Funders › Illinois

David F & Margaret T Grohne

Western Springs, IL · EIN 36-4061509. Reported 190 grants totalling $52.4M to 85 recipients across tax years 2020-2024. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.

Yesaccepts unsolicited requests
$10,000median grant
$52.4Mgranted, 2020-2024
85recipients, as named on its returns
69%of grantees funded again the next year
$219.7Massets, latest filing

Does this foundation accept applications?

Yes -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation whether it makes grants only to organizations it selects itself. Of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered, 78% said yes -- and applying to those is wasted effort. David F & Margaret T Grohne did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.

This is the foundation's own statement to the IRS, not our judgement, and it says nothing about whether they have a form, a deadline, or an appetite for new grantees. Treat it as the reason this foundation is worth your research time, not as an invitation. Many small foundations of this kind have no website and no application process -- a letter of inquiry is the normal first step.

How big are its grants?

The median grant is $10,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $5,000 and $100,000; the smallest was $200 and the largest $7,500,200. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.

Under $1,000
2 grants
$1,000 - $5,000
42 grants
$5,000 - $10,000
45 grants
$10,000 - $25,000
32 grants
$25,000 - $50,000
6 grants
$50,000 - $100,000
9 grants
$100,000 and Up
54 grants

Every organization it funded

This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by name and state as they were written on the returns, so an organization entered under two different names appears twice. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which that name received money.

OrganizationLocationTotal receivedGrantsYears fundedLast
Ducks Unlimited IncMemphis, TN$25.0M552024
Mayo ClinicRochester, MN$13.0M332024
Hillsdale CollegeHillsdale, MI$3,000,000552024
University of Colorado BoulderDenver, CO$3,000,000332022
Max Mcgraw Wildlife FndtnDundee Township, IL$2,000,000222024
Wetlands InitiativeChicago, IL$1,350,000552024
Salk Institute for Biological StudiesLa Jolla, CA$575,000552024
The Leadership InstituteArlington, VA$500,000552024
Morris Hospital FoundationMorris, IL$450,000552024
Delta Waterfowl FoundationBismarck, ND$400,000442024
Field SchoolChicago, IL$400,000222024
The Nature ConservancyArlington, VA$360,000222021
Illinois Conservation FoundationSpringfield, IL$250,000552024
Max Mcgraw Wildlife FoundationDundee, IL$200,000222021
Sportsmen's Alliance FoundationColumbus, OH$200,000222022
US Sportsmen's AllianceColumbus, OH$200,000222024
St Jude's Childrens Research HospitalMemphis, TN$120,000222021
Purdue Polytechnic InstituteWest Lafayette, IN$105,000222023
KIPP FoundationChicago, IL$100,000112024
Partnership SchoolsNew York, NY$100,000112023
Purdue FoundationWest Lafayette, IN$100,000112024
Mark Staehely Pediatric Cancer FoundationShorewood, IL$75,000332022
The Phoenix Childrens FoundationPhoenix, AZ$75,000442024
Nra Civil Rights Defense FundFairfax, VA$50,000112020
Nra FoundationFairfax, VA$50,000112020
Phoenix Children's HospitalPhoenix, AZ$50,000332024
United States Sportsmens AllianceColumbus, OH$50,000112020
St James Catholic ChurchSauk Village, IL$41,500442023
Cato InstituteWashington, DC$30,000332022
Heritage FoundationWashington, DC$30,000332022
Indiana University School of MedicineIndianapolis, IN$30,000332024
National Park FoundationWashington, DC$24,000552024
Ed ChoiceIndianapolis, IN$20,000112024
Heifer InternationalLittle Rock, AZ$20,000222022
Mid-Del Youth and Family Center IncMidwest City, OK$20,000222022
Wounded WarriorsChicago, IL$20,000222024
Young LifeColorado Springs, CO$20,000222021
Disabled American VeteransCincinnati, OH$15,000552024
Mission Mid Del IncMidwest City, OK$15,000222024
The Nature Conservancy - Fl ChapterArlington, VA$15,000332024
Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast CancerRoanoke, IN$15,000222021
Salvation Army Central RegionHoffman Estates, IL$14,000332022
St Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic SchoolFort Wayne, IN$10,500222023
Big Brother Big SisterTampa, FL$10,000222024
Boys Hope Girls HopePhoenix, AZ$10,000112020
Christ Church SchoolParadise Valley, AZ$10,000112024
Direct ReliefSanta Barbara, CA$10,000222022
Hamilton County Community Tennis Association IncCarmel, IN$10,000222021
Heifer InternationalLittle Rock, AR$10,000112020
Hoosier Veterans Assistance FoundationIndianapolis, IN$10,000222023
Salvation Army Chicago BranchChicago, IL$10,000222024
Second HelpingsIndianapolis, IN$10,000222021
The Sierra Club FoundationOakland, CA$10,000222024
Tunnel to Towers FoundationStaten Island, NY$10,000112023
Usta Midwest Tennis and Education FoundationIndianapolis, IN$10,000222023
Wheeler MissionIndianapolis, IN$10,000112024
Alzheimers Foundation of America IncNew York, NY$8,000442024
Lyons Township High School Adult & Continuing EducationLa Grange, IL$8,000442023
Shriners Hospital for ChildrenTampa, FL$8,000112023
Best Friends Animal SocietyKanab, UT$5,000552024
Caitie's Foster Fam RescuePearland, TX$5,000112023
Cool EarthBrooklyn, NY$5,000112022
Coral Restoration FoundationKey Largo, FL$5,000552024
Gateway Community ChurchRockford, IL$5,000112024
Leah's HopeMidwest City, OK$5,000112024
Lucky Lab RescueLewisville, IN$5,000112024
Luke's WingsWashington, DC$5,000112024
Nc State UniversityRaleigh, NC$5,000112023
SeasparDowners Grove, IL$5,000552024
Simon Cancer Center 100 Voices of HopeIndianapolis, IN$5,000112024
St Philip Neri Catholic SchoolChicago, IL$5,000112023
The Caring CenterLebanon, IN$5,000112024
United Way of Greater HoustonHouston, TX$5,000112020
Veterans Community ProjectKansas City, MO$5,000112020
Big Brothers Big Sisters of ChicagoChicago, IL$4,000112020
The Nashville Food Project IncNashville, TN$4,000112021
BirdabilityAustin, TX$3,000112021
Wind River Development FundFort Washakie, WY$3,000112021
Children's Organ Transplant AssociationBloomington, IN$2,500112023
Doctors Without BordersNew York, NY$2,500112023
The Damien CenterIndianapolis, IN$2,500112024
The Julian CenterIndianapolis, IN$2,500112024
Actors With Special NeedsDowners Grove, IL$2,000112024
Puppies Behind BarsNew York, NY$2,000112020
St Jude Research HospitalMemphis, TN$400222024

