Data / Foundation grants / The Knowles Foundation
The Knowles Foundation: 25 grants to organizations, $1.4 million (tax year ended September 2025)
The Knowles Foundation, a private foundation in Chicago, IL, paid 25 grants to organizations totaling $1,436,000 in its tax year ended September 2025, according to its Form 990-PF filed with the IRS on August 13, 2026. The largest was $187,500 to Merit School of Music in Chicago, IL for capital campaign.
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- EIN
- 366051968
- Based in
- Chicago, IL
- Assets
- $28,441,020
- Grants paid
- $1,436,000
- Tax year ended
- September 2025
Grants paid, tax year ended September 2025
From the Form 990-PF filed August 13, 2026, IRS object ID 202632259349100823. It reported $1,436,000 in grants paid; 25 grants to organizations are listed.
| Recipient | Location | Purpose | Cause | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merit School of Music | Chicago, IL | Capital campaign | Arts, culture and humanities | $187,500 | apps.irs.gov |
| Gigi's Playhouse Inc | Hoffman Estates, IL | General fund | $100,000 | apps.irs.gov | |
| Lyric Opera of Chicago | Chicago, IL | Student and family performances fund | Arts, culture and humanities | $100,000 | apps.irs.gov |
| Friends of the Chicago River | Chicago, IL | General fund | Arts, culture and humanities | $80,000 | apps.irs.gov |
| Ray Graham Association | Lisle, IL | Hanson center | $78,500 | apps.irs.gov | |
| Chicago Architecture Center | Chicago, IL | General fund | $75,000 | apps.irs.gov | |
| Elmhurst Memorial Hospital | Elmhurst, IL | Breast health program | $75,000 | apps.irs.gov | |
| Loyola University Medical Center | Mayhood, IL | Nursing fund | Health care | $75,000 | apps.irs.gov |
| Adler Planetarium | Chicago, IL | School experiences program | Arts, culture and humanities | $70,000 | apps.irs.gov |
| Merit School of Music | Chicago, IL | General fund | Arts, culture and humanities | $68,000 | apps.irs.gov |
| Greater Chicago Food Depository | Hoffman Estates, IL | General fund | Food, agriculture and nutrition | $60,000 | apps.irs.gov |
| Hinsdale Junior Womans Club | Hinsdale, IL | General fund | $50,000 | apps.irs.gov | |
| Museum of Science and Industry | Chicago, IL | General fund | $50,000 | apps.irs.gov | |
| Ray Graham Association | Lisle, IL | Able campaign | $50,000 | apps.irs.gov | |
| Shedd Aquarium Society | Chicago, IL | General fund | Animal-related | $50,000 | apps.irs.gov |
| The Field Museum | Chicago, IL | General fund | $50,000 | apps.irs.gov | |
| Alliance for the Great Lakes | Chicago, IL | General fund | $40,000 | apps.irs.gov | |
| Foundation for Hearing and Speech Research | Chicago, IL | Music to my ears program | $32,000 | apps.irs.gov | |
| Merit School of Music | Chicago, IL | Music to my ears program | Arts, culture and humanities | $32,000 | apps.irs.gov |
| Lincoln Park Zoo | Chicago, IL | General fund | $30,000 | apps.irs.gov | |
| Foundation for Hearing and Speech Research | Chicago, IL | General fund | $28,000 | apps.irs.gov | |
| Shirley Ryan Ability Lab | Chicago, IL | General fund | $25,000 | apps.irs.gov | |
| Foundation for Hearing and Speech Research | Chicago, IL | Music therapy program | $15,000 | apps.irs.gov | |
| Northwestern University | Evanston, IL | General fund | Recreation and sports | $10,000 | apps.irs.gov |
| Merit School of Music | Chicago, IL | South shore program | Arts, culture and humanities | $5,000 | apps.irs.gov |
Grants paid, tax year ended September 2024
From the Form 990-PF filed August 8, 2025, IRS object ID 202532209349101108. It reported $1,452,500 in grants paid; 24 grants to organizations are listed.
