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Data / Foundation grants / Zell Family Foundation

Zell Family Foundation: 54 grants to organizations, $65 million (tax year ended December 2024)

Zell Family Foundation, a private foundation in Chicago, IL, paid 54 grants to organizations totaling $64,988,248 in its tax year ended December 2024, according to its Form 990-PF filed with the IRS on October 31, 2025. The largest was $25,000,000 to Northwestern University-Kellogg in Evanston, IL for general support.

SpecStream is the live web data engine for teams and agents. It reads every private foundation's Form 990-PF as the IRS publishes it, and this page is that reading. Ask for the foundations that fund your cause in your state, with the amounts and purposes, and new grants arrive in your sheet, CRM, Slack or agent as the returns are filed.

EIN
363487811
Based in
Chicago, IL
Assets
$119,612,467
Grants paid
$62,988,248
Tax year ended
December 2024

Grants paid, tax year ended December 2024

From the Form 990-PF filed October 31, 2025, IRS object ID 202543049349100019. It reported $62,988,248 in grants paid; 54 grants to organizations are listed.

RecipientLocationPurposeCauseAmountSource
Northwestern University-KelloggEvanston, ILGeneral support$25,000,000apps.irs.gov
Rochelle Zell Jewish High SchoolDeerfield, ILGeneral supportEducation$10,000,000apps.irs.gov
Chicago Symphony OrchestraChicago, ILGeneral supportArts, culture and humanities$8,300,000apps.irs.gov
Camp Ramah in Wisconsin Endowment CorpChicago, ILGeneral supportEducation$3,000,000apps.irs.gov
University of ChicagoChicago, ILGeneral supportEducation$2,000,000apps.irs.gov
Zell Entrepreneurship FoundationChicago, ILEntrepreneurship education - out of corpusEducation$2,000,000apps.irs.gov
Mayo ClinicRochester, MNGeneral supportHealth care$1,500,000apps.irs.gov
Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression Inc (fire)Philadelphia, PAGeneral support$1,350,000apps.irs.gov
Chicago Symphony OrchestraChicago, ILGeneral supportArts, culture and humanities$1,340,000apps.irs.gov
University of MichiganAnn Arbor, MIGeneral support$1,250,000apps.irs.gov
American Friends of Reichman University (fka-Idc)New York, NYGeneral support$1,000,000apps.irs.gov
Chicago Public Education FundChicago, ILGeneral supportEducation$1,000,000apps.irs.gov
Start EarlyChicago, ILGeneral support$1,000,000apps.irs.gov
Museum of Contemporary ArtChicago, ILGeneral supportArts, culture and humanities$700,000apps.irs.gov
Steppenwolf Theatre CompanyChicago, ILGeneral support$500,000apps.irs.gov
University of Colorado Foundation-Pkd ResearchGreeley, COGeneral support$500,000apps.irs.gov
Chiarts FoundationChicago, ILGeneral supportEducation$415,000apps.irs.gov
Lyric OperaChicago, ILGeneral support$350,000apps.irs.gov
ImentorNew York, NYGeneral supportYouth development$325,000apps.irs.gov
Birthright Israel FoundationNew York, NYGeneral supportInternational, foreign affairs and national security$250,000apps.irs.gov
Teach for AllNew York, NYGeneral supportEducation$250,000apps.irs.gov
University of MichiganAnn Arbor, MIGeneral support$225,000apps.irs.gov
American Civil Liberties Union FoundationNew York, NYGeneral supportCivil rights, social action and advocacy$200,000apps.irs.gov
Merit School of MusicChicago, ILGeneral supportArts, culture and humanities$200,000apps.irs.gov
Us Holocaust Memorial MuseumWashington, DCGeneral support$200,000apps.irs.gov
Young Chicago AuthorsChicago, ILGeneral supportArts, culture and humanities$165,000apps.irs.gov
The Point MagazineChicago, ILGeneral supportEducation$160,000apps.irs.gov
University of ChicagoChicago, ILGeneral supportEducation$152,533apps.irs.gov
Cello BelloBoston, MAGeneral support$150,000apps.irs.gov
Chicago Architectural BiennialChicago, ILGeneral support$150,000apps.irs.gov
Facing History and OurselvesBoston, MAGeneral supportArts, culture and humanities$150,000apps.irs.gov
MarwenChicago, ILGeneral support$125,000apps.irs.gov
Teach for AmericaNew York, NYGeneral supportEducation$125,000apps.irs.gov
Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's HospitalChicago, ILGeneral support$100,000apps.irs.gov
Chicago West Community Music CenterChicago, ILGeneral supportArts, culture and humanities$100,000apps.irs.gov
Intrinsic SchoolsChicago, ILGeneral supportEducation$100,000apps.irs.gov
Museum of Contemporary ArtChicago, ILGeneral supportArts, culture and humanities$100,000apps.irs.gov
The Joffrey BalletChicago, ILGeneral supportArts, culture and humanities$100,000apps.irs.gov
Cesar E Chavez Multicultural Academic CenterChicago, ILGeneral support$67,715apps.irs.gov
Chicago Public Library FoundationChicago, ILGeneral supportEducation$50,000apps.irs.gov
Erikson InstituteChicago, ILGeneral supportEducation$50,000apps.irs.gov
Northwestern Memorial FoundationChicago, ILGeneral support$48,000apps.irs.gov
Window To the World Communication-WfmtChicago, ILGeneral support$35,000apps.irs.gov
Window To the World Communication-WfmtChicago, ILGeneral support$35,000apps.irs.gov
American Symphony LeagueNew York, NYGeneral support$25,000apps.irs.gov
Chicago Youth Symphony OrchestraChicago, ILGeneral support$25,000apps.irs.gov
Invest for KidsChicago, ILGeneral supportHuman services$25,000apps.irs.gov
Invest for KidsChicago, ILGeneral supportHuman services$25,000apps.irs.gov
Third Coast Percussion NFPChicago, ILGeneral supportArts, culture and humanities$25,000apps.irs.gov
Hyde Park Art CenterChicago, ILGeneral supportArts, culture and humanities$15,000apps.irs.gov
Millenium Park FoundationChicago, ILGeneral support$10,000apps.irs.gov
Ravinia Festival AssociationHighland Park, ILGeneral supportArts, culture and humanities$10,000apps.irs.gov
Art Institute of ChicagoChicago, ILGeneral supportEducation$5,000apps.irs.gov
Lincoln Park Zoological SocietyChicago, ILGeneral supportAnimal-related$5,000apps.irs.gov

Causes funded

From grants whose recipient has a cause.

States funded

Recipient stateGranted
Illinois$57,488,248
New York$2,175,000
Minnesota$1,500,000
Michigan$1,475,000
Pennsylvania$1,350,000
Colorado$500,000
Massachusetts$300,000
District of Columbia$200,000

Also on SpecStream

Updated October 31, 2025. 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.