as Vice President/Director; Allison Armstrong as Secretary/Director; Anthony Williams as Treasurer/Director; Kevin Armstrong and Rebecca Williams as Directors; and Cathy Danits as Assistant Secretary/Treasurer.
Williams Family Charitable Foundation is led by Richard John Williams, President & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 7 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Richard John Williams
President & Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Allison Armstrong
Secretary & Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Anthony Williams
Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Marlene Goodale
Vice President & Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Kevin Armstrong
Director
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Rebecca Williams
Director
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Cathy Danits
Assistant Secretary & Treasurer
Ass Secretary & Ass Trs → Assistant Secretary & Treasurer, 2021
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Paul S Vander Woude (2020) — 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 Williams Family Charitable Foundation
How much does Williams Family Charitable Foundation give each year?
Williams Family Charitable Foundation gave $183K across 60 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $102K across 28 grants.
What is Williams Family Charitable Foundation's typical grant size?
Williams Family Charitable Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,000, and its average grant was $3,042, across 60 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Williams Family Charitable Foundation that year got $2K on average.
Where does Williams Family Charitable Foundation give grants?
Williams Family Charitable Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 74% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Washington (15%) and New York (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (35 grants), Seattle, WA (12 grants) and New York City, NY (2 grants).
Does Williams Family Charitable Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Williams Family Charitable Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (60 of 60) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Williams Family Charitable Foundation's largest grantees?
Williams Family Charitable Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Institute for Nonviolence Chicago ($50,000), Open Books Ltd ($5,000) and Latin School of Chicago ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 33% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Williams Family Charitable Foundation?
Williams Family Charitable Foundation reported $2.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $183K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $128K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Williams Family Charitable Foundation fund?
The foundation’s 2025 filing lists grant purposes as general charitable purposes. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Williams Family Charitable 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 Williams Family Charitable Foundation's EIN?
Williams Family Charitable Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 35-2338988. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Williams Family 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 7, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Williams Family Charitable Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Williams Family Charitable Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/williams-family-charitable-foundation-morg_2882fb4e6a0f47c791bf5c962ed7d2c5
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_352338988_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Williams Family Charitable Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/williams-family-charitable-foundation-morg_2882fb4e6a0f47c791bf5c962ed7d2c5},
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 Williams Family 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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