| Recipient | Location | Purpose | Cause | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merit School of Music | Chicago, IL | Capital campaign | Arts, culture and humanities | $187,500 | apps.irs.gov |
| Gigi's Playhouse Inc | Hoffman Estates, IL | General fund | $100,000 | apps.irs.gov | |
| Lyric Opera of Chicago | Chicago, IL | Student and family performances fund | Arts, culture and humanities | $100,000 | apps.irs.gov |
| Ray Graham Association | Lisle, IL | Hanson center | $100,000 | apps.irs.gov | |
| Chicago Architecture Center | Chicago, IL | General fund | $75,000 | apps.irs.gov | |
| Elmhurst Memorial Hospital | Elmhurst, IL | Breast health program | $75,000 | apps.irs.gov | |
| Friends of the Chicago River | Chicago, IL | General fund | Arts, culture and humanities | $75,000 | apps.irs.gov |
| Loyola University Medical Center | Mayhood, IL | Nursing fund | Health care | $75,000 | apps.irs.gov |
| Adler Planetarium | Chicago, IL | School experiences program | Arts, culture and humanities | $70,000 | apps.irs.gov |
| Merit School of Music | Chicago, IL | General fund | Arts, culture and humanities | $68,000 | apps.irs.gov |
| Greater Chicago Food Depository | Hoffman Estates, IL | General fund | Food, agriculture and nutrition | $50,000 | apps.irs.gov |
| Hinsdale Junior Womans Club | Hinsdale, IL | General fund | $50,000 | apps.irs.gov | |
| Museum of Science and Industry | Chicago, IL | General fund | $50,000 | apps.irs.gov | |
| Ray Graham Association | Lisle, IL | Able campaign | $50,000 | apps.irs.gov | |
| Shedd Aquarium Society | Chicago, IL | General fund | Animal-related | $50,000 | apps.irs.gov |
| Shirley Ryan Ability Lab | Chicago, IL | General fund | $50,000 | apps.irs.gov | |
| The Field Museum | Chicago, IL | General fund | $50,000 | apps.irs.gov | |
| Foundation for Hearing and Speech Research | Chicago, IL | Music to my ears program | $32,000 | apps.irs.gov | |
| Merit School of Music | Chicago, IL | Music to my ears program | Arts, culture and humanities | $32,000 | apps.irs.gov |
| Alliance for the Great Lakes | Chicago, IL | General fund | $30,000 | apps.irs.gov | |
| Lincoln Park Zoo | Chicago, IL | General fund | $30,000 | apps.irs.gov | |
| Foundation for Hearing and Speech Research | Chicago, IL | General fund | $28,000 | apps.irs.gov | |
| Foundation for Hearing and Speech Research | Chicago, IL | Music therapy program | $15,000 | apps.irs.gov | |
| Northwestern University | Evanston, IL | General fund | Recreation and sports | $10,000 | apps.irs.gov |
Causes funded
From grants whose recipient has a cause.
| Cause | Granted |
|---|---|
| Arts, culture and humanities | $1,075,000 |
| Health care | $150,000 |
| Food, agriculture and nutrition | $110,000 |
| Animal-related | $100,000 |
| Recreation and sports | $20,000 |
States funded
| Recipient state | Granted |
|---|---|
| Illinois | $2,888,500 |
Also on SpecStream
- Who funds arts, culture and humanities in Illinois
- Who funds health care in Illinois
- Who funds food, agriculture and nutrition in Illinois
- Who funds animal-related in Illinois
- Who funds recreation and sports in Illinois
Updated August 13, 2026. Read from IRS Form 990-PF e-file data. Public domain (U.S. government work). Grants are as each foundation reported them to the IRS on its Form 990-PF. Grants to individuals are left out. A grant has a cause only where the recipient's name and city match one organization in the IRS Business Master File, and the cause is that organization's NTEE major group. Free to reuse with credit to SpecStream under CC BY 4.0. Spot a wrong value? Write to [email protected] with the link to this page.