50 of 85 (59%) received money in more than one year over the 5 years we hold.

Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 69%, across 4 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is about typical. This measures how often it paid the same organizations again. It says nothing about whether it would consider a new one.

What kind of organizations it funds

By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 108 grants where we could match the recipient to a registered organization. The categories are the IRS's. The match, made from the name and address on the return, is ours.

Environment
18 grants
Animal Welfare
13 grants
Education
12 grants
Public & Societal Benefit
12 grants
Health Care
11 grants
Recreation & Sports
9 grants
Human Services
7 grants
Science & Technology
5 grants

Giving by year

Tax yearGrantsTotalMedian grant
202037$8,487,000$10,000
202136$10.1M$10,000
202235$10.0M$10,000
202340$10.3M$5,000
202442$13.5M$10,000

Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.

Where its money goes

48% of its giving went to organizations in Tennessee. If your organization is based elsewhere, look in the recipient list for grants to your area before writing.

Tennessee
$25.1M
Minnesota
$13.0M
Illinois
$4.9M
Colorado
$3.0M
Michigan
$3.0M
Virginia
$975K
California
$595K
Ohio
$465K

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Funders that support the same organizations

These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are a sign of overlapping priorities and nothing more: they do not show that any of these funders would consider a new organization. Each page says what its filings show.

Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc27 shared recipientsFidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund26 shared recipientsAmerican Online Giving Foundation Inc26 shared recipientsVanguard Charitable Endowment Program25 shared recipientsNational Philanthropic Trust22 shared recipientsMorgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc19 shared recipients

How to approach this foundation

  1. Check you are its size. The median grant is $10,000. A request many times that size asks for something it has rarely or never given.
  2. Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in Tennessee.
  3. Read the recipient list above for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer, and a cheap one to get.
  4. Look up the current filing before writing. The 990-PF names the foundation's officers and, where one exists, its application procedure. We link it below.

Where these numbers come from

Everything above is taken from David F & Margaret T Grohne's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 5 returns (tax years 2020-2024). Grant figures are from its returns. Matching recipients to registered organizations, their IRS classifications, the retention rate and the funders that support the same organizations are our own calculations, described in how we build this.

Address of record on the latest return: 4908 Lawn Avenue, Western Springs, IL, 60558. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS; many small foundations file through an accountant or a bank trust department, so it may not be where post to a programme officer should go.

EIN 36-4061509 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this

This is history, not an open call. Foundation returns are published about a year after the tax year ends. Nothing on this page is a deadline. It is a record of who this foundation has actually funded.

Is something here wrong about your foundation? Email hello@funderscope.com and we will correct